Permanent telehealth to strengthen universal Medicare
December 13, 2021
The Federal Government plans to make telehealth a permanent fixture for Australian patients. Telehealth has played a critical role in ensuring the continuity of care for Australian patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, offering greater flexibility to health care. Health Minister Greg Hunt announced since March 2020, more than 86.3 million COVID-19 MBS telehealth services have been delivered to 16.1 million patients with more than 89,000 providers have used telehealth services.
In addition, $31.8 million for the Workforce Incentive Program (WIP) will be provided to general practices through the inclusion of ongoing telehealth items in the calculation of the Standard Whole Patient Equivalent (SWPE).