Telehealth or "telemedicine" is being used by clinicians and doctors in Australia to enable patients to "see" a specialist without the time and expense of physically travelling to another location.

The Australian Government has committed to providing Medicare rebates and financial incentives for online consultations across a range of medical specialties under the 'Connecting Health Services with the Future: Modernising Medicare by Providing Rebates for Online Consultations' initiative.

The initiative address some of the barriers to accessing medical services, and specialist services in particular, for Australians in remote, regional and outer metropolitan areas.

Telehealth solutions are used across a broad range of medical applications– from neurologists saving critical time assessing and recommending treatment for stroke victims in remote area, through to the area of tele-psychiatry, endocrinology and dermatology.

 Medicare Rebates and Incentives

• Telehealth On-Board Incentive

A Telehealth On-Board Incentive is a time limited, one-off payment which is made to an Eligible Telehealth Practitioner. A Telehealth On-Board Incentive will be paid to an Eligible Practitioner upon the first occasion that a Medicare benefit is paid for a Telehealth MBS Item billed against a practitioner's provider number.

• Telehealth Service Incentive

A Telehealth Service Incentive is a per service payment to encourage Eligible Practitioners to continue to provide Eligible Telehealth Services. A Telehealth Service Incentive will accrue to a practitioner each time a Medicare benefit is paid for Telehealth MBS Item billed against a practitioner's provider number.

Further information

Further information on MBS Items and Financial Incentives for telehealth is available from http://www.mbsonline.gov.au/telehealth .

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