MBS Video Consultation Items
MBS Video Consultation Items
Specialists can now receive Medicare rebates for video consultations with patients in remote, regional or outer metropolitan areas, as well as in eligible aged care facilities and Aboriginal Medical Services nationally. Clinical services provided by a health professional with the patient during the video consultations are also eligible for rebates – these are Patient-End services.
Specialists Services
There are 11 MBS items for video consultations, which allow consultant physicians and paediatricians to use a range of existing specialist consultation MBS attendance items for telehealth consultations. Recognising the complexity of providing video consultations to patients in remote areas, the new specialist items have higher fees for Medicare benefit.
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 PHYSICIANS | 110, 115, 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, 17690 |
| 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 |
Download the Summary Telehealth MBS items
| CATEGORY 1 - PROFESSIONAL ATTENDANCES |
|---|
|
112 Professional attendance on a patient by a consultant physician practising in his or her specialty if: (a) the attendance is by video conference; and 50% of the fee for the associated item. Benefit: 85% of derived fee. Extended Medicare Safety Net Cap: $188.15 |
Patient-End Services
There are 23 MBS items for patient-end services provided by a consultant physician and paediatrician to a patient during their video consultation with a specialist. These are for face-to-face consultations. The specialist service must be a MBS rebateable video consultation for these items to be billed.
Items relating to consultant physicians and paediatricians.
| Telehealth MBS Item | MBS Group | Location of Service |
|---|---|---|
| MEDICAL PRACTITIONER (INCLUDING A GENERAL PRACTITIONER, SPECIALIST OR CONSULTANT PHYSICIAN) TELEHEALTH ATTENDANCES | ||
|
2100 |
GROUP A30, SUBGROUP 1 | At consulting rooms outside an inner metropolitan area or at an Aboriginal Medical Service |
|
2122 |
GROUP A30, SUBGROUP 1 | Other than consulting rooms such as a home visit or other institution outside an inner metropolitan area |
| 2125 2138 2179 2220 |
GROUP A30, SUBGROUP 2 | At a residential aged care facility |