Support for Virtual Care continues with the roll out of electronic prescribing, extensions to telehealth MBS funding and image-based prescriptions, free access for GPs to Healthdirect video call and patient information available online in My Health Record. 

Read the latest updates on these initiatives below. 

1. Temporary MBS item numbers for telehealth (phone and video) consultations, where a practice has seen the patient in person in the last 12 months (There are limited exemptions to this requirement).These are in place until 31 March 2021.The item numbers allow patients to access essential Medicare funded health services from their home and providers do not need to be in their regular practice to provide telehealth services.

   From 1 October 2020:

   • GPs providing COVID-19 telehealth services are not required to bulk bill their patients.
   • Temporary MBS COVID-19 bulk billing incentive items 10981 and 10982 ceased.
   • The temporary doubling of fees for MBS bulk billing incentive items 10990, 10991, 10992, 64990, 64991, 74990 and 74991 ceased.

   Factsheets available on MBS Online

2. Image Based Prescriptions.The National Health (COVID-19 Supply of Pharmaceutical Benefits) Special Arrangement 2020 (The Special Arrangement) was developed under the National Health Act to provide a patient who is confined to their home during the COVID-19 pandemic, access to necessary medicines. This measure supports telehealth arrangements by enabling the supply of PBS medicines from a digital image of a prescription. Under this Special Arrangement, following a Medicare-subsidised telehealth consultation a prescriber is able to create a digital image of a legal paper prescription. With the patient’s permission, the prescriber may forward (SMS, email, or fax) the copy of the prescription to the pharmacy of the patient’s choice. Electronic prescribing is a preferred alternative (safer and more convenient) to this Special Arrangement and if it is available in your area you should opt for an electronic prescription instead of a digital image. This Special Arrangement has been extended to 31 March 2021.All rules regarding this interim arrangement such as keeping a copy of the prescription for two years will continue.
3. Electronic Prescribing. The roll out of electronic prescribing is taking place in Primary Care.Prescribers using Medical Director, Best Practice and Zedmed can creating ePrescriptions in the latest version of their software.Medtech, MMEX and Stat will release their upgraded software shortly. The initial focus of the roll out is Greater Melbourne and Victoria.Members from other areas should contact their software vendor to confirm when an upgrade can take place.Funding from the Commonwealth for the SMS costs has been extended to 31 March 2020.More information on ePrescribing is available on our webpage
4. Healthdirect Video Call is available for free to General Practices, Aboriginal Medical Services (AMS) and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHS) in Australia until 31 March 2021 under a special funding arrangement from the Australian Department of Health.A pilot program funded by the Department of Health to encourage primary care providers to adopt the use of Video Call service has existed for several years. Video Call operates within the healthcare systems of Western Australia, Australian Capital Territory, South Australia and Victoria More information here

   For general information on telehealth visit the ACRRM support page

5. My Health Record may contain patient information from other providers on medication prescribed and dispensed, pathology and DI reports, especially from hospitals, discharge summaries and referrals and event summaries from other providers. More information on how to access information in a patient’s My Health Record is available here

For more information, contact the ACRRM eHealth team on ehealth@acrrm.org.au.