Temporary MBS telehealth and phone attendance items for private patients who are receiving specialist care in hospital when their medical practitioner is impacted by COVID-19 restrictions.
As part of the management of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Australian Government has approved a temporary expansion of the existing COVID-19 specialist telehealth items. The expansion will apply to a range of attendance items and enable specialist medical practitioners to provide telehealth services to admitted private patients, where it is safe and appropriate to provide the service remotely.
Commencing 15 September 2021, 40 new temporary MBS telehealth items (20 video and 20 phone) will be available when the admitting specialist medical practitioner is unable to attend their patient in hospital due to COVID-19 restrictions. These changes, along with other temporary COVID-19 MBS telehealth items, will remain in place until 31 December 2021 , with ongoing telehealth arrangements to be considered as part of broader Government consideration of MBS telehealth arrangements.