Southern Cross Cardiovascular Services
Suite 5, 2 Enterprise
Dr. Bundoora, VIC 3083
Ph: +61 3 85826965
Fax: +61 3 85826966
Southern Cross Cardiovascular Services Telehealth
Southern Cross Cardiovascular is now offering Telehealth to all patients, in light of the current COVID 19 (Corona virus) pandemic situation. All patients will now be booked for a consultation via telehealth (Either Video link through Skype or Zoom or telephone consult). Please contact our friendly staff on 03 85826965 for further information. These consultations will be bulk billed as per the current MBS guidelines. If a patient needs to be physically seen in the clinic, this will be arranged as long as it is safe to do so.
COVID-19 – MBS TELEHEALTH ITEMS for Specialists (statement from MBS)
Following extensive advocacy by the College, the Commonwealth has announced whole of population telehealth for patients, general practice, primary care and other medical services to support the response to COVID-19.
Please note that additional items are expected to become available. We will work with relevant specialty bodies and the government this week to identify additional items that can be provided by telehealth.
In the meantime, telehealth consultations for the selected services below provided by specialist and consultant physicians and paediatricians will no longer be restricted to patients with COVID-19 or vulnerable patients and doctors.
The following items will now have telehealth (videoconferencing) and telephone consultation equivalents with no restriction on location, although they are still subject to a bulk billing restriction.
| Consultant physician. Initial attendance | 110 | 91824** | 91834** |
| Consultant physician. Subsquent attendance | 116 | 91825** | 91835** |
Southern Cross Cardiovascular Services Telehealth
Southern Cross Cardiovascular is now offering Telehealth to all patients, in light of the current COVID 19 (Corona virus) pandemic situation. All patients will now be booked for a consultation via telehealth (Either Video link through Skype or Zoom or telephone consult). Please contact our friendly staff on 03 85826965 for further information. These consultations will be bulk billed as per the current MBS guidelines. If a patient needs to be physically seen in the clinic, this will be arranged as long as it is safe to do so.
COVID-19 – MBS TELEHEALTH ITEMS for Specialists (statement from MBS)
Commencing 13 March 2020, new temporary MBS telehealth items have been made available to help reduce the risk of community transmission of COVID-19 and provide protection for patients and health care providers.
The list of telehealth services has continued to expand since 13 March. This is the latest factsheet and provides details on all current telehealth items.
The new temporary MBS telehealth items are available to GPs, medical practitioners, nurse practitioners, participating midwives, allied health providers and dental practitioners in the practice of oral and maxillofacial surgery.
A service may only be provided by telehealth where it is safe and clinically appropriate to do so.
The new temporary MBS telehealth items are for out-of-hospital patients.
It is a legislative requirement that the GPs and Other Medical Practitioner (OMP) new telehealth services, must be bulk billed for Commonwealth concession card holders, children under 16 years old and patients who are more vulnerable to COVID-19.
As of 20 April 2020, specialist and allied health service providers are no longer required to bulk bill these new telehealth items.
Providers are expected to obtain informed financial consent from patients prior to providing the service; providing details regarding their fees, including any out-of-pocket costs.
The bulk-billing incentive Medicare fees have temporarily doubled (until 30 September) for items relating to GP and OMP services, diagnostic imaging services (items 64990 and 64991) and pathology services (items 74990 and 74990). These items can be claimed with the telehealth items where appropriate. The fees are provided later in the factsheet. As of 20 April, two new bulk-billing incentive items have been introduced for services provided to patients who are more vulnerable to COVID-19
What are the changes?
As part of the Australian Government’s response to COVID-19, new temporary MBS telehealth items have been introduced to ensure continued access to essential Medicare rebated consultation services. As of 30 March 2020 these items have become general in nature and have no relation to diagnosing, treating or suspecting COVID-19.
A list of the new telehealth items is provided later in this fact sheet.
Why are the changes being made?
The new temporary MBS telehealth items will allow people to access essential Medicare funded health services in their homes and reduce their risk of exposure to COVID-19 within the community.
Who is eligible?
The new temporary MBS telehealth items are available to providers of telehealth services for a wide range of consultations. All Medicare eligible Australians can now receive these services.
GP and OMP services provided using the MBS telehealth items must be bulk billed for Commonwealth concession card holders, children under 16 years of age, and patients who are more vulnerable to COVID-19. For specialist and allied health services, bulk billing is at the discretion of the provider, so long as informed financial consent is obtained prior to the provision of the service.
