Telehealth
Telehealth option
Foot and Ankle Experts Podiatry is now offering Telehealth option to patients who are vulnerable to the infection of COVID-19. Announcement regarding COVID-19 here.
From the 30th of March 2020, Australians will be able to access bulk-billed telehealth consultations with their doctors and allied health team.
Please note; Podiatry Telehealth Medicare rebate is possible only to patients with a valid Chronic Disease Management plan by their GP.
Treatment item for MBS (instead of 10962)
COVID-19 Telehealth video conference : 93000
COVID-19 Telehealth telephone conference where video conference is not available: 93013
You must fax your signed Chronic Disease Management form (a.k.a. EPC) via our fax or email.
Fax: 07 3039 1559 or Email: yejeong@footandankleexperts.
All private patients who wish to receive telehealth consultation will receive their 1) telehealth intructions 2) appointment confirmation 3) invoice via email before the consultation commences.
Any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us directly.
Telehealth Skype Video Call: 07 3040 6681 (Foot and Ankle Experts)
What is telehealth?
Telehealth or telemedicine consultations are virtual appointments conducted over the phone or video conferencing services like Skype or Facetime.
They allow a patient to dial in and speak to their doctor through a simple audio link, or interact with them through a screen.
Even before the coronavirus pandemic, the telehealth industry was steadily growing. Rural and regional Australians have been increasingly relying on the method to get much-needed care — with the benefits being accessibility (if you have the internet or a solid phone line), cost and the ability to wear pyjama pants during appointments.
What does this announcement mean for patients?
Firstly, any patients fitting into a chronic disease (Diabetes, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease) be more protected, as they won’t have to sit in waiting rooms and expose themselves to a potential source of COVID-19. We now know that 20% of infected populations of COVID-19 won’t have any cold/flu symptoms besides losing their sense of smell and taste.
Secondly, they’ll be able to see some health providers without any out-of-pocket costs (we’ll get to those specifics a bit later).
How do I decide what patients are appropriate to treat via Telehealth?
Podiatrists are adequately trained to evaluate risk and make decisions about which clients and conditions are indicated given the medium they are practising in. Podiatrists have extensive training in how to evaluate risk in all clinical situations and use their clinical reasoning and clinical judgements on a daily basis to guide how they interact with patients to minimise risk.
There is no ‘one size fits all’ guide for which clinical conditions are appropriate for online consultations. Some conditions that may be thought to be high risk on the surface may be appropriate to see via telehealth. Other conditions that may be considered low risk may be inappropriate in certain circumstances.
Wound management including:
- Pressure injuries
- Diabetic foot complications
- Potential infections
Foot pain including:
- Any active foot pain which reduces mobility including fractures
- Skin infection at risk of cellulitis
- Ingrown toenail
- Chronic orthopaedic conditions
- Musculoskeletal conditions
Funding for Telehealth at current stage
| Third party payers | Are they funding Telehealth? | Is there guidance available? |
| ACT CTP scheme | TBC | Not yet provided |
| Department of Health | TBC | Not yet provided |
| Department of Veterans’ Affairs | TBC | Not yet provided |
| NDIS | Yes | Yes |
| Private Health Australia | TBC | N/A |
| Private Health Insurance | TBC | N/A |
| Queensland Workcover | Yes | Yes |
| Queensland CTP scheme | TBC | Not yet provided |
| Return to Work SA | No | N/A |
| SIRA | Yes | Yes |
| Traffic Accident Commission | TBC | N/A |
| WA Workers Commission | Yes | Yes |
| Worksafe | Yes | Yes |
