Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for Health) Share this | Hansard source

The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:

The 2019-20 Budget included $448.5 million in new investment from 1 July 2020 under the Strengthening Primary Care measure. This funding will enable patients aged 70 years and older, as the first cohort of this new model, to enrol with their usual GPs to receive enhanced primary health, including more flexible care and non face-to-face services. Voluntary Patient Enrolment has been developed as a mechanism to formalise patient-provider relationships and provide additional resources to support continuity of care for patients leading to better primary care outcomes.

In the 2019-20 Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO), the Australian Government has announced that Voluntary Patient Enrolment will extend to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 50 years and over.

Services provided through the implementation of voluntary patient enrolment are distinct from telehealth items provided under the MBS. The Government's commitment to telehealth includes a new investment of $33.5 million over four years at MYEFO 2018-19 for new MBS items for GP telehealth services for eligible patients living in rural and remote areas (Modified Monash Model areas 6-7). The new items commenced on 1 November 2019.

Under the MBS, patients not living in remote areas are eligible to access telehealth services, provided they are: a care recipient in a residential care service; or a patient of an Aboriginal Medical Service; or an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service.

The MBS Review Taskforce's General Practice and Primary Care Clinical Committee (GPPCCC) has reviewed GP Medicare items, including GP telehealth items. Reforms recommended by the GPPCCC will be considered by the Taskforce, which will make final recommendations to the Government in early 2020.

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