Types of Consultations
There are three main types of medical consultations, in person where you attend a clinic or a medical personal attends your home as well as telehealth consultations, which are conducted remotely via telephone or video. As of April 2020, everyone with a Medicare card is eligible for Medicare-funded telehealth.
Telehealth can also be accessed through private insurance as well. This increased shift to telehealth is to aid in social distancing measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19, where previously it was mostly used to reduce travelling for rural and remote citizens. Not all consultations should be shifted to a remote format,
but it can be hard to know which types of consults are appropriate for telehealth. To address this uncertainty we have summarized the different types of providers and types of consultations they offer and when it is appropriate to utilize these different types of consults.
Provider |
Type of Consult |
When to Utilize Consult |
---|---|---|
General Practitioner (GP) & Nurse Practitioner (NP) |
In person in a clinic |
|
Remotely via telehealth (Phone or Video) |
|
|
In person, at your home |
|
|
Specialist | In person in a clinic |
|
Remotely, via telehealth (phone or video) at your home or with your GP in their clinic |
|
|
Nurse | Nurse On Call (1300 60 60 64) |
Aged care services to monitor and treat medical conditions – must qualify for these services |
Pharmacist | Pharmacy |
|
Physiotherapist | In person in a clinic |
|
Occupational Therapist | In person in a clinic
Home visit if qualify, e.g. aged care services |
|
Speech Pathologist | In person in a clinic |
|
Podiatrist | In person in a clinic Home visit if qualify, e.g. aged care services |
|
Psychologist | Counseling, in person or via telehealth |
|
How Should You Prepare For Your Video Consultation?
It is important to be prepared for your video consultation to ensure the consultation runs smoothly and all your questions can be answered. Below is a guide describing how to prepare for video consultations taken from BJGP Life.
Video Consultation Guide from BJGP life: https://bjgplife.com/2020/03/18/video-consultations-guide-for-practice/