Psychiatrists would be able to claim Medicare for telehealth in the major cities but lose loadings for doing so in rural areas, under a proposed MBS shake-up.

The reform is part of 10 key changes recommended by the MBS Review Taskforce’s psychiatry clinical committee, in a report released last month.

The committee reviewed 53 MBS items, accounting for about 2.4 million services and $347 million in benefits annually.

It recommended no changes to GP-requested management plans or phone consultations in regional and remote areas, despite initial concerns about the use and value of these services leading to review of the items.