Vulnerable means a patient at risk of COVID-19, so a person who:
is required to self-isolate or self-quarantine in accordance with guidance issued by the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee in relation to COVID-19; or
is at least 70 years old; or
if the person identifies as being of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent—is at least 50 years old; or
is pregnant; or
is the parent of a child aged under 12 months; or
is being treated for a chronic health condition; or
is immune compromised; or
meets the current national triage protocol criteria for suspected COVID-19 infection.
A chronic health condition is medical condition that has been present (or is likely to be present) for at least six months or is terminal. The Department of Health website provides additional detail online: https://www.health.gov.au/health-topics/chronic-conditions/about-chronic-conditions. The diagnosis of immune compromised is a clinical decision made by the patient’s treating doctor. Please note this is guidance only, and does not constitute MBS claiming advice.
What telehealth options are available?
Videoconference services are the preferred approach for substituting a face-to-face consultation. However, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, providers will also be able to offer audio-only services via telephone if video is not available. There are separate items available for the audio-only services.
No specific equipment is required to provide Medicare-compliant telehealth services. Practitioners must ensure that their chosen telecommunications solution meets their clinical requirements and satisfies privacy laws. To assist providers with their privacy obligations, a privacy checklist for telehealth services has been made available on MBSOnline: http://www.mbsonline.gov.au/internet/mbsonline/publishing.nsf/Content/Factsheet-TelehealthPrivChecklist. Further information can be found on the Australian Cyber Security Centre website
What does this mean for providers?
The new temporary MBS telehealth items will allow providers to continue to deliver essential health care services to patients within their care.
Providers do not need to be in their regular practice to provide telehealth services. Providers should use their provider number for their primary location, and must provide safe services in accordance with normal professional standards.
The telehealth MBS items can substitute for current face-to-face consultations that available under the MBS when the service/s cannot be provided due to COVID-19 considerations. The telehealth items will have similar requirements to normal timed consultation items.
GP and OMP telehealth items must be bulk billed for vulnerable patients, concession card holders and children under 16 years at the time the service is being provided, meaning MBS rebates are paid to the provider. Rebates for services provided by GPs and non-vocationally registered medical practitioners will be paid at 85% of the new item fees – these fee amounts have been increased so that the Medicare rebates paid for the new GP and medical practitioner telehealth services are at the same level as the rebates paid for the equivalent face-to-face services. (Due to the urgency of the new telehealth arrangements, the Department of Health has not been able to amend the legislation that establishes 100% rebates for GP/medical practitioner services.)
For additional information on the use of telehealth items, please refer to the Provider Frequently Asked Questions document available on MBSOnline.
How will these changes affect patients?
The new temporary MBS telehealth items will require GPs and OMPs to bulk-bill only for vulnerable patients, concession card holders and children under 16 years, so there will be no additional charge for these patients. Patients are required to consent to their service being bulk-billed. Eligible patients should ask their service providers about their telehealth options, where clinically appropriate.
Specialist and allied health telehealth items do not need to be bulk billed, however the provider must ensure informed financial consent is obtained prior to the provision of the service.
A consumer factsheet is available on MBSOnline which provides further information on how these changes will affect patients.
Who was consulted on the changes?
Targeted consultation with stakeholders has informed the new temporary MBS telehealth items. Due to the nature of the COVID-19 emergency, it was not reasonably possible to undertake normal, broad consultations prior to implementation.
How will the changes be monitored and reviewed?
The Department of Health will monitor the use of the new temporary MBS telehealth items. Use of the items that does not seem to be in accordance with the relevant Medicare guidelines and legislation will be actioned appropriately.
Where can I find more information?
COVID-19 National Health Plan resources for the general public, health professionals and industry are available from the Australian Government Department of Health website.
The full item descriptors and information on other changes to the MBS can be found on the MBS Online website at www.mbsonline.gov.au. You can also subscribe to future MBS updates by visiting MBS Online and clicking ‘Subscribe’.
The Department of Health provides an email advice service for providers seeking advice on interpretation of the MBS items and rules and the Health Insurance Act and associated regulations. If you have a query relating exclusively to interpretation of the Schedule, you should email askMBS@health.gov.au.
Subscribe to ‘News for Health Professionals’ on the Services Australia website and you will receive regular news highlights.
If you are seeking advice in relation to Medicare billing, claiming, payments, or obtaining a provider number, please go to the Health Professionals page on the Services Australia website or contact Services Australia on the Provider Enquiry Line – 13 21 50.