The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has called on the Albanese Government to boost telehealth access in next week's budget.
The RACGP has long been calling for government to ensure all patients can take full advantage of telehealth consults with their usual GP. This includes making Medicare rebates for longer telehealth phone consultations a permanent fixture so that all patients can get the care they need when they need it. The RACGP is also calling on the Government to re-introduce Medicare rebates for phone consultations for mental health items and GP chronic disease management plans.
RACGP President Dr Nicole Higgins said it was time for action.
"We must ensure Australia's telehealth scheme is fit for purpose and that no patients are left behind," she said.
"In July last year, the Medicare Benefits Schedule removed the patient rebate for GP phone consults longer than 20 minutes but kept patient rebates for video calls lasting 20 to 40 minutes as well as video calls lasting longer than 40 minutes. The RACGP did not support the decision at the time and the Budget is the perfect opportunity to make it right. Re-introducing rebates for phone consultations covering mental health items and GP chronic disease management plans will also benefit many Australians so I call on the Government to make that change."
Dr Higgins said that boosting telehealth services would be particularly beneficial for patient groups at risk of falling between the cracks of our health system.
"Telehealth is a game-changer for many people, and we must ensure it is accessible for all," she said.
"Removing patient rebates for longer phone consults was a backward step that has disproportionately affected people in rural and remote areas. If you consider a patient living in a small town some distance from a major city or regional centre who must carefully manage a range of chronic health conditions such as diabetes or asthma and who faces a long drive to see a GP for an in-person consult you realise how important phone consults are. Not everyone can have their health needs met by a brief appointment, and that's why longer consults with a GP are so important. So, if this patient can have a longer phone consult with their GP lasting more than 20 minutes, they can stay on top of their complex conditions, and it can make all the difference to their long-term health outlook.
"Longer phone consults are also particularly important for older patients, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and those living with disabilities or limited mobility. Keep in mind that these patient cohorts already have poorer health outcomes than the general population and are at risk of falling through the cracks without strong access to general practice care. So, without rebates for longer phone consults we are essentially denying healthcare access to those who need it most. We have it all the wrong way around and next week's Budget is our chance to address this discrepancy."
The RACGP President said that the Government should not forget Australia's digital divide.
"Many people may take it for granted that we live in a digital age but ask any GP and they will tell you that the picture is more complicated than that," she said.
"Longer telehealth consultations are needed as video telehealth consultations are not an option for many people. That is because in communities nation-wide, many people don't have ready and reliable access to internet services. In fact, two and a half million people in Australia are not using the internet due to a range of factors including access. Others simply are not confident using the technology or find the cost of purchasing a smart phone or laptop prohibitive.
"Some estimates have one in four people categorised as 'digitally excluded', meaning that in their day to day life they are unable to properly take advantage of digital technology. So, let's ensure that they are not left behind, and the only way to do that is to make sure that they can access longer phone consults with their GP."
Last year, a study released by technology company Phillips found that 40% of people living in rural and remote areas had internet speeds that were less than 28 kilobits per second. This makes conducting telehealth video consultations challenging, if not impossible, given that the minimum recommended speed for video calls is 600 kilobits per second.
- available for all GP consultation lengths and types
- valued at the same level as face-to-face and video items
- linked to a patient's usual GP, with some exceptions for services provided by GPs with special interests upon usual GP referral.
The RACGP's submission to the Australian National Audit Office's (ANAO) audit of the expansion of telehealth services outlines several challenges the Government must face head on to improve our telehealth system. This includes learning from mistakes made in implementing telehealth services and making longer phone consultations a permanent fixture of Medicare.
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