Coronavirus: Health ministers back push to fund GP telehealth option
There is an obvious benefit to keeping people out of clinics, says Queensland Health Minister Steven Miles
Patients with suspected coronavirus could soon be able to access Medicare rebates for video consultations with a GP, after the proposal won the backing of health ministers.
The RACGP has been calling for an emergency infectious disease items to be added to the MBS, arguing the government’s coronavirus response is relying on GPs offering telehealth for free with no subsidies.
Most state health departments are advising patients with suspected COVID-19 to call their GP clinic for screening, rather than walking in off the street into a hospital ED.
The idea has been to minimise the risk of contagion but some GPs have complained the result has been a huge build-up in unpaid work dealing with the calls.
