No go for MBS-funded long phone consults as govt rejects lobbying

The Australian Department of Health will not extend COVID-19 MBS subsidies for long telephone consultations beyond this Friday, despite intense lobbying from the Australian Medical Association and Royal Australian College of General Practitioners.

The doctors’ groups have urged the new government to extend the existing MBS-funded telehealth rules beyond their expiry date of June 30, asking that the current arrangements continue to December 31 just like other COVID-19 measures.