01
Reviewing a scan
Where the question is what the imaging shows and whether it explains your symptoms, most of that conversation is the history and the pictures. Both travel well.
Telehealth consultations
Telehealth consultations are available to patients residing in Medicare-approved regions. They work well for reviewing imaging, taking a careful history and talking through options, and they cannot replace a physical examination, which matters more in the cervical spine than almost anywhere else in the body.
The short version
Telehealth consultations are available to patients residing in Medicare-approved regions.
You still need a current referral. A GP referral is valid for twelve months; a specialist referral for three.
Your imaging needs to reach the rooms before the appointment. Ask reception how to send it.
A remote consultation cannot test power, reflexes and gait properly, and cord signs are found on examination.
It suits reviewing a scan and discussing options. It suits a suspected myelopathy far less.
Whether your own situation is suitable is confirmed by the rooms rather than assumed from this page.
Approved regions
Telehealth consultations are available to patients residing in Medicare-approved regions.
Referral needed
The same referral requirement applies as for an in-person initial consultation.
Imaging first
A remote consultation leans much harder on the scans, so they need to arrive beforehand.
Not the exam
Power, reflexes, sensation and gait cannot be tested properly over a video link.
WHO IT SUITS
Where a remote appointment does the job
Distance is a real barrier to getting a specialist opinion, and for several common situations a video consultation loses very little.
02
A follow-up appointment
Reviewing progress after a consultation or an operation, where the discussion matters more than a hands-on examination.
03
Talking through options
Fusion against disc replacement, or surgery against carrying on with non-surgical treatment. These are discussions rather than examinations.
04
Living a long way from Brisbane
A remote first appointment can establish whether the trip is worth making at all, which is often the most useful thing it does.
WHAT YOU NEED
Four things to have sorted beforehand
FIRST
A current referral
An initial consultation requires a current referral whether it is in person or by video. A referral from a general practitioner is valid for twelve months; one from a specialist is valid for three months.
MOST IMPORTANT
Your imaging, sent ahead
Past and recent X-rays, scans and laboratory results need to reach the rooms before the appointment, not be held up to a webcam during it. Ask reception how they would like the images sent.
ALSO
Medicare and fund details
Medicare rebates are available with a valid Medicare card and a current referral. Have your health fund card to hand as well if you have one.
ON THE DAY
A quiet room and a decent connection
Somewhere you can talk freely, with space to stand up and move if you are asked to. A list of your current medications, and your questions written down, for the same reason they help in person.
The rest of the preparation is the same as for an in-person visit. Your first appointment covers what to bring and what the consultation involves.
THE HONEST LIMITS
What a video link cannot do
This matters more in the neck than in most parts of the body, because the findings that change the urgency are physical findings rather than pictures.
Well suited to telehealth
A careful history: where the pain is, what it does, what has already been tried and for how long.
Reviewing imaging and explaining what it shows, and just as importantly what it does not.
Weighing up options after a diagnosis has been made.
Deciding whether an in-person appointment, and the travel that comes with it, is warranted at all.
Not a substitute for
Testing power, reflexes and sensation in the arms and legs, which is done by hand.
Assessing a suspected cervical myelopathy, where the signs are physical and the timing matters.
Anything urgent. Rapidly worsening weakness or a change in bladder or bowel control needs emergency assessment.
The pre-operative assessment itself, if an operation goes ahead. That is done in person.
Do not wait for a video appointment
Sudden or rapidly worsening weakness, new clumsiness or unsteadiness affecting both hands, a decline in walking, or any change in bladder or bowel control needs emergency assessment rather than a scheduled consultation. Call 000 or go to your nearest emergency department.
Distance should not be the reason you never get an opinion
A video consultation covers the history, the imaging and the discussion of options well, and it often establishes whether a trip to Brisbane is warranted at all. What it cannot do is test power, reflexes and gait, which is where the findings that change the urgency are found. Knowing which of those two things you need is most of the decision.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Questions about remote consultations
Am I eligible?
Telehealth consultations are available to patients residing in Medicare-approved regions. Whether your address qualifies, and whether your particular situation suits a remote appointment, is confirmed by the rooms.
Do I still need a referral?
Yes. The referral requirement is the same as for an in-person initial consultation, and Medicare rebates depend on having a valid Medicare card and a current referral.
How do I get my scans to you?
Ask reception when the appointment is arranged. Most radiology practices can share images through an online portal or provide them on a disc, and getting that sorted early is what makes a remote appointment worthwhile.
Will I need to come to Brisbane anyway?
Possibly, and that is not a failure of the appointment. If an operation is being considered, a physical examination and a pre-operative assessment are done in person. A telehealth consultation often establishes whether that trip is necessary.
What about the Patient Travel Subsidy Scheme?
Queensland Health operates a travel subsidy scheme for eligible patients who need to travel for specialist treatment not available locally. Eligibility and applications are handled through Queensland Health rather than through this practice.
Can a family member join?
Many people find it useful, particularly if surgery might be discussed. A second person remembers different things, which is as true on a video call as it is in a consulting room.
NEXT
Where to go from here
Request an appointment
One short form. Mention where you live and that you are asking about telehealth, and reception can confirm whether it suits.
Go to the form ›Costs and fees
What a consultation and an operation actually cost, what Medicare and your fund cover, and the questions worth asking.
See what it costs ›Your first appointment
What to bring, what a cervical assessment involves, and the questions worth writing down beforehand.
What to expect ›About this information
The availability of telehealth consultations to patients residing in Medicare-approved regions, and the referral and Medicare requirements, are as published by the practice. Medicare telehealth eligibility rules are set by the Australian Government and change from time to time, so your own eligibility is confirmed by the rooms rather than assumed from this page. More about Dr Tollesson.
A video appointment can establish whether the trip to Brisbane is worth making.
Telehealth consultations are available to patients residing in Medicare-approved regions. Reception is open Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm.