Permanent telehealth MBS arrangements for specialists
Date published:
23 Dec 2021
The Department of Health has announced that from 1 January 2022 ongoing MBS arrangements built on COVID-19 temporary telehealth services will continue to support out of hospital patient access to specialist telehealth, but with some changes.
The RACP has been a strong advocate for appropriately designed and funded MBS arrangements for telehealth and we welcome the decision to make them permanent.
The RACP has also advocated against the recently announced restrictions on use of the phone for specialist consultations as this may exacerbate existing inequities and access problems in our health care system.
Our recent media release also notes that the changes arrive at a very difficult time requiring rushed rescheduling of appointments in the lead-up to expected end-of-year service limitations.
We look forward to working with the Government to further optimise MBS telehealth items for our members and patients.
A Factsheet on MBS Specialist Telehealth Services details information on:
- the specialist telehealth items that will apply from 1 January 2022
- the telehealth items that will no longer apply from 1 January 2022
Read the media release