1000 GPs could face Medicare audit for suspected telehealth breaches
The Federal Health Department says it has already begun audits on a small number of practitioners
Up to 1000 GPs could be audited for suspected breaches of Medicare’s ‘existing relationship’ rules for telehealth consults.
The Federal Department of Health’s compliance blitz is focussed on requirements that patients must have seen the same GP, or a GP at the same practice, face-to-face in the 12 months before the remote consult.
Health officials say all the GPs, who were identified based on an analysis of claims data rather than tip-offs, will be asked to review their claiming to “confirm if they have met the relevant item requirements”.
The precise number of GPs to be audited has not been finalised, but the department says it has already begun audits of “a small number” of them.
