COVID-19

The situation with COVID-19 is evolving quickly, however our commitment to providing excellent care, research and communication is unchanged.

For the latest and most reliable information on COVID-19 please see the dedicated NSW Health website by clicking here.

We all have a role in providing age-appropriate information and reassurance to the children in our lives. Take time to speak your children and use the age-appropriate resources below.

Telehealth Appointments

Dr Elliot will be offering telehealth appointments for all patients if you would like. In the future we may move to only telehealth appointments for a period of time, though this is not currently required.

Please call the rooms in advance and notify reception that you would like a telehealth appointment. This can be via phone only or through video conferencing. If we use video conferencing please make sure you give a current email address and read the instructions below so that we can send you the link.

This is a new service for the practice so please bear with us while we all get used to it.

Telehealth Fees

Please speak with our reception staff to help make sense of the fees. The summary is that no patient will be more out of pocket than usual to see Dr Elliot.

The Australian Government has temporarily released new Medicare numbers to assist with telehealth during COVID-19.

These will cover bulk-billed sessions only if you meet any one of the following criteria:

You are diagnosed with COVID-19, or in quarantine or isolation (eg: recently returned from overseas or a contact) or awaiting COVID-19 test results.
You are pregnant or caring for a child <12 months old
Your child is under treatment for a “chronic health condition or is immune compromised”

The definition of “chronic health condition” is not clear, however there is an emerging consensus that it might not cover otherwise healthy children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder or Specific Learning Disorder, ADHD etc.

Dr Elliot is determined to provide fair access to everyone. The fees for telehealth will be as follows:

Consultations that meet the COVID-19 criteria will be bulked billed (no gap) as per the Medicare rules.
Telehealth consultations that do not meet the COVID-19 criteria will be billed at the usual fee minus the Medicare rebate. This means Dr Elliot will not be paid a Medicare rebate but families will not be out of pocket any more than their usual appointment fee.
In addition, a new 15-minute checkup will be offered for anyone who wants to ask questions about the impact of COVID-19 on their child or family. This is a short, targeted phone call intended to help families plan school attendance, changes to the use of their medication and so on. If families are not eligible for a Medicare rebate the fee will be $50.

Payment for the appointment will be via credit card over the phone at the end of the telehealth session.