Specialist Services
11 MBS items provide for video consultations in telehealth eligible areas across a range of specialities. These items allow a range of existing MBS attendance items to be provided by specialists and consultant physicians.
The patient and specialist are required to be located a minimum of 15 kms apart at the time of the consultation.
Specialists must still meet all the requirements set out in the specialist item in order for it to be provided as a video consultation. If any of the requirements are not met, the item cannot be claimed. For example item 141 for a comprehensive geriatric assessment requires the provider to spend more than 60 minutes with the patient. This requirement remains unchanged when provided by video consultation.
Short initial consultations
On 1 January 2013, 6 new MBS items took effect. These items provide for a short initial video consultation where the consultation is 10 minutes or less of direct clinical contact with the patient (not including the time to set up for the video consultation).
These new items will have the same requirements for patients as other telehealth items that is:
- not an admitted patient; and
- not a patient of an emergency department; and
- located in a telehealth eligible area at the time of the attendance; and
- located at least 15km by road from the specialist; or
- a care recipient of a residential aged care facility (located anywhere in Australia); or
- a patient of an eligible Aboriginal Medical Service (located anywhere in Australia).
Specialists must still meet all the requirements set out in the specialist item in order for it to be provided as a video consultation.
The new items are ‘stand alone’ items, that is; they do not have an associated item that they are billed with. Patients are unable to be billed for an initial consultation via videoconference (eg 113) and an initial face to face consultation (eg 104) as part of the same course of treatment.
Telehealth MBS Item | MBS Group | Associated Items |
|---|---|---|
| 99 | GROUP A3 – SPECIALIST ATTENDANCES | 104, 105 |
| 112 | GROUP A4 – CONSULTANT PHYSICIAN | 110, 116, 119, 132, 133 |
| 149 | GROUP A28 – GERIATRIC MEDICINE – CONSULTANT PHYSICIAN OR SPECIALIST | 141, 143 |
| 288 | GROUP A8 – CONSULTANT PSYCHIATRIST ATTENDANCES | 291, 293, 296, 300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 314, 316, 318, 319, 348, 350, 352 |
| 389 | GROUP A12 – CONSULTANT OCCUPATIONAL PHYSICIAN ATTENDANCES | 385, 386 |
| 2820 | GROUP A24, SUBGROUP 1 – PAIN MEDICINE ATTENDANCES | 2801, 2806, 2814 |
| 3015 | GROUP A24, SUBGROUP 3 – PALLIATIVE MEDICINE ATTENDANCES | 3005, 3010, 3014 |
| 6016 | GROUP A26 – NEUROSURGERY ATTENDANCES | 6007, 6009, 6011, 6013, 6015 |
| 13210 | GROUP T1 – MISCELLANEOUS THERAPEUTIC PROCEDURES SUBGROUP 3 – ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE SERVICES | 13209 |
| 16399 | GROUP T4 – OBSTETRICS | 16401, 16404, 16406, 16500, 16590, 16591 |
| 17609 | GROUP T6 – ANAESTHESIA | 17610, 17615, 17620, 17625, 17640, 17645, 17650, 17655, |
| 113 | GROUP A3 – SPECIALIST ATTENDANCES | Stand alone item |
| 114 | GROUP A4 – CONSULTANT PHYSICIAN | Stand alone item |
| 384 | GROUP A12 – CONSULTANT OCCUPATIONAL PHYSICIAN ATTENDANCES | Stand alone item |
| 2799 | GROUP A24, SUBGROUP 1 – PAIN MEDICINE ATTENDANCES | Stand alone item |
| 3003 | GROUP A24, SUBGROUP 3 – PALLIATIVE MEDICINE ATTENDANCES | Stand alone item |
| 6004 | GROUP A26 – NEUROSURGERY ATTENDANCES | Stand alone item |
Patient-End Services
23 MBS items are available for patient-end services provided to patients during their video consultation with a specialist, consultant physician or consultant psychiatrist. These items are for face-to-face consultations when patient-end practitioners provide clinical support to patients during their video consultation.
Patient-end services can only be billed when it is necessary for the provision of the specialist service and the specialist service is a MBS rebatable video consultation.
MEDICAL PRACTITIONER (INCLUDING A GENERAL PRACTITIONER, SPECIALIST OR CONSULTANT PHYSICIAN) TELEHEALTH ATTENDANCES
Telehealth MBS Item | MBS Group | Location of Service |
|---|---|---|
| GROUP A30, SUBROUP 1 | At consulting rooms in a telehealth eligible area or at an eligible Aboriginal Medical Service | |
| GROUP A30, SUBGROUP 1 | Other than consulting rooms such as a home visit or other institution in a telehealth eligible area | |
| GROUP A30, SUBGROUP 2 | At a residential aged care facility |
PRACTICE NURSE OR ABORIGINAL HEALTH WORKER TELEHEALTH ATTENDANCE PROVIDED ON BEHALF OF A MEDICAL PRACTITIONER
| GROUP M12, SUBGROUP 1 | In a telehealth eligible area or at an eligible Aboriginal Medical Service | |
| GROUP M12, SUBGROUP 2 | At a residential aged care facility |
| GROUP M13, SUBGROUP 2 | In a telehealth eligible area or at an eligible Aboriginal Medical Service |
| GROUP M14, SUBGROUP 2 | In a telehealth eligible area or at an eligible Aboriginal Medical Service | |
| GROUP M14, SUBGROUP 3 | At a residential aged care facility |