The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has welcomed a new report which shows the impact of COVID-19 on access to care in Australia and highlights the value of telehealth and telephone consultations.
The Medicine Insight, General Practice Insights report analysed data from 458 general practices and 4026 GPs from March to December 2020 to assess the impact of COVID-19 and telehealth on access to care in Australia. The RACGP is a member of the advisory group for the report, which is developed by NPS MedicineWise.
· The report found that practices adapted quickly to the introduction of telehealth, and patients consulted their GP more often in 2020 compared to 2019
· While the number of in-person MBS consultations billed to Medicare in 2020 was lower than in 2019, when telehealth was included, the number of all billed consultations was 11% higher – 8.6 million in 2020, compared to 7.7 million in 2019.
· The report also highlights the value of telephone services. Almost all telehealth services were provided by telephone, 95%, whereas video made up a fraction of services.
RACGP President Dr Karen Price said the report highlighted the value of telehealth, and telephone consultations in particular.
"This report shows that the introduction of telehealth in 2020, which the RACGP advocated strongly for, was a masterstroke – it ensured GPs could continue providing essential care to patients in challenging times, throughout COVID-19 outbreaks and lockdowns.
"We could have been in a much worse position today without the introduction of Medicare rebates for telehealth in 2020. The report shows Australia escaped the major decline in primary care services other countries experienced in lockdown, and the associated impacts on patient health and our healthcare system, thanks to telehealth.
"At the beginning of the pandemic, medical testing rates and prescribing of medicines for chronic conditions fell sharply but returned to pre-pandemic levels after telehealth was introduced.
"Importantly, some conditions were treated even more frequently, including mental health. Mental health services were highest in July 2020 when Victoria's second wave peaked – which is no surprise as GPs have seen a significant escalation in mental health concerns during the pandemic.
The RACGP President said the finding that telephone consultations made up the bulk of telehealth services was a clear sign of their importance.
"The RACGP has long expressed the importance of telephone consultations as part of patient care, and this is welcome recognition of their value for patients.
"The fact is many patients are either not comfortable accessing video consultations or are unable to do so, particularly those who are older, economically disadvantaged, or living in rural and remote areas. It's no surprise the report found video telehealth use was consistently higher throughout the year in the most socioeconomically advantaged areas.
"This is why the RACGP is calling on the federal Government to make Medicare items for longer telephone consultations, mental health, and GP management plans part of the permanent telehealth model.
"The recent six-month restoration of telehealth to peak COVID-19 pandemic settings was welcome. But we must not stop there – longer telephone consultations must be a permanent fixture of telehealth to improve access to care for all patients."
Dr Price said she looked forward to consulting with Government to get the permanent plan for telehealth right for all patients across Australia.
"Telehealth has been embraced by GPs and patients alike and has proven to be a valuable complement to face-to-face care," she said.
"I know from my own practice how valuable telehealth is. The fact that patients can still access care in such challenging and stressful times, be it for an ongoing chronic condition or mental health concerns, makes a world of difference.
"The report also supports what GPs know anecdotally, that telehealth has improved access to care for regional communities in particular. Rates of telehealth use were often higher in inner regional practices compared to major city practices, where there is greater access to health services.
"The introduction of telehealth was progressive policy, responding to the needs of the community – it no doubt saved lives in 2020, and it still is."
In December, the federal Government announced that telehealth would be a permanent fixture of the healthcare system.
~
