Practice nurses can deputise for GPs on telehealth consults

Some busy rural GPs are delaying their move into telehealth consultation unaware that the MBS allows for them to deputise their practice nurse to act as telehealth assistant with their patients during videoconference consults with specialists.

Medicare Item 10983 relates to a ‘service by a practice nurse … provided on behalf of, and under the supervision of, a medical practitioner that requires the provision of clinical support to a patient’. The telehealth incentives also apply when the practice nurse assists the patients. (Telehealth incentives include a $6,000 on-board incentive as well as bulk billing and services incentives.)

Telehealth minimises travel and waiting time for patients and allows rural GPs to maintain continuity of care. In teaching practices, registrars benefit greatly from direct engagement with specialists in shared management of patients.

For more information about telehealth and how efficiently and effectively set up your practice, please contact the College’s eHealth team: ehealth [at] acrrm [dot] org [dot] au.