Tuesday 21 April 20 20 Medicare co -payments for telehealth services – a vital requirement for allied health The Dietitians Association of Australia (D AA) commends the government for allowing co -payments for telehealth allied health services. Coming into effect yesterday, this announcement ensure s community based Accredited Practising Dietitians, along with other allied health providers, can continue to provide vital heal th services to Australians.
“Dietitians are committed to providing essential clinical nutrition care to all Australians and the ability to continue usual billing practices provides future viability to do so. Practitioners will also continue to offer bulk billed appointments for those who would otherwise be unable to afford the service,” said DAA CEO, Robert Hunt.
Resuming usual billing practices with the provision of telehealth services strongly supports the community – based allied -health workforce, reducing unemployment and furthering the health and productivity of all Australians.
“Many dietitians spend more time with each client than the government funded rebate allocates to ensure the collection of sensitive medical and diet history, an d to provide adequate nutrition counselling. The government has listened and acted with the future of both Australia’s health and the workforce in mind,” said Hunt.
The stepwise introduction of telehealth, in response to the COVID -19 pandemic, has also pr ovided increased ease of access for Australians to receive the care they need. This has allowed those who are housebound.
remotely located, are unable to attend appointments in business hours due to travel requirements or for communities wh ere a dietitian may not reside, to access dietetic services.
“Chronic disease is one of the biggest drivers of disease burden in Australia. It’s great to see the government recognize the need for flexible healthcare solutions and telehealth is effective, c onvenient and timesaving way to support Australians to lead healthier lives,” said Hunt.
As Australia looks towards its exit strategy from COVID -19 health measures, DAA urges the government to look to the longevity of telehealth.
“Nutrition care delivered via telehealth has been shown to be as effective as face to face dietetic services. Our interest now turns to future planning on the long -term implementation of telehealth, to ensure vital and quality health care can continue to be delivered to all Australians, long after the end of this pandemic,” said Hunt.
