Bupa proposes telehealth reforms for rural aged care residents
Bupa is advocating for reforms to telehealth settings to ensure our aged care residents living in rural and regional areas access timely, high‑quality care.
In the last 18 months, Bupa has launched Wellness Hubs, a telehealth enabled Nurse Practitioner led model of care, across our aged homes. This model is the first of its kind in Australia, adopting a multidisciplinary model of care which enables fast coordinated access to health services, improving the health and wellbeing outcomes of our residents.
This model is impacted by recent telehealth changes that only allow for telehealth consultations to be billed to Medicare where there is an “established clinical relationship” with the practitioner. In our submission to the Senate inquiry into rural, regional and remote Medicare access and funding, Bupa called for practical, targeted reform to remove of the requirement for Nurse Practitioners to see Aged Care residents face-to-face every 12 months to be eligible for Medicare billing.
This change would allow nurse‑led care models to operate effectively, ensuring residents can access care when GP services are not available. For our residents, this reform is will mean faster access to care, fewer disruptions, greater continuity of care and better health outcomes.
