Dear all, given the current situation -our rooms have moved to teleconferencing or phone calls for appointments unless there is an extreme need for a face to face appointment. This is with the intention of protecting; 1) the patients, who may be at higher risk of significant infection from age or. being immunocompromised, and; 2) the staff, because we cannot guarantee backup if we fall ill.
There is government funding to bulk bill patients deemed at risk of COVID 19. This funding does not realistically support the cost of a private practice in the medium term and we may still need to charge you a private fee rather than use the bulk bill consultation code depending on the time of the consultation, the need to post scripts, dictate letter and so forth.
With regard to the choice of teleconferencing or phone, I would much prefer to ‘see the patient’ by video. I am using encrypted software for privacy. This will work best on a computer, especially with a direct Ethernet connection rather than WiFi although the latter is reasonable.
These consultations are intended to be equivalent to a room consultation, without the examination. Please take the time to eliminate distractions at home so you can get the most value from your consultation. I recommend you have a pad and pen ready, with prepared questions as you might when you normally come to the rooms.
The software will also work with any smartphone. We can either email the link to your computer or SMS it to your phone. All you need to do is accept the link. Please contact Melissa if you have any concerns by phone or email.
I am hoping this will only be short term, although I can see the advantages in the future for telehealth when a short chat is required without an examination.
Good luck, stay well and #stayathome. Shane
