| Consultation with a referred patient |
Used as a substitute or an adjunct to an in‐person consultation. May use any telehealth modalities. Patient consents to the use of telehealth. Patient would attend the consultation if done by RTVC or hybrid methods. Dermatologist must have received a valid referral to be eligible for Medicare rebates (see Australian Medical Association summary of valid referrals
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for specialist care.
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| Consultation for a non‐referred patient |
Used to provide advice to a clinician managing a patient without the managing clinician referring the patient. May use any telehealth modality. Communication is typically between the managing clinician and dermatologist and the patient may not attend the consultation. Clinician managing the patient would ordinarily be responsible for follow‐up care. May be an informal request for advice.
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| Direct‐to‐patient |
Used to provide dermatology services directly to the patient. May use any modality of telehealth. However, store‐and‐forward of patient‐acquired images is the most common model of care.
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| Triage of a referred patient |
Used to assess the need and urgency of dermatological care. A referral for dermatological care from a referring clinician is reviewed by a dermatologist prior to seeing the patient. The dermatologist then makes and communicates a management plan which may include the following options: schedule for in‐person consultation with appropriate urgency, direct booking for procedure or surgery, management of the patient by the referrer without a need for further dermatologist advice, management of the patient by the referrer and subsequent review by the dermatologist, or discharge without need for follow‐up. When the dermatologist recommends the referrer manage the patient, a treatment plan should be included in the response. Triage teledermatology typically uses store‐and‐forward.
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| Triage of a non‐referred patient |
Used to provide triage advice to a clinician managing a patient without the managing clinician referring the patient. Communication is typically between managing clinician and dermatologist. The clinician managing the patient is responsible