How does bulk billing work for telehealth and online GP consults in Australia?

Australian health care has really changed with the introduction of digital health tools. One of the biggest changes is the link between virtual health and Medicare. In terms of operation, knowing how an online GP through Medicare works is very helpful if you want to find a balance between getting healthcare and doing your everyday activities, if you have a problem with your mobility, or if you have a medical problem in the middle of the night.

In the past, if you wanted to see a doctor, you needed to travel to a doctor's office, wait to be called, and plan your day accordingly. Now, you have the option to get advice on almost any medical issue while you are relaxing at home. The option of using bulk billing telehealth has radically changed how we deal with our health problems. It has ensured that even if you are in a remote location or simply don't have enough money, you will not be denied a professional medical check-up.

For a more detailed look at the government's role in financing these digital projects, check out our main Bulk Billing & Medicare guide. This is a fundamental source that describes how the system works. (The platform we use for communication has changed, but our dedication to providing decent and accessible healthcare remains unchanged. From the comfort of your home, you can conveniently have a Medicare video consult to discuss your symptoms. However, you must be very familiar with the rules of your benefits. If you are considering telehealth vs. in-person consults and want to know the clinical differences, check out the article to find the best way to get treated for your health issue.

Who Can Get a Telehealth Bulk Billing?

When Australia decided that telehealth could become a permanent part of the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS), a new range of codes and conditions was introduced to govern billing for these online health visits. Getting a telehealth rebate is almost the same as filing a rebate for a traditional face-to-face visit, except that, in this case, there are some requirements specific to the digital environment.

The first prerequisite for a government-subsidised virtual medical appointment is a valid and current Medicare card. On the MBS, there are special item numbers for telephone-only consultations and for video consultations with the doctor. The government strongly promotes video conferencing because it allows the doctor to conduct a visual examination.

Although the government sets the framework, each medical centre is free to determine its billing practices. Some centres may decide to charge all online appointments at private rates, while others may choose to bulk bill only seniors and vulnerable persons. In fact, the possession of a government-issued pension or health care card is one of the easiest ways to gain entry to free virtual services. We have a detailed explanation of how bulk billing works with health concession cards here.

Another factor that will determine which MBS codes are used is the time you request an appointment. Doctors working at night or on public holidays have special codes to meet the billing criteria for unsociable hours. If you want, you can learn more about the different after-hours bulk billing options in our detailed article here:after-hours bulk billing. If you are not sure whether you need to pay for your telehealth visit out of pocket, we have written an article explaining whether telehealth consultations are bulk-billed under Medicare.

For ongoing and non-critical medical problems, it is important to emphasise that the key principle is continuity of care. Regular GPs should be the first point of contact for patients for chronic disease management, annual health check-ups, and other non-urgent health issues.

Steps for Booking a Bulk-Billed Online Consultation

The main idea behind designing a digital appointment booking solution is to make it simple and user-friendly, but this does not mean that no initial tasks need to be completed to set the stage for a smooth consultation session. Usually, the sequence looks like this.

Initially, you have to research and identify any clinics or deputised medical services that offer online consultations. After deciding on a provider, you either book a consultation via the booking system or call reception. When making an appointment with the clinic/doctor, you must specify the mode of consultation you want (phone or video).

You will be requested to disclose your Medicare card information during the booking process. Since the receptionist will definitely not have the chance to swipe your card, you will need to enter your card number, your individual reference number (the number next to your name), and the expiration date very carefully. If the information entered is not 100% correct, your claim may be declined on the backend, which means your bulk-billed appointment will be converted into a private invoice.

However, even before your appointment is due, there are a couple of things you need to take care of to make sure your telehealth setup is all set. You should provide yourself with a steady wireless or wired internet connection, a computer with a webcam and, preferably, headphones for better audio quality, and a separate room where you can talk about your health issues in a quiet, unoverheard way. If you are not a great expert with computer stuff, don't worry, we have put up a very simple, basic guide that can help you with thetech setup needed for a telehealth GP appointment.

Doing these checks will let you get the most out of the appointment with your doctor. You can also get a comprehensive checklist for preparing for a telehealth consultation.

Safety & Authentication

One of the main worries about digital health care is the safety of one's personal health records. During a Medicare video consult, the software programs the accredited services use are highly encrypted and designed to meet all necessary privacy standards in Australia.

Once the session is done, the clinic electronically sends your claim for reimbursement. The transfers of these claims in encrypted form are done securely both between the clinic and the government payment portals. You will not be asked to provide your personal health or banking information via unsecured email. To view the strict rules for medical providers, visit the privacy policy page.

Before the doctor can submit the bill to Medicare for your online visit, you have to provide consent explicitly. Since it is not possible to sign a form in person at the clinic, the consent process is usually completed verbally at the start of the video call or by completing a digital check-in form. All these are explained in detail on ourpatient consent and verification page. For an independent source that recounts how the government safeguards your privacy during claims, you may also consult the official documentation byServices Australia.

13CURE Policies Regarding Telehealth & After-Hours

Imagine you got sick in the middle of the night, and you had no idea how to get help, but also what the cost of help was going to be. That would be quite disturbing, right? Well, 13CURE is a specialised, deputised medical service that operates after hours and can really help you in such a situation.

13CURE offers after-hours telehealth services for urgent health conditions only. Non-emergency cases are managed by 13CURE from 11 PM to 7 AM daily. If you can manage your condition until you see a GP during normal hours, or if your health is quite routine, we advise visiting your usual GP, as that is the best course of action. If you want to know what kinds of health issues can be managed through a late-night telehealth appointment, you might be interested to knowwhether telehealth can handle seasonal allergies and the flu.

To ensure our urgent care services remain viable and available to those most in need, we have a very strict billing system. Bulk Billing applies only in some cases: patients referred to 13CURE by our deputised partner practices, very young infants (<1 year old), people without homes, or persons residing in a declared disaster area. All other users of our service are privately billed. Besides that, we only treat our after-hours patients for urgent care and see private patients for issues such as Medical Certificates and related paperwork.

Detailed information on our cost structure is available in thefees and billing guide.

A few words about location and service boundaries

We aim to deliver urgent virtual care to as many people in Australia as possible, which is why our current work is limited to very specific regions of Queensland and New South Wales. We are currently very actively working on a plan to extend our digital footprint.

If you are now looking for atelehealth GP in Canberra, Perth, or Adelaide, please note that, regrettably, we cannot offer our services in this area at this time. We plan to come and will keep you updated. Because digital health is simply the right tool for physical and mental health interventions, many people now engage with these digital platforms to avail of counselling and to work on their support plans for mental health, while at the same time trying to avoid the stigma associated with going to a doctor's office where people are waiting. You can gain some more insights into the question.

Is telehealth safe for mental health support? As the innovation progresses, national Medicare funding, along with the integration of more virtual services, is highly likely to become much easier, which will definitely change the face of accessible healthcare in the future.