Telehealth Management

Telehealth in General Practice Australia: A Practice Manager’s Complete Guide

Telehealth is now a permanent feature of general practice in Australia, and the practice manager owns the systems that make it work. What began as an emergency measure in 2020 is now embedded in the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) as a mainstream service delivery option. For practice managers, that means telehealth is no longer an exception to manage around; it is a core operational responsibility alongside scheduling, billing, compliance, and staff coordination.

This guide covers what every GP practice manager needs to know: the MBS framework, consent and privacy requirements, platform selection, workflow changes, billing processes, and compliance obligations. Whether your practice is new to telehealth or refining a setup that has been running for several years, the fundamentals are the same: the right platforms, the right consent processes, the right billing discipline, and a clear escalation path when things go wrong.

TalentMed Pty Ltd (RTO 22151) delivers the HLT57715 Diploma of Practice Management, which covers the operational governance, billing, and compliance competencies a practice manager needs to run telehealth confidently and in line with current regulatory expectations.

Telehealth is firmly established in Australian general practice, with video and phone consultations now permanently funded under the MBS. The emergency COVID-19 telehealth measures introduced in March 2020 expanded access significantly. Following several review cycles, the Government made permanent MBS items available for telehealth consultations by GPs and a range of allied health practitioners, recognising that many patients benefit from remote access to care as a genuine alternative to attending in person.

The scale of adoption has been substantial. Data from Services Australia consistently shows millions of telehealth services claimed each month across general practice, making telehealth management a central operational responsibility rather than a niche function. For practice managers, the practical implication is clear: telehealth requires the same disciplined system management as any other service stream, from appointment booking and consent capture through to billing and clinical governance.

The regulatory landscape continues to evolve. The Department of Health and Aged Care (DoHAC) reviews telehealth eligibility conditions, attendance requirements, and platform standards periodically, and practice managers need a reliable process for tracking changes and updating workflows accordingly. The current MBS telehealth framework is available at MBS Online (mbsonline.gov.au). That is the authoritative reference; this article summarises the operational landscape, not the specific item numbers.

The MBS telehealth framework covers two distinct consultation types: videoconference consultations and telephone-only consultations, each with different eligibility conditions and attendance requirements. Item numbers and their specific conditions change with each Budget cycle and MBS Review recommendation. Practice managers should always verify current items at MBS Online rather than relying on printed summaries that may be out of date.

The broad structural categories in the MBS telehealth framework include:

The critical discipline for practice managers is treating MBS telehealth items like any other billing stream: verify the current conditions, document eligibility at the time of service, and audit claims regularly. The same Medicare compliance obligations that apply to in-person billing apply to telehealth. Errors in telehealth billing are one of the more common findings in Medicare compliance audits.

For a broader grounding in Medicare billing mechanics, see Medicare billing fundamentals for practice managers in this hub.

Patients have the right to informed consent before a telehealth consultation, and the practice manager is responsible for building that consent into the booking and reception workflow. Consent for telehealth has two dimensions: clinical consent (the patient agrees to the consultation occurring remotely) and privacy consent (the patient is aware of how the session will be handled, what platform will be used, and any recording arrangements).

The practical standard in Australian general practice is to obtain and document verbal or written consent before the consultation begins. Most practices incorporate this into the booking process (a verbal confirmation at the time of booking and a reminder at the point of connection) and record it in the clinical software against the appointment.

From a privacy compliance perspective, the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) applies to all health information collected in a telehealth consultation in the same way it applies to in-person care. The platform used is effectively a data processor handling sensitive health information. That has implications for platform selection and the contractual arrangements the practice needs in place. See the Privacy Act guide for medical practices for the broader framework.

The Department of Health and Aged Care requires that platforms used for clinical telehealth be encrypted end-to-end and appropriate for clinical use, which rules out standard consumer video applications for GP consultations. This is not an approved-platform list (DoHAC does not maintain one), but rather a security and fitness-for-purpose standard that practices must satisfy as part of their telehealth governance.

The key requirement is that the platform must provide end-to-end encryption and be suitable for the transmission of sensitive health information. Standard consumer applications that store video data in ways outside the control of the practice, or that are governed by overseas terms of service inconsistent with Australian privacy law, are generally not suitable for clinical consultations.

Healthcare-grade platforms purpose-built for Australian clinical use include Coviu, HealthDirect Video, and HotDoc’s telehealth integration, among others. These are examples of the category, not an exhaustive or endorsed list. The practice’s obligation is to verify that whatever platform it uses meets the DoHAC security standard and the Privacy Act requirements. Obtain that verification in writing from the vendor and keep it on file for compliance purposes.

Adding telehealth to a GP practice’s service mix changes almost every operational workflow, and the practice manager needs to design those changes deliberately rather than leave them to evolve informally. Practices that have strong telehealth workflow discipline report fewer booking errors, fewer technical failures during consultations, and better patient satisfaction. The design work falls squarely in the practice manager’s remit.

Integrating telehealth into the practice’s broader operational rhythm takes a deliberate project management approach at the outset. The day in the life of a practice manager article illustrates where telehealth coordination typically sits in the daily operational flow.

Billing telehealth services under Medicare requires the same discipline as any other MBS claim, with a few additional verification steps specific to the telehealth item conditions. The practice manager is responsible for ensuring the billing workflow captures the necessary information at the time of service and that staff understand when to apply telehealth items versus in-person items.

The key billing decision points for GP telehealth are:

Services Australia conducts Medicare compliance reviews that specifically target telehealth billing. The most common findings involve applying items where the patient did not meet the eligibility conditions, billing video items for phone-only consultations, and failing to document consent. A quarterly internal billing audit of telehealth claims is a practical defence. For the broader billing framework, see Medicare billing fundamentals for practice managers.

Most telehealth problems are predictable, and a practice manager who has planned for them in advance can resolve them quickly without disrupting the GP’s clinical session. The challenges are not primarily technical; they are mostly operational and patient-communication issues.

For the broader compliance and quality assurance context for general practice, see NSQHS Standards explained in plain English for how clinical governance frameworks apply to telehealth services.

Telehealth compliance in Australian general practice sits across three overlapping frameworks: MBS billing compliance, Privacy Act compliance, and clinical governance requirements under RACGP Standards. The practice manager is the operational owner of all three. The checklist below summarises the key obligations in each area.

The RACGP Standards for general practice (5th edition) address telehealth as part of the broader service-delivery standards. Practice managers should confirm that telehealth services are included in the practice’s quality improvement cycle and that the accreditation evidence file covers the telehealth service stream. See RACGP Standards explained for practice managers and the GP practice accreditation cycle for the accreditation framework in detail.

The HLT57715 Diploma of Practice Management equips practice managers with the operational governance, billing, compliance, and people management skills needed to run a modern GP practice, including its telehealth service stream. Delivered fully online over 12 months (with motivated students completing in as little as 6), the qualification is recognised across medical, dental, allied health, and specialist practice settings.

This article is part of the TalentMed practice management resource hub, covering the skills, knowledge, and career pathways for practice managers across Australian GP, dental, allied health, and specialist settings.

TalentMed Pty Ltd, RTO 22151. HLT57715 Diploma of Practice Management is a nationally recognised AQF Level 5 qualification, delivered fully online. General educational information only, not regulatory or legal advice. Verify MBS item conditions at mbsonline.gov.au and DoHAC telehealth guidance at health.gov.au. Platform suitability should be assessed against current DoHAC guidance and Privacy Act requirements. RACGP Standards available at racgp.org.au.