Medicare reimbursed telehealth exercise physiology services were underutilised through the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic: an ecological study
Riley C. C. Brown
A * , Jeff S. Coombes A , Centaine L. Snoswell B C , Jaimon T. Kelly B C and Shelley E. Keating A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia.
B Centre for Online Health, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, Australia.
C Centre for Health Services Research, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, Australia.
* Correspondence to: riley.brown@uq.net.au
Australian Health Review 47(2) 175-181 https://doi.org/10.1071/AH22220
Submitted: 27 September 2022 Accepted: 4 November 2022 Published: 24 November 2022
© 2023 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of AHHA. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY)
Abstract
Objectives To describe the quantity and cost of in-person and telehealth exercise physiology (EP) reimbursed under the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) in Australia before and during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Methods This study uses publicly available MBS data to describe EP services (in-person and telehealth) reimbursed by Medicare between January 2020 and December 2021. Data were extracted at state and national levels.
Results Despite a reduction in quantity and cost in quartile (Q) 2 2020 (41% reduction), MBS-reimbursed EP services have remained relatively constant at a national level through the 2-year observation period. Service claims averaged 88 555 per quarter in 2020 and 95 015 in 2021. The proportion of telehealth consultations relative to total quarterly claims for EP was <1% in Q1 2020, 6.0% in Q2 2020, 2.4% in Q3 2020 and 1.7% in Q4 2020. This dropped to an average of 1.4% across 2021 (Q1–Q4). States undergoing lockdown periods reported decreased service rates relative to February 2020 (i.e. pre-lockdown). EP services were associated with a Medicare expenditure of AUD17.9M in 2020 (telehealth = 2.4% of total) and AUD19.7M (telehealth = 1.5% of total) in 2021.
Conclusions Quantity and cost of MBS-reimbursed EP services remained relatively constant throughout the height of service disruption due to COVID-19 (2020/21). Telehealth uptake during this time has been minimal for EP.
Keywords: CDM, chronic disease, COVID-19, exercise, exercise physiology, MBS, Medicare, telehealth.
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