New telehealth items

Two new items have been added for anaesthetic telehealth consultations, effective from 22 May.

92701 – Telehealth attendance, ..

92712 – Phone attendance, ..

.. by a medical practitioner in the practice of anaesthesia for a consultation on a patient undergoing advanced surgery or who has complex medical problems, involving a selective history and the formulation of a written management plan documented in the patient notes, and lasting more than 15 minutes. Schedule Fee = $88.25.

Points to note:

•	The items will be effective from 22 May 2020, and will not apply retrospectively.

•	The items will cease after 30 September 2020.

•	These are intended to substitute for face-to-face consultations in the range 17615 – 17625.

•	They only apply for consults longer than 15 min, and include complexity criteria.

Full details are on the Medicare’s May 22 page, or the complete COVID-19 page.

ASA members can view a description of the usage of these items on the ASA website (login required).