New telehealth arrangements welcome but need adjustment to maximise benefits to patients
AMA Vice President, Professor Geoffrey Dobb, said today that the Government’s new telehealth arrangements have the potential to improve access to quality medical services for people in rural, remote, and outer metropolitan areas over time.
Prof Dobb said that the Government has recognised that video consultations will have both time and financial impacts on many medical practices, but the AMA believes the compensation and funding arrangements need to be adjusted to ensure maximum participation by practices and maximum benefits for patients.
“We welcome the Government’s decision to fund video consultations for referred specialist consultations,” Prof Dobb said.
“And we welcome the funding that will encourage medical practices to introduce video consultation facilities by covering the initial purchase of technology and setting up dedicated spaces in each practice.
“But there are shortcomings and inequities in the way that the Medicare rebates have been structured. They may result in out-of-pocket costs for patients depending on the type and location of the consultation.
“The Government is providing specialists with a 50 per cent loading to cover the extra time needed for video consultations, but the GPs in rural and remote areas will only be eligible for a 35 per cent loading.
“The new MBS fees for telehealth have not been structured to provide patients with rebates that reflect the true costs of providing video consultations on an ongoing basis. The fees do not adequately cover the full range of new costs that medical practices will incur in order to provide video consultations.
“On top of the practice administration costs associated with getting the GP, the patient, and the specialist available at the scheduled consultation time, there are costs of high speed broadband access, real time IT support services, and equipment upgrades over time.
“After the Government’s incentive payments stop in four years’ time, the Medicare rebates will be much lower than the true cost of providing the service.”
Prof Dobb said that the AMA is pleased that the items allow treating doctors to use their clinical judgement about when video consultations are used and the type of equipment that can be used.
The AMA wants the Government to extend the telehealth items to cover video consultations for certain patients - such as residents of aged care facilities and people living in their own homes but who have mobility difficulties - who cannot make it to see their local GP.
29 June 2011
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