COVID-19 medicare benefits schedule telehealth for private psychiatric outpatient care in Victoria, Australia

Australas Psychiatry. 2023 May 25:10398562231177822. doi: 10.1177/10398562231177822. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: We explore telehealth use by private psychiatrists in Victoria during the first 12 months of COVID-19, in the context of: COVID-19 case numbers and restrictions; telehealth use in Victoria compared to national use; telehealth and face-to-face consultations during the first 12 months of COVID-19 compared to face-to-face consultations in the 12 months pre-COVID-19.

METHOD: Outpatient psychiatric face-to-face and telehealth consultations, from March 2020 to February 2021 in Victoria, were analysed using face-to-face consultations from March 2019 to February 2020 as a comparison group, and compared to national telehealth use and trends in COVID-19 case rates.

RESULTS: Total psychiatric consultations increased by 16% from March 2020 to February 2021. Telehealth compromised 56% of total, peaking at 70% of consultations in August during the height of COVID-19 cases. Thirty-three percent of total consultations and 59% of telehealth consultations were via telephone. Telehealth consultations per capita in Victoria were consistently lower than the overall Australian level.

CONCLUSION: Telehealth usage during the first 12 months of COVID-19 in Victoria suggests it is a feasible alternative to face-to-face treatment. Telehealth-mediated increases in psychiatric consultations likely indicates an increased psychosocial need for support.

PMID:37227131 | DOI:10.1177/10398562231177822