Doctors call for revamp of ailing rural telehealth scheme

A pandemic-era exception allowing initial telehealth consultations has been dropped, but physicians say it should be reinstated.

Physicians want pandemic era telehealth provisions reinstated.

Rural Australians are suffering from poorer health because of a lack of Medicare funding for initial telehealth appointments and a lack of specialists in regional areas, doctors say.

RACP President and Pediatrician Dr Jacqueline Small

In a pre-budget submission, the Royal Australian College of Physicians has called on the federal government to reinstate a temporary provision introduced during the Covid pandemic to allow initial telehealth consultations with a medical practitioner to be claimed on the Medicare Benefits Schedule.

It is likely to also require changes to legislation that doctors working in general practice can perform a telehealth service for a patient only when they have an existing clinical relationship.

RACP president Jacqueline Small said consistently poorer health outcomes in rural Australia may be exacerbated by the difficulty in accessing telehealth appointments.

“We’re well aware that there’s quite significant health disparity for people who live in rural and remote areas, that there’s quite a lot of data evidence to support that, and access to care is one of the key factors,” Dr Small said.

The RACP says choosing to present face-to-face, or over the phone or video, should be up to the practitioner and the patient.

Only follow-up telehealth appointments are covered under the MBS, which can be claimed only after a patient first fronts up for a face-to-face consultation.

“Forcing patients to meet face-to-face with a physician for an initial consult is a huge barrier for those who have to travel long distances,” Dr Small said. “Almost a third of the population is based in rural and remote areas where access to healthcare is already poor or sometimes non-existent.

“There are often cases where patients with one condition are referred to several different specialists, and having to travel to each of them for an initial visit is a major issue, especially for those who are physically frail, in ­regional and remote areas or who have limited financial resources.”