General information about Telehealth
1. What is Telehealth?
It is a psychology appointment via videoconference or phone.
I have the pleasure of sharing with you the good news that the Federal Government announced a $1.1 billion package to boost Medicare, mental health services during the coronavirus outbreak.
From Monday 30th March to 30th September all Australians eligible to receive services under Medicare will be able to access psychological services delivered via telehealth (i.e. videoconference or phone).
2. Can I still see my psychologist Face to Face?
Yes by prior agreement during the COVID 19 outbreak if you are healthy and not showing any respiratory symptoms I am seeing clients face to face if they:
- are a young child and require play based therapy or floor time
- moderately disabled and can not easily access telehealth
- psychoeducational assessments
- clients have no means for privacy in their own home
- if not seeing me face to face would result in significant risk to your mental health.
During these face to face sessions we sit 1.5 metres away from each other. Client will be asked to wear gloves when handling the i-pad, credit card transactions, or room equipment such as toys, pens etc. The room will be sanitised and wiped down after every session.
3. What are the fees for Telehealth?
The fees will still be the same as if you came to see me face to face. For a 60 minute consultation the fee is $200 [Health Care card holders $175]. If you are under severe financial hardship because you have lost your job and are on the Job Seeker government funded initiative, or have lost more than 30% of your income and on the Job Keeper government funded initiative, I will agree to bulk bill you for telehealth (e.g., you pay no gap fee and there is no cost to you).
4. Why choose Telehealth?
If you are considered a vulnerable group. A vulnerable group is:
- are required to self-isolate or self-quarantine in accordance with guidance issued by the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee in relation to COVID-19; or
- are at least 70 years old; or
- identify as being of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent—and are at least 50 years old; or
- are pregnant; or
- are the parent of a child aged under 12 months; or
- are being treated for a chronic health condition; or
- are immune compromised; or
- meet the current national triage protocol criteria for suspected COVID-19 infection.
** If you are not in a vunerable group you could still choose Telehealth.
5. What are benefits of Telehealth?
Research has shown telehealth psychology to be as effective as face-to-face consultations, even despite the various constraints provided by technology. To overcome these limitations I have introduced a number of changes to my practice including regular online assessments, links to sessions incorporated into appointment reminders, alternative options for telehealth using CoViu, streamlined online Medicare refunds and telephone options where needed.
6. Do I get rebates for Telehealth?
Medicare clients on a current care plan, TAC, NDIS, Work Cover, DVA and Private Health Care Clients are all eligible for rebates. Rebates vary depending on the third-party payer.
The telehealth items which form part of current psychology services under Medicare can be used by eligible clients who have an existing referral and care plan from their doctor. For new patients or reviews of care plans doctors are now able to provide you a telehealth service to have your plan reviewed. The specific Medicare services delivered via telehealth (videoconference or phone) under the COVID-19 initiative are:
- Mental Health Care Plan Better access to see a clinical psychologist
- Chronic Disease Management Services
- Pregnancy support counselling
- Early Intervention services for children with autism, pervasive developmental disorder or disability
- Eating Disorder Services for Clinical Psychologists
Eligible clients are clients who meet existing eligibility requirements for these Medicare initiatives.
7. How do I book my Telehealth appointment?
The process is very simple. You will be sent an email invitation to join a teleconference meeting. I am using a telehealth platform called Coviu which works on any modern device and is browser-based, meaning neither the clinician nor the patient has to install software or purchase specialised hardware. Not only does telehealth offer unprecedented flexibility for practitioners, but it can also improve patient outcomes. Clients see practitioners from the comfort of their own home, a place they feel protected and safe, often leading to greater honestly during sessions. Coviu meets all the security and privacy requirements so that there will be no data breaches. It is fully encrypted. If you would like to read more about it please follow this link:
To book an appointment for Telehealth visit this link:
data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==
8. What equipment do I need?
Equipment needed:
- Computer or internet enabled smart device (i.e., iPhone, android or windows phone, iPad or tablet) or videoconferencing machine
- Webcam or camera
- Monitor
- Microphone
- Speakers/Headset
- A reliable internet connection
- For child sessions: you will be emailed ahead of time specific worksheets needed for the session. Please print them out for your child ready for the session.
- For child sessions: glue, textas, pastels, colouring pencils, puppets (can be made from socks and stick on eyes), scissors, scrap book, a range of developmentally appropriate toys and educational games (suggestions will be provided ahead of the sessions). A reward chart (will be emailed to you ahead of the sessions). A range of stickers and stampers.
9. How can I make my telehealth appointment as successful as possible?
Please read these tips on preparing your telehealth environment prior to our video conference:
- The technology and all associated equipment is set up and in functioning order prior to a session commencing
- The room is free from possible distractions, interferences or interruptions to the session. If there is an interruption you can call 97918788 or my mobile number 0407059617 and we can continue via phone until the interruption to the connection is resolved.
- The room has good lighting to enable you to have clear vision with me.
- Please ensure your personal privacy by considering the environment at your-end.
- Choose an environment for the telehealth consultation where you are not likely to be distracted or interrupted.
