From 20 July 2020, patients who have not visited a practice for a face-to-face consultation in the past 12 months are no longer eligible for Medicare subsidised telehealth services.
It should be noted that this does not apply to those living under Stage 4 restrictions in Victoria. Children under the age of 12 months or people who are experiencing homelessness are also exempt.
For more information visit https://www.health.gov.au/ministers/the-hon-greg-hunt-mp/media/continuous-care-with-telehealth-stage-seven or the Department of Health has published the COVID-19 Telehealth Items Guide which should answer many of your questions.
How are practices saving time and easily adapting to this change?
Many practices are saving time and turning to data insights software to identify which patients may not be eligible for Medicare-subsidised telehealth services.
Our partner Cubiko is one such software company which has built in some new insights to help you focus on what matters the most – looking after your patients! One of those is ‘Upcoming Appointments’ which looks at your appointments over the next 7 – 14 days to check if the patient has had a face-to-face service billed in the past 12 months. In fact, it’s one of their most popular metrics ever.
To find out more about Cubiko Assist and how it can help your practice, visit www.cubiko.com.au/tonic
