AMA disappointed in telehealth review
The AMA has written to MRAC to express its concerns with the review.
AMA President Professor Steve Robson has written to the MBS Reform Advisory Committee (MRAC) to raise concerns with the consultation process for the telehealth post implementation review.
MRAC invited the AMA to complete a survey on the principles of telehealth. There were ten principles which were to be ranked from one to five stars to demonstrate support for specific principles. The AMA’s letter expressed significant concerns with this process, saying it did not support establishing principles for a specific subset of MBS items and did not support this process of consultation.
The letter identified principle 5, that telehealth “Should prefer video over phone, as video offers richer information transfer, with fewer limited exceptions being allowed over time” as particularly problematic. The AMA does not support the distinction between telephone and video, and there is significant evidence to support the use of telephone. The AMA’s position is that the determination of whether telehealth by telephone is appropriate should be based on evidence, not on principles.
The AMA believes that while the introduction of MBS items for telehealth services has been a significant advancement for the Australian health system, there remain issues with items, access and structure.
The consultation process should have facilitated discussions on those issues to ensure consumers are able to safely access appropriate care.
There will be further consultation as part of the review later this year. The AMA’s letter also outlined the AMA’s conviction that the consultation process should be used to identify patients and communities who are underserved by the MBS and align MBS telehealth items with the healthcare needs of these communities.