- It is important to avoid having children or other people requiring your attention during the consultation, to turn off phones or other devices, and to choose a location that has minimal noise disturbance
- Choose an environment where the conversation with me as your provider cannot be overheard by others
- Choose an environment that has good lighting so they will have clear vision of the provider
- Consider the background in the location you have chosen because it may be visible me as your provider
- You might like to plan for some brief quiet time after the session before you return to your usual tasks.
- You have a notepad and paper ready to write notes.
- If this is a child telehealth session we need to decide your role as a parent in the session. This will largely depend on whether your child wishes you to be in the session. If yes then your role as a parent is to facilitate the session by following my instructions and answering any questions the child did not understand or to assist the child with tasks they need to do in the session. Playing a neutral role (a bit like a teacher’s assistant) is very important. If the child wishes for you as the parent to not attend the Telehealth session, then the child’s privacy needs to be respected. Please provide a confidential space for your child. Your assistance may be required in helping the child to click on the Telehealth link.
10. How will my privacy be protected?
Providers are responsible for selecting videoconferencing technologies that can support the privacy and security of your personal information. Providers are required to take reasonable and active steps to ensure that their clients’ personal information is collected, stored, used and disposed of in a manner that upholds the protection of information provided by Australia’s Privacy and Health laws (see www.legislation.gov.au). Coviu meets all the privacy requirements as it has:
- Technical protocols provide interoperability between platforms and devices (for example, this might include video and audio codecs, advanced encryption standard (AES), or secure real time transport protocols (SRTP) for SIP (session initiation protocols) encryption).
- Strong passwords, two-factor (step) authentication and an audit trail of user’s access to client/patient information can be implemented.
- The transfer of data is secure from end-to-end using appropriate security protocols that comply with Australian Privacy Principle 11 of the Privacy Act 1998(Commonwealth) (see www.legislation.gov.au)(i.e., transport layer security (TLS), end-to-end encryption or VPN technology)
- I as the provider can regularly update security measures to protect against malware, viruses, intrusions and email threats on computers used for videoconferencing services and to store personal client information.
11. Can I recording our sessions during telehealth?
As with all psychological services, providers are required to make clinical notes of the session as I would for a normal face to face sessions but there is no requirement to record a telehealth videoconferencing session with a client.
If I as the provider or you as the client want to record a session the provider and the client need to discuss together and mutual written consent needs to be obtained. In some jurisdictions it may not be legal to record a consultation without the explicit consent of all people who you intend to record. For example, if there is a third party to the consultation (e.g., partner, parent, carer) then you would need to obtain explicit consent to record the session from the client and also the third party.
If any sessions are recorded I will ensure the recording of the session as well as the storage, use and disposal of the record of the session meet the relevant privacy and health records legislation. Coviu only audio records.
12. How do I pay for the sessions if I am being charged a gap fee?
If you are using Coviu for video-conference, you will be emailed both a link to join the conference and a link for prior payment of the session. Alternatively you can pay via Credit Card using the Square Virtual Portal over the phone if you had a phone telehealth consultation. You will be sent a payment receipt and if I have your written consent I can process the rebate for you through Medicare. Third party payers such as NDIS (plan-managed), Work Cover, TAC, VOCAT and DVA will be sent an invoice for payment after the session. If you are NDIS self-managed, then prior payment of the session is required either by Coviu or Square Virtual Portal.
13. What about the billing for bulk bill Medicare sessions?
For all bulk-billed telehealth services (and at the time of the service), you as the client must agree to be bulk-billed through Medicare if you meet the bulk bill eligibility requirements. You will need to provide explicit consent that 1) the service was provided on the specified date and 2) that the rebate is to be assigned to the me as your provider. This consent can be obtained remotely via a secure email method or secure messaging systems.
This process below complies with section 10 of the Electronic Transactions Act 1999, which outlines the steps to be taken for an electronic signature to be recognised.
It also meets the legal requirement of needing a patient signature to assign a Medicare benefit.
Example email
Dear Client
Details of the telehealth consultation to be claimed with Medicare:
Item number: Covid-19 Telehealth item video conference 91167 Benefit amount: $126.50
Date and time of consultation:
Patient name:
Provider name: Dr Tania Pietrzak
Agreement
If you (the patient) agree to the assignment of the Medicare benefit directly to the provider (bulk bill), reply to this email including the following wording:
- “Yes, I agree to the assignment of the Medicare benefit directly to the provider”
- Your (the patient’s) name or the name of parent or guardian (where a child is the patient and unable to sign).
Regards
Dr Tania Pietrzak.
Privacy note: Your personal information is protected by law, including the Privacy Act 1988, and is collected by the Australian Government Department of Human Services for the assessment and administration of payments and services. This information is required to process your application or claim. Your information may be used by the department, or given to other parties where you have agreed to that, or where it is required or authorised by law (including for the purpose of research or conducting investigations). You can get more information about the way in which the department will manage your personal information, including our privacy policy.
Please respond to this email providing your email consent (electronic consent) for me to provide you with bulk bill Telehealth.
