Nola Marino (Forrest, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

asked the Minister for Health and Ageing, in writing, on 12 September 2011:

In respect of the Government’s announcement during the 2010 election campaign that $57 million will be committed to financial incentives to get general practitioners and specialists to deliver online services:

(a) what is the status of this program, and

(b) how do local doctors apply.

Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:

(a) The Connecting Health Services with the Future: Modernising Medicare by Providing Rebates for Online Consultations telehealth initiative was successfully implemented on 1 July 2011.

(b) The initiative is open to medical and other health practitioners who have a Medicare provider number with billing rights under Medicare, and who deliver or assist in delivering a specialist consultation to a patient by video-conference.

To receive the financial incentives for telehealth, an application form is not required. The Department of Human Services will automatically determine eligibility of the medical or other health practitioner based on Medicare claiming information. More information is available at www.mbsonline.gov.au/telehealth.