1. Let’s talk Telehealth
Bunbury
Wednesday 10th April 2013
Lesley Pugh

2. What is Telehealth?
Telehealth is defined as a consultation
between a health consumer and a healthcare
provider employing the simultaneous real-
time use of both an audio and visual
connection.

3. Aims Of Telehealth:
•Remove barriers around accessing medical
services, particularly in rural and remote areas
•Facilitate improved patient care

5. Estimated cost savings for Emily
and Matt
Explanation Expenses Amounts
Visit 1:
Travel to Toowoomba with no
overnight stay (371 km)
Childcare. Unpaid leave Matt. Petrol
Food and consumables
$674.24
Visit 2:
Travel to Toowoomba with
overnight stay (371 km) and friend
to help look after children
Childcare. Unpaid leave Matt. Petrol
Food and consumables
Accommodation
$894.54
Visit 3:
Travel to Toowoomba with no
overnight stay (371 km)
Childcare. Unpaid leave Matt. Petrol
Food and consumables
$674.24
Total costs $2243.02

6. Telehealth considerations
• Appoint a clinic champion
• Setting up your clinic
– Staff education
– Talk IT
– Protocols and processes
– Establishing a Telehealth space
– Troubleshooting & back up plans
• The Telehealth consultation
– Clinical factors
– Documentation
• After the consultation
– Feedback
– Lessons learned

7. MBS Eligibility
Practitioner Rules Eligibility Item number
Specialist Registered specialist No restrictions
Patient end GP’s, NP’s, PN’s
Midwives & AHW’s
Telehealth eligible
areas
Practice nurses Register nurses on
behalf on GP
Telehealth eligible
areas
10983
Aboriginal Health
Worker
AHW on behalf of a
GP
No restrictions 10983
Midwives With a provider
number
Telehealth eligible
area
82150
82151
82152
Nurse
Practitioners
With a provider
number
Telehealth eligible
area
82220
82221
82222
Registered aged
care Facilities
Must register with
Medicare
No restrictionsr

8. Patient-end Services
MBS item descriptor Video consultation
payment
Face to face payment
A :lasting at least 5 min. 2100 $22.45 3 $16.60
B: lasting less than 20 min. 2126 $48.95 23 $36.30
C: lasting at least 20 min. 2143 $94.95 36 $70.30
D: lasting at least 40 min. 2195 $139.70 44 $103.50
Item 10983 $32.40

9. Extra information
• Time based consultations
• Multiple consultations on same day
• Multiple telehealth consultations on the same day
• Nurse item numbers not time based

10. Thinking outside the Telehealth
box
• Sometimes driven by the MBS eligibility
when that might not be the most important
outcome..
• Improved patient health outcomes
• Improved communication and collaboration
between health professionals
• Improved confidence for GP’s
• Sense of importance of care for patients
• Consider an out of pocket fee for patients

11. Frequently asked questions
Question Yes No
Can Telehealth consultations be conducted for hospital inpatients 
Are Telephone consults considered a Telehealth consultation 
Do specialists have area eligibility restrictions 
Do Aged Care Facilities have area eligibility restrictions 
Does the GP need to be in the consultation for the entire time 

12. Nursing and Midwifery
Telehealth Consortia
Education
• 4 hour online education being developed
• Module 1 & 2 available now and further 7 modules progressively
available over next month
• Registration www.apna.asn.au/telehealth
Standards and Guidelines
• Being developed by ANF
• Due for release late March 2013

13. Telehealth consortia partners
Australian Practice Nurses Association (APNA)
www.apna.asn.au
Australian Nursing Federation (ANF)
www.anf.org.au
Australian College of Midwives (ACM)
www.midwives.org.au
Australian College of Nurse Practitioners (ACNP)
www.acnp.org.au
Council of Remote and Rural Nurses (Cranaplus)
www.crana.org.au

14. Useful Telehealth websites
• Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine
(ACRRM)
www.ehealth.acrrm.org.au/telehealth
• Doctor Connect
http://www.doctorconnect.gov.au/internet/otd/Publis
hing.nsf/Content/locator
• MBS online:
http://www.mbsonline.gov.au/telehealth