Increased telehealth usage could help solve national GP shortage

MEDIA RELEASE

InstantScripts, the leading digital healthcare provider in Australia, is encouraging the government to focus on advocating for the increased use of telehealth services that could ease the strain on the overburdened health system.  

A new InstantScripts report prepared by Dr Tony Sherbon, the former Chief Executive of the South Australian Health Department, indicates the rapidly growing online healthcare category could cater for at least one in five patients needing a short GP consultation. 

This could equate to around 60,000 short primary consultations a day – freeing up exhausted GP clinics and emergency departments to deal with the more significant cases that require a physical presentation. 

The Sherbon Report finds at a cost to government of around $39 per short consultation, this model could save the Commonwealth Government over $800 million per annum in reduced short consultation demand on the Medicare subsidised system, potentially freeing funds for reinvestment in other priority areas across the health system.

“It’s important to stress that digital healthcare will always be complementary to the critical role GP visits play”, Managing Director and founder, Dr Asher Freilich said. “Our aim is to enhance the availability and timeliness of primary health care services for all Australians so that avoidable illnesses that can prevented. 

“We are also increasing opportunities for GPs to apply their skills and knowledge in a flexible setting, which in many cases is providing a pathway to continued practice for GPs who may otherwise be lost to the system.

“There is a great opportunity for the government to support the expansion of digital health services to plug critical gaps, especially in aged care and remote and regional communities where access is a growing concern”, he said. 

InstantScripts has developed a model where patients are charged a fee that is the same, if not less than the co-payment they would pay with a regular GP. An initial consult costs $49. A follow up just $20. An instant prescription for one of 300 common medications is $15. A same day medical certificate is $19. 

“We’re seeing a big shift in the everyday Australians’ attitudes towards their primary health care”, InstantScripts Chief Operating Officer Richard Skimin said.

“Bulk-billing clinics are under pressure. For many people the convenience and accessibility offered by telehealth services is worth paying for”, he said. 

The Sherbon Report says the online model offers significant benefits including:

• Patients can access primary healthcare services more conveniently and in an environment that encourages them to discuss their most confidential issues outside of the face-to-face environment. 
• Crowded waiting rooms are avoided.
• Participating medical practitioners can access flexible work arrangements in an environment that suit many who have extensive outside commitments.
• Immunocompromised medical practitioners also have a safe pathway to continuing practice.
• Governments are acknowledging the early benefits of improved access to primary healthcare in regional and remote communities.

Market research conducted by Klein Research this year, and commissioned by InstantScripts, reported that 53% of respondents to a survey of over 1,400 people expressed a preference for telephone doctor consultation over face-to-face consultation because it was “faster than seeing a doctor”.

Former Chief Medical Officer of Western Australia and Chair of InstantScripts’ Clinical Governance Committee, Dr Michael Levitt, said the report also provides evidence of the robust Clinical Governance Framework that InstantScripts has adopted.

“Online healthcare has an important and legitimate role to play in Australia’s evolving healthcare landscape. The clinical oversight from InstantScripts accredited medical professionals ensures that patient safety is always prioritised in the delivery of online healthcare.”

Further information: 

Jessica Ridley 

BTW Media

[email protected]