Telehealth appointments are medical assessments that are conducted over the telephone or via the internet. The two parties, doctor and claimant, are in different locations and hold the meeting through either one of these communication channels.
These assessments are conducted exactly the same way as regular examinations in that the specialist asks the claimant the same type of questions. The only difference is that they are not together in the same room.
It’s true that in many examinations doctors will require claimants to perform special movements in order to test their physical tolerances. However, this can just as easily be done in the claimant’s very own physiotherapist’s clinic. Being present during the online meeting, the physiotherapist will guide the claimant’s movements in accordance with the doctor’s instructions.
This allows the doctor to remotely evaluate the claimant’s level of fitness, without having any physical contact with the claimant.
This is done very quickly and easily, although we recommend that claimants be ready to start the meeting at least ten minutes before the scheduled time. This is to ensure that any technical difficulties are overcome beforehand and to avoid keeping the doctor waiting.
Both the specialist and the claimant, click on the hyperlink to begin the meeting. Once both parties have done this, the meeting will have commenced.
If a claimant is running late, the specialist will wait no longer than fifteen minutes after the commencement time before terminating the meeting. This will then attract a cancellation fee for the claimant’s lawyer.
No, for the same reasons that face-to-face meetings are not recorded, MAG do not record telehealth consultations. This is due to our stringent privacy regulations.
No. Laptops and personal computers are the only acceptable devices for conducting MAG eAssess consultations. The visibility provided by smaller screened devices is considered inferior to standard personal computers, which offer greater screen resolutions, through which doctors can view their subjects more clearly.
Telehealth meetings may be held in a private and quiet room within a Lawyer’s or Insurer’s office as these provide the most ideal, professional settings. The room must not be entered by any other party while the meeting is taking place.
Online assessments must not be held at the claimant’s home as there are too many distracting influences that could affect the quality of the assessment.
A room in the claimant’s Nominated Treating Doctor’s surgery or other medical centre offers another optimum environment for a telehealth assessment to take place.
Absolutely. As far as the courts are concerned, a telehealth appointment is no different to a face-to-face assessment. The questions asked by the doctor should be exactly the same. What the court considers is the report provided by the specialist. The medical findings and opinions expressed by the doctor are ultimately what the judge will consider when making their ruling.
Provided the specialist was able to clearly see and hear the claimant, then the method by which the assessment was conducted should not matter.
MAG do not permit any other party to accompany claimants to our consultations, unless pre-approval is granted by the specialist. If the claimant requires an Interpreter to be present, then we naturally make an exception in these instances.
However, if a claimant wants a partner or friend to join them in the online assessment, they must first request the written approval of the specialist, well in advance of the scheduled meeting date, for this to be allowed.
Yes, you sure can. The process for booking a MAG telehealth appointment is actually very straightforward. All you need to do is login to the MAG Connect platform and follow the steps.
If you have any questions, or would like to book your online appointment, please email our team at admin@medicolegalassessmentsgroup.com.au or phone 02 8090 7611.