Changes to Medicare rebates for psychiatry telehealth services have been described by a North-West health and wellbeing advocate as dire and uncaring.
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The federal government announced last month that it would end subsidies for more than 120 telehealth services from January 1.
This was a few days after it was announced that it would invest more than $100 million into telehealth over four years.
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Among those subsidies to end are those which relate to some psychiatric telehealth services and cancer specialist consultations
Burnie Health and Wellbeing Hub president Tim McCarthy said the changes reinforced the disparity in access to health services between urban and regional communities.
"There is a dearth of psychiatrists outside metropolitan areas," he said.
Mr McCarthy said psychiatry appointments for adults and children had already been cancelled due to the significant cost impost as a result of the change.
"Given the state of mental health services, I just can't believe that they're doing this," he said.
"It just seems negligent and uncaring to be frank.
"You'd have to say it's really, really dire."
The federal government has said most telehealth services offered by general practitioners and allied health professionals would be unchanged this year.
It said there would be no changes to the Medicare Benefits Schedule fee schedule for psychiatric services in 2022.
The government said the introduction of a 50-per-cent fee loading for telehealth items was introduced a decade ago to encourage the uptake of video consultations by specialists to reach out to rural patients.
The Health Department said MBS rebates for psychiatric attendances provided by telephone would be available for less complex or shorter subsequent attendances of up to 45 minutes with a practitioner they had seen before.