[Guides](/guides) MBS telehealth rules: the eligible telehealth practitioner and phone items ========================================================================== Updated 28 October 2026 You can bill most GP and medical practitioner telehealth items only if you are the patient’s **eligible telehealth practitioner**: you (or your practice) have seen them face to face in the last 12 months, or they are registered in MyMedicare with your practice. Longer phone consultations, 20 minutes or more, are available **only for patients registered in MyMedicare**, and there is no phone item for Level E. Who is an eligible telehealth practitioner? ------------------------------------------- This used to be called the “established clinical relationship” rule. You qualify if **any one** of these applies: - you provided at least one MBS-funded **face-to-face** service to the patient in the **12 months** before the telehealth consultation; - another practitioner at your practice did, including a practice nurse or Aboriginal health practitioner acting on a doctor’s behalf; - you work for an approved medical deputising service that has an agreement with the patient’s regular practice; - the patient is **registered in MyMedicare** with your practice. This pathway was added on 1 November 2025. A previous telehealth consultation does not, by itself, qualify the patient for more telehealth. Exemptions ---------- The rule does not apply to: - **patients:** children under 12 months, people experiencing homelessness, people in a declared natural disaster area, patients of an Aboriginal Medical Service or Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service, and people isolating under a public health order; - **services:** urgent after-hours services in unsociable hours, specified focused psychological strategies and eating disorder services, and blood-borne virus, sexual or reproductive health consultations. Record the exemption in the patient’s notes at the time of the service. GP chronic condition management plans use their own test instead: the patient’s MyMedicare practice or usual GP. Mental health treatment plans by telehealth are no longer exempt since 1 November 2025. Phone and video items for GPs ----------------------------- LevelVideoPhonePhone rulesA[91790](/items/91790)[91890](/items/91890)Under 6 minutesB[91800](/items/91800)[91891](/items/91891)6 minutes or moreC[91801](/items/91801)[91900](/items/91900)20 minutes or more, MyMedicare patients onlyD[91802](/items/91802)[91910](/items/91910)40 minutes or more, MyMedicare patients onlyE[91920](/items/91920)No phone item Video consultations at Levels C to E for MyMedicare patients attract the higher MyMedicare [bulk billing incentive](/guides/bulk-billing-incentives) when bulk billed. The 30/20 rule for phone services --------------------------------- Rendering **30 or more phone services on each of 20 or more days** in a 12-month period counts as a prescribed pattern of services, alongside the 80/20 rule for all services. See [Medicare billing compliance](/guides/medicare-billing-compliance). Frequently asked questions -------------------------- ### What is the eligible telehealth practitioner rule? It replaced the established clinical relationship rule. You can bill most GP and medical practitioner telehealth items if you or your practice provided an MBS-funded face-to-face service to the patient in the past 12 months, or the patient is registered in MyMedicare with your practice. ### Can I bill a 20-minute phone consultation for any patient? No. The Level C and D phone items for GPs, 91900 and 91910, are only available for patients registered in MyMedicare with your practice. Other patients can have a Level C or D consultation by video. ### Is there a Level E phone consultation? No. Level E (60 minutes or more) is available face to face or by video, item 91920, but not by phone. ### Does a previous telehealth consultation count towards the 12-month rule? No. Only a face-to-face service in the past 12 months, by you or your practice, counts. A telehealth consultation does not qualify the patient for further telehealth on its own. ### Which patients are exempt from the telehealth rules? Children under 12 months, people experiencing homelessness, people in a declared natural disaster area, patients of Aboriginal Medical Services or Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services, and people isolating under a public health order. Record the exemption in the notes. More guides ----------- - [How Medicare benefits work: schedule fees, 75%, 85% and 100%](/guides/how-medicare-benefits-work) - [Medicare safety nets explained: original and extended (EMSN) thresholds for 2026](/guides/medicare-safety-nets) - [In-hospital billing: the 75% benefit, the 25% fund benefit, and no-gap and known-gap schemes](/guides/in-hospital-billing-and-gap-cover) - [Bulk billing incentives and BBPIP explained: 2026 amounts by MM area](/guides/bulk-billing-incentives) - [The MBS multiple operation rule and surgical assistant fees](/guides/multiple-operation-rule) - [Assignment of benefit for bulk billing: the changes from 1 July 2026](/guides/assignment-of-benefit-2026) - [GP chronic condition management plans: items 965 and 967 explained](/guides/chronic-condition-management-plans) - [Medicare billing compliance: claim time limits, records and the 80/20 rule](/guides/medicare-billing-compliance) General information for health professionals, not legal or financial advice. Check MBS Online and Services Australia for the rules that apply to your circumstances.