{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,27]],"date-time":"2026-01-27T08:57:19Z","timestamp":1769504239294,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":29,"publisher":"CSIRO Publishing","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,12]],"date-time":"2025-12-12T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1765497600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,6]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This study aims to describe the change in telerehabilitation service volume and cost that resulted from the introduction of the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) item numbers in response to COVID-19 in 2020 for physiotherapy services provided in Australia from January 2017 to December 2024.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>MBS activity and cost data for physiotherapy services between January 2017 and September 2024 were extracted from the Services Australia statistics website. Fourteen item numbers were used for the extraction. Data were grouped by delivery mode (in-person, telephone, or videoconference), and reported according to these groups.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Telerehabilitation services for physiotherapy were not funded by the MBS until March 2020. Despite the pandemic and national lockdowns, telerehabilitation physiotherapy only accounted for a small percentage of MBS physiotherapy consultations, peaking at 1.84% in Q2 2020 and fluctuating between 0.36% and 0.79% per quarter after that. Telephone consultations were used about twice as often as video consultations from 2020 to 2023, but usage became similar in 2024. Medicare reimbursement costs reflected these trends, with telerehabilitation accounting for an average of 1% of the total costs, peaking during the pandemic. Physiotherapy had the lowest telerehabilitation usage compared to other specialties, such as mental health and GPs.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Although the delivery of MBS-funded telerehabilitation physiotherapy services was initiated during the pandemic, its overall uptake was minimal and accounted for less than 2% of total MBS-eligible consultations during 2020\u20132024.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1071\/py25188","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,12]],"date-time":"2025-12-12T07:26:43Z","timestamp":1765524403000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Physiotherapy telerehabilitation activity and cost as part of the Australian Government Medicare Benefits Scheme (MBS)"],"prefix":"10.1071","volume":"32","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4298-9369","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Centaine L.","family":"Snoswell","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"ACentre for Health Services Research, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, Australia."},{"name":"BCentre for Online Health, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, Australia."},{"name":"CRECOVER Injury Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Herston, Qld, Australia. Email: m.ross@uq.edu.au, t.russell@uq.edu.au"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5467-3559","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Megan H.","family":"Ross","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CRECOVER Injury Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Herston, Qld, Australia. Email: m.ross@uq.edu.au, t.russell@uq.edu.au"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Trevor","family":"Russell","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CRECOVER Injury Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Herston, Qld, Australia. Email: m.ross@uq.edu.au, t.russell@uq.edu.au"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"67","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"2026012617215726000_R6","unstructured":"Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (2020) COVID-19 Temporary MBS Telehealth Services. Available at https:\/\/www.mbsonline.gov.au\/internet\/mbsonline\/publishing.nsf\/Content\/Factsheet-TempBB [accessed 7 February 2025]"},{"key":"2026012617215726000_R1","unstructured":"Australian Government \u2013 Services Australia (2025) Medicare item reports. Australian Government \u2013 Services Australia. Available at http:\/\/medicarestatistics.humanservices.gov.au\/statistics\/mbs_item.jsp"},{"key":"2026012617215726000_R2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.msksp.2021.102500","article-title":"\u201cIt\u2019s second best\u201d: a mixed-methods evaluation of the experiences and attitudes of people with musculoskeletal pain towards physiotherapist delivered telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic.","volume":"58","author":"Barton","year":"2022","journal-title":"Musculoskeletal Science and Practice"},{"issue":"3","key":"2026012617215726000_R3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"201","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jphys.2021.06.009","article-title":"Physiotherapists and patients report positive experiences overall with telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic: a mixed-methods study.","volume":"67","author":"Bennell","year":"2021","journal-title":"Journal of Physiotherapy"},{"issue":"2","key":"2026012617215726000_R4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"175","DOI":"10.1071\/AH22220","article-title":"Medicare reimbursed telehealth exercise physiology services were underutilised through the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic: an ecological study.","volume":"47","author":"Brown","year":"2023","journal-title":"Australian Health Review"},{"issue":"5","key":"2026012617215726000_R5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"625","DOI":"10.1177\/0269215516645148","article-title":"Real-time telerehabilitation for the treatment of musculoskeletal conditions is effective and comparable to standard practice: a systematic review and meta-analysis.","volume":"31","author":"Cottrell","year":"2017","journal-title":"Clinical Rehabilitation"},{"issue":"10","key":"2026012617215726000_R7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"726","DOI":"10.1177\/1357633X221122135","article-title":"Costs to the Medicare Benefits Schedule for general practitioner 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