Telehealth services in Australia should be supported and continued beyond the immediacy of the pandemic. The roll-out of the telehealth program during the COVID-19 pandemic has been a public health success, with limited evidence to suggest that telehealth services are harmful to population health and well-being. Nevertheless, its rapid implementation has resulted in a large government spending for new MBS items and ICT infrastructures. Therefore, extending the telehealth program beyond the pandemic will require the consideration of fiscal sustainability on future budgets.

Drawing on government and non-government research this Issues Brief identifies and investigates potential barriers to cost-effectiveness, efficiency and equity in existing telehealth policies.