In July 2011 Medicare will introduce a new set of items to cover specialist teleconferences for patients living outside metropolitan areas. This provides for an additional fee of 50% of the fee for the consult item. So if an anaesthetist does a preanaesthetic consult via teleconference, they will receive the fee for the consult, plus 50% of the fee as the teleconference fee.

 

Medicare will also pay a series of generous incentive payments. The first time a doctor does a teleconference, he is eligible for a $6000 one-off payment. Thereafter, for each consult claimed, there is a $60 incentive payment. An additional $20 is paid for bulk bill claims. Fees are also payable for staff assisting the patient to access the teleconference.

 

For full details see

 

 

 

When entering these items into AA, the fee must be calculated each time it is used. Item 17609 calculates its MBS and MyOwn fee as 50% of the consult fee on the account. The video item must be added after the consult item or the fee will not be calculated correctly.

 

A warning is given if 1. No consult item exists, 2. More than one consult item exists, 3. Non-consult item(s) exist, 4. Service is in-hospital (video items apply to outpatient consults only).

 

DVA, QldWC, SAWC, TAC & VicWC fees are calculated as 50% of the consult fee. HBF fees are calculated as a % of the derived MBS fee. All other fund fees are set to zero since gap cover fees are not paid for outpatient items. (These determined by values in fund fees table.)