Thank you for choosing us! Hol-Psych Telehealth offers Telepsychiatry to consumers using interactive video conferencing tools (Zoom),where the psychiatrist and the patient are not at the same location. Telepsychiatry allows consumers to receive medical care without the need to visit an office and travel long distance. This page summarises our terms and conditions. Please contact us by phone or by email if you have any questions.
Zoom
Our clinicians will be using Zoom for all Telepsychiatry appointments. You will need:
- To download the free zoom app on your device.
- A camera and microphone connected to your device and in working condition.
- We will send you the date and time before the appointment together with the link for your zoom telehealth consult.
Please note, any late attendances to a Telepsychiatry appointment may result in the appointment being cancelled.
Duration of Telepsychiatry Consultation
These are time based with most 1st appointments lasting for 50 minutes and review appointments lasting from 30 to 50 minutes.
Please allow 80 minutes for your 50-minutes appointments for any delays as despite our best intentions, clinicians and doctors could be running late.
Number of Consultations in a Calendar Year
In general, up to 50 appointments will be covered by Medicare, any further attendances in that calendar year would be covered by alternate Medicare item numbers.
Initial Consultation
For a patient to book an initial consultation, a GP referral is needed. We require this referral at least 1 week before your initial appointment ideally via secure messaging (Medical Objects or Healthlink) or by email on admin@nardineelzahaby.com.au.
Fees
As private practitioners, we charge fees for our services. Our practice does not receive funding from any source other than our patients. The government does not provide any form of financial support for private practices, hence the fees you pay are set at a level that reflects our time and experience and the cost of running a practice.
Billing is time-based so longer appointments attract higher fees. We regret that we do not provide bulk billing services so you will have an out of pocket cost. Our fees and the estimated gap payment are listed in our introductory letter and may change if more time or further appointments are required to form an accurate opinion that will assist you and your care team.
If you hit the Medicare extended safety-net during the year, the gap fees decrease substantially. It is helpful to check with Medicare that your family unit is registered for the safety-net. Individuals are registered automatically.
Please note that fees are payable on the day of your scheduled appointment by bank transfer or credit card. We do not accept cash, cheque, or EFTPOS.
Cancellation policy
Non-attendance at appointments prevents other people from receiving much-needed care. Hence, a full fee will be charged if you do not attend your appointment.
Please be aware that there is a fee for an appointment cancelled with less than 48 hours notice.
The full fee (without rebate from Medicare) will be charged for an appointment cancelled with less than 48 hours notice or a non attended appointment. Please contact us prior to this 48 hour window to cancel without charge.
If we cannot get in touch with you after an appointment’s non-attendance and you do not pay for the appointment, we regret that we may need to cancel your future bookings to ensure our time is used most effectively, and so that others who are in need can be seen more promptly. Additionally, no reports or letters will be released unless all overdue fees are paid.
If someone else is paying for your appointments, we believe it is fair that we are able to inform them about the non-attendance so that they are able to exercise best judgment as to whether they are happy to continue providing funding for services that are not being used effectively. If this does not suit you, please ensure that you are the one who makes the payment.
Clinical Record Keeping
Your medical notes from this telepsychiatry session will be documented and stored securely via our medical software, Xestro.
Support and Resourcing
The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) encourages best practice in Telepsychiatry and to this end, has developed a Telepsychiatry Position Statement. To obtain a copy of this document and/ or further information, assistance and support, practitioners are able to contact the College by email cpd@ranzcp.org or by visiting www.ranzcp.org.
Your Rights
1) The laws that protect the privacy and confidentiality of medical information also apply to Telepsychiatry
2) Zoom is known to incorporate network and software security protocols to protect the confidentiality of information and audio/visual data. These protocols include measures to safeguard the data and to aid in protecting against intentional or unintentional corruption. You can review the security features of Zoom at https://zoom.us/trust/security.
3) You have the right to withdraw your consent to the use of Telepsychiatry during the course of your care at any time knowing that this may mean termination of care as the clinic operates by Telepsychiatry only.
4) Telepsychiatry may not suit every consumer and if your clinician or doctor believes that the Telepsychiatry setting may impact on your safety or clinical stability, they will organise for alternate care arrangement and terminate your care at Hol-Psych Telehealth.
5) All rules and regulations which apply to the practice of medicine in Australia also apply to Telepsychiatry.
Your Responsibilities
1) Telepsychiatry sessions are not to be recorded. It is against the law to record a session without the other party’s consent. Clinicians and doctors, also, will not record Telepsychiatry sessions without your consent.
2) Please inform the clinician or doctor if any other person can hear or see any part of our session before the session begins. Likewise, the clinician or doctor will inform you if any other person can hear or see any part of the session before the session begins.
3) You MUST be a resident of Australia and hold a Medicare card to be eligible for Telepsychiatry services from Hol-Psych Telehealth clinicians and doctors.
Thank you,
Hol-Psych Telehealth Team