Specialists may now bill as usual for all patients they see by telehealth, now that the government has dropped the requirement that they bulk-bill those deemed vulnerable to COVID-19
Specialists may now bill as usual for all patients they see by telehealth, now that the government has dropped the requirement that they bulk-bill those deemed vulnerable to COVID-19 – a list that includes anyone with a chronic condition, and therefore a rheumatologist’s entire patient list.
“This is definitely going to help those of us in private practice. I think at my workplace, we’re still likely to bulk bill a relatively high number of these telehealth appointments to help our patients,” said Dr Irwin Lim, a rheumatologist at BJC Health and the editor of Rheumatology Republic.
“However, the option of charging a higher fee will help our incomes and help make the running of a practice more viable,” he said.
A further 28 new telehealth items are available for specialists – consultant psychiatrists, public health physicians and neurosurgeons – and for services provided by a practice nurse or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioner on behalf of a medical practitioner.
