Tele Consultations: Skype Zoom and Phone Consultations
Video Consultations (Skype):
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For our patients we can offer consultations via the free internet video telephony program "Skype".
- Only available for existing patients - It is installed in all Consulting rooms.
- Cost - Normally exactly the same a a consultation in the surgery (see Quacks Billing ) BUT note that unlike consultations in the surgery there is usually no medicare rebate available. Medicare normally requires your physical presence at the consultation for you to be able to claim a rebate. However at present, there is a Medicare rebate for consultations for people isolated for Coronovirus. Generally these are availble to be "bulk-billed" to patients at high risk of complications of COVID 19, patients isolated because of COVID 19, and for Patients of doctors who are at high risk of complications of COVID 19.
- Generally we would use Skype consultations for follow up of conditions or results not requiring physical examination - i.e. eminently suitable for following up home BP readings and adjusting dose, monitoring BSL levels with diabetes, discussion prior to organizing overseas travel, or following recovery from depression. Examples of conditions which not suitable include things like abdominal pains, injured limbs, etc where a good look and feel may be important in arriving at the correct diagnosis and treatment.
- Available for advice only for patients traveling overseas.
- Initially this was set up as a service for patients on properties "out west" where travel to town may take hours and involve being away from the property for a day or more, all for a brief visit to the doctor! However it is ideal for our patients traveling as "Grey Nomads" , working out of town and the like. It will be very useful for monitoring Coronovirus patients.
How it works:
- Check that you have Skype set up on you computer and the video and audio are of good quality. Familiarize yourself with Skype usage.
- Ring the surgery for an appointment as you would for any other appointment, tell the staff your skype address, before they will book the appointment they will contact you on skype to check that your video and audio are adequate for a consultation, they will book an appointment in the normal way.
- At the appointment time the doctor will contact you via Skype. Like all consultation times in General Practice there will be patients booked before you and after you and the timing of the consultation will depend on the time these consultations take, emergencies or unexpectedly long consultations occurring before your appointment may cause delays in the consultation start.
What you will need to consult via Skype:
- Computer or Mobile Phone
- Internet Connection, or phone connection of reasonable speed and reliability
- A web cam / microphone installed on your computer
- Skype installed on your computer or mobile phone (can be installed from download on www.skype.com or the relevant app store on your phone)
- Adequate lighting
Phone Consultations:
