This instrument is the Health Insurance (Section 3C General Medical Services – General Practice Telehealth Services for Bushfires Response) Amendment Determination 2020.

(1) Each provision of this instrument specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect according to its terms.

Commencement information
Column 1	Column 2	Column 3
Provisions	Commencement	Date/Details
1. Sections 1 to 4 and anything in this instrument not elsewhere covered by this table	Immediately after registration of this instrument
2. Schedule 1	10 January 2020

Note: This table relates only to the provisions of this instrument as originally made. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this instrument.

(2) Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this instrument. Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it may be edited, in any published version of this instrument.

3 Authority

This instrument is made under subsection 3C(1) of the Health Insurance Act 1973.

4 Schedules

Each instrument that is specified in a Schedule to this instrument is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this instrument has effect according to its terms.

Schedule 1— Amendments

Health Insurance (Section 3C General Medical Services - General Practitioner Telehealth Services) Determination 2018

Section 4 (after the definition of Act)

Insert:

affected by bushfire means an adverse change in the patient’s mental health as a result of a bushfire which occurred in the 2019-20 financial year.

2. Section 4 (after the definition of mental disorder)

Insert:

Modified Monash 3 area means a Statistical Area Level 1 under the ASGS that:

(a) is categorised under the ASGS as RA 1 (Inner Regional Australia) or RA 2 (Outer Regional Australia); and

(b) satisfies any of the following criteria:

(i) the area is in an Urban Centre and Locality with a 2013 estimated resident population of more than 15,000 but no more than 50,000;

(ii) the area is in an Urban Centre and Locality, the geographic centre of which is no more than 15 kilometres road distance from the boundary of another Urban Centre and Locality with a 2013 estimated resident population of more than 15,000 but no more than 50,000;

(iii) the area is not in an Urban Centre and Locality, but the geographic centre of the area is no more than 15 kilometres road distance from the boundary of an Urban Centre and Locality with a 2013 estimated resident population of more than 15,000 but no more than 50,000; and

3. Section 6 (below the heading)

Repeal the section, substitute:

(1) Items 2729 and 2731 do not apply if the patient or the general practitioner travels to a place to satisfy the requirement in paragraph (d) of the item.

(2) Items 2121, 2150 and 2196 do not apply if:

(a) the service is performed on an admitted patient of a hospital; or

(b) the patient or the general practitioner travels to a place to satisfy the requirement in subparagraph (b)(i) of the item.

4. Schedule 1 (items 2121, 2150 and 2196)

Repeal the items, substitute:

2121

Professional attendance by video conference by a general practitioner, lasting less than 20 minutes, for providing mental health services to a patient with mental health issues, if:

(a) the patient is affected by bushfire; or

(b) the patient and the general practitioner are located within a drought affected eligible area, and:

(i) the patient is, at the time of the attendance, at least 15 kilometres by road from the general practitioner; and

(ii) the patient has an existing relationship with the general practitioner

44.90

2150

Professional attendance by video conference by a general practitioner, lasting at least 20 minutes, for providing mental health services to a patient with mental health issues, if:

(a) the patient is affected by bushfire; or

(b) the patient and the general practitioner are located within a drought affected eligible area, and:

(i) the patient is, at the time of the attendance, at least 15 kilometres by road from the general practitioner; and

(ii) the patient has an existing relationship with the general practitioner

86.95

2196

Professional attendance by video conference by a general practitioner, lasting at least 40 minutes, for providing mental health services to a patient with mental health issues, if:

(a) the patient is affected by bushfire; or

(b) the patient and the general practitioner are located within a drought affected eligible area, and:

(i) the patient is, at the time of the attendance, at least 15 kilometres by road from the general practitioner; and

(ii) the patient has an existing relationship with the general practitioner

128.05

Health Insurance (Section 3C General Medical Services – Other Medical Practitioner) Determination 2018

5. Section 4 (after the definition of Act)

Insert:

affected by bushfire means an adverse change in the patient’s mental health as a result of a bushfire which occurred in the 2019-20 financial year.

6. Schedule 1 (subclause 1.12.4(2))

Repeal the subclause, substitute:

(2) Items 894, 896 and 898 do not apply if:

(a) the service is performed on an admitted patient of a hospital; or

(b) the patient or the medical practitioner travels to a place to satisfy the requirement in subparagraph (b)(i) of the item.

7. Schedule 1 (items 894, 896 and 898)

Repeal the items, substitute:

894

Professional attendance by video conference by a medical practitioner, lasting more than 5 minutes but not more than 25 minutes, for providing mental health services to a patient with mental health issues, if:

(a) the patient is affected by bushfire; or

(b) the patient and the medical practitioner are located within a drought affected eligible area, and:

(i) the patient is, at the time of the attendance, at least 15 kilometres by road from the medical practitioner; and

(ii) the patient has an existing relationship with the medical practitioner

35.90

896

Professional attendance by video conference by a medical practitioner, lasting more than 25 minutes but not more than 45 minutes, for providing mental health services to a patient with mental health issues, if:

(a) the patient is affected by bushfire; or

(b) the patient and the medical practitioner are located within a drought affected eligible area, and:

(i) the patient is, at the time of the attendance, at least 15 kilometres by road from the medical practitioner; and

(ii) the patient has an existing relationship with the medical practitioner

69.55

898

Professional attendance by video conference by a medical practitioner, lasting more than 45 minutes, for providing mental health services to a patient with mental health issues, if:

(a) the patient is affected by bushfire; or

(b) the patient and the medical practitioner are located within a drought affected eligible area, and:

(i) the patient is, at the time of the attendance, at least 15 kilometres by road from the medical practitioner; and

(ii) the patient has an existing relationship with the medical practitioner

102.45