The Australian Government is investing $308.6 million to strengthen Australia’s primary care health system, building on our significant investment and reform to date. Telehealth will become a permanent feature of primary health care, which has been transformational to health care delivery and underpinned much of the Government’s successful COVID-19 response.
For more information, read this release by the Australian government: https://www.health.gov.au/ministers/the-hon-greg-hunt-mp/media/permanent-telehealth-to-strengthen-universal-medicare
What does this mean for you and us?
This means you can continue to access dietitian services via phone or video, anytime and anywhere you like. Four Seasons Dietetics has been providing 'telehealth' services for the past 2 years and it is equally as effective as meeting us in-person. You recieve the same information, advice and care from our team.
What about private health insurance?
At the moment, the announcement applies only to Medicare. To be eligible for Medicare claims with dietitian services, you will need to have a Enhanced Primary Care (EPC) or Chronic Disease Management (CDM) plan by your GP. However, it is expected private health insurnaces such as Medibank, BUPA will follow with the new policy.
This is an exciting time for us but also our patients. Telehealth has made dietitian services more accessible and allow us to support more people on their health journeys.