Phone consults will be the ‘bedrock of telehealth’ for GPs, says Greg Hunt
The health minister's comments come amid debate about the clinical value of phone-based care
Phone consults will be the “bedrock” of Australia’s permanent Medicare funding model for telehealth, which could be in place by January next year, Greg Hunt says.
The federal Minister for Health stressed that, while video was sometimes the clinically preferred option for doctors, he was pushing for MBS items for phone consults to remain in place.
The introduction of the existing items has been seen as a watershed in bringing Medicare funding of general practice into the 21st century; but they remain a temporary response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a speech to the AMA national conference on Saturday, Mr Hunt said officials were hoping a permanent fix could be in place by the new year.
