Dear Doctors and Health Care Workers
We have received a handful of good questions over the past few weeks.
Here are the answers.
1. I have some patients where I do home visits in residential care. However, two facilities have COVID cases, and I want to convert to telehealth for them temporarily. I know there have been some telehealth changes recently. But am I correct in saying that I can still bill items 116 + 112 for a standard review consultation into a residential care facility?
No. All of the old loading items have been permanently removed, including item 112. There is only one type of telehealth now, the Covid type. Please review bulletin 58 where we explained this. The relevant equivalent items for item 116 are 91825 (video) or 91835 (phone).
2.If I am in isolation at home can I do a telehealth ward round from home on Facetime with my registrar onsite and use 110, 116 etc?
Yes, you can do the ward round from home if you are in isolation, but no you cannot bill items 110 and 116.
Items 110 and 116 are ‘in person’ items and given the claims will be made under your name and provider number and you are not attending in person, you cannot bill them. Please review bulletin 55 to find out more and click through the links to select your item from the range 92471 – 92473 (video) or 92425-92427 (phone).
3.What are the COVID items for case conferences such as 820 for outpatients and 880 for inpatients?
There are no Covid items for case conferences because they are not required. Please review bulletin 3 where this was explained.
Thanks everyone
Margaret and the Synapse team.