Telehealth services here to stay following $106m cash injection

Doctors groups and patients have welcomed a plan to make telehealth a permanent part of the ­nation’s health system.

Australian Medical Association president Omar Khorshid. Picture: Gary Ramage

Doctors groups and patients have welcomed a plan to make telehealth a permanent part of the ­nation’s health system.

The federal government will commit $106m to establish permanent telehealth, after the initiative was brought in during the pandemic and adopted en­thu­siastically by doctors and patients.

More than 86.3 million Covid-19 telehealth services have been claimed on Medicare by 16.1 million patients since March 2020, with $4.4bn in benefits paid out. It has radically transformed the way healthcare is delivered.

Medical groups have been pushing for more than a year for telehealth to become a permanent part of the health system.

Australian Medical Association president Omar Khorshid said making telehealth permanent would ensure Australia’s healthcare system continued to be “one of the most equitable and ­effective systems in the world”.

“A face-to-face visit to a doctor will still remain an essential part of our health system. However, Medicare was established in 1984 well before people had access to mobile phones or video conferencing, and expanding access to telehealth is an overdue reform, which brings Medicare into the 21st century,” Dr Khorshid said.

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners said making telehealth permanent was a big step forward for Australia’s healthcare system.

“This is a significant step forward for general practice and our entire health system,” said RACGP president Karen Price.

“Telehealth has proven to be a valuable complement to face-to-face care. It increased access to care for patients in need and no doubt saved lives.”

Executive director of the Australian Association of Psychologists Tegan Carrison said tele­health had been “a lifesaving form of healthcare delivery for vast numbers of psychology clients since the pandemic began”.

Melbourne mother Anita Aherne said telehealth was a godsend for her and her son Jack, who is diagnosed with autism and suffers depression and anxiety.

“Telehealth means my child can engage in speech therapy, meet his psychologist and chat with his psychiatrist in the comfort and sanctity of our own home,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has released new data on hospital emergency departments, finding presentations rose by 6.9 per cent in 2020–21, a significant rise.

Targets on timely care are still not being met, however, with 71 per cent of patients seen on time, down from 74 per cent in 2019–20.