MBS telehealth items

MBS telehealth (video and phone) items are permanent and available nationally.

Find out more about the relevant item descriptions, fact sheets and explanatory notes for MBS telehealth services on the MBS Online website.

MBS telehealth items have the same clinical requirements as the corresponding face-to-face items and have the same MBS benefit.

Video services are the preferred approach for substituting a face-to-face service. You can provide some services by phone where clinically appropriate. Video and phone services have different MBS item numbers.

You can’t claim MBS telehealth items for services provided to admitted hospital and hospital in-the-home patients, except for some psychiatry MBS telehealth items.

MBS telehealth items can’t be used for email consultations.

Contact us for Medicare provider enquiries.

GP Chronic Condition Management plans

GP chronic condition management plan (GPCCMP) items are for General Practitioners (GP) and Prescribed Medical Practitioners (PMP) to plan and coordinate the health care of patients with chronic or terminal medical conditions.

You can use these items if you’re working in general practice and are either the patient’s usual medical practitioner or a GP or PMP at the general practice they are enrolled in for MyMedicare.

Find out more about GPCCMP and the rules for billing CCM items.

Telehealth chronic condition management services

You can use these telehealth items if you’re an eligible health professional providing individual chronic condition management services to a patient with a GPCCMP or a multidisciplinary care plan. Eligible patients can use 5 services per calendar year.

Eligible health professionals:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Worker
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioner
• Audiologist
• Chiropractor
• Diabetes educator
• Dietician
• Exercise physiologist
• Mental health worker
• Occupational therapist
• Osteopath
• Physiotherapist
• Podiatrist
• Psychologist
• Speech pathologist.

Mental Health Treatment Plans

Mental Health Treatment Plan (MHTP) items under the Better Access initiative support patients to:

• have a MHTP preparation, review and referrals provided by either their usual medical practitioner or a GP or PMP at the general practice they are enrolled in for MyMedicare
• access up to 10 individual mental health treatment services
• access up to 10 group therapy mental health treatment services.

You can use these telehealth items if you’re an eligible GP or PMP working in general practice.

Telehealth services for family and carer participation

You can use these telehealth items to deliver up to 2 Better Access services each calendar year to family members or carers of the patient. You must be eligible and registered with us to provide these services.

Any services delivered to a family member or carer using these MBS items count towards the patient’s Better Access calendar year allocation for individual services.

Find out more about these Better Access requirements on the MBS Online website.

Telehealth mental health treatment items for allied health professionals

You can use these telehealth items if you’re an eligible allied health professional providing individual mental health treatment services.

Group therapy services involving 4 to 10 patients can be delivered by video in certain circumstances for:

• psychological therapy with a clinical psychologist
• focussed psychological strategies (FPS) with a registered psychologist, occupational therapist or social worker.

When delivering the group therapy service, your patients must:

• have both a visual and audio link with you
• be located in an area within Modified Monash regions 4-7
• be located at least 15 km apart by road from you when delivering the service.

You can use these group therapy items if you’re an eligible allied health professional.

Eating disorder treatment and management plans

You can use the following telehealth items for eating disorder treatment and management plans.

Telehealth items for general and medical practitioners

You can use these telehealth items if you’re registered with Medicare to provide focussed psychological strategies (FPS).

Telehealth items for psychiatrists and paediatricians

Telehealth items for allied health professionals

Complex Neurodevelopmental Conditions and eligible disabilities

MBS telehealth items are available for assessment, diagnosis, creation of a treatment and management plan, and allied health treatment.

Telehealth items for medical practitioners

Telehealth items for allied health professionals

Find out more about billing Complex Neurodevelopmental Disorders and eligible disabilities.

In-patient psychiatry services

You can use these telehealth items if you’re a consultant psychiatrist for the admission and some subsequent consultations with inpatients in private hospitals.

These items are in place temporarily, until 31 October 2026.

Practice nurses

You can use these telehealth items if you’re an eligible practice nurse.

There are requirements you must meet to bill these items.

If you perform these services on behalf of a supervising medical practitioner, you can claim these items using the medical practitioner’s provider number.

Participating midwives

You can use these telehealth items if you’re an eligible midwife and have provided antenatal and postnatal services to a patient.

There are requirements you must meet to bill these items.

If you perform these services on behalf of a supervising medical practitioner, you can claim these items using the medical practitioner’s provider number.

Find out more about MBS telehealth services on the MBS Online website.

Nurse practitioners

You can use these telehealth items if you’re an eligible nurse practitioner.

There are requirements you must meet to bill these items.

Find out more about MBS telehealth services on the MBS Online website.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary health care professionals

You can use these telehealth items if you’re an eligible Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioner or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health worker.

There are requirements you must meet to bill these items.

If you perform these services on behalf of a supervising medical practitioner, you can bill these items using the medical practitioner’s provider number. These items don’t apply for patients admitted to hospital unless noted otherwise.