Pharmacy Daily | $20.6m for Telehealth

HEALTH minister Tanya Plibersek yesterday announced draft guidelines for the Telehealth Pilot Program, which will open for applications in Feb or Mar this year. The National Broadband Network will provide the communications backbone for the scheme which will provide eligible participants in “NBN early rollout areas” a range of services such as having health indicators monitored remotely, or receiving medical consultations and healthy living support in the home. “Expanding telehealth services to older Australians still living in their own homes will help health professionals identify potential health problems earlier, reduce the need for older Austalians to travel to receive treatment and increase access to healthcare services and specialists,” she said. Plibersek said that about 1200 clinicians had undertaken more than 7000 telehealth consultations to rural and remote areas over the last six months, since the govt introduced Medicare rebates for online health services.

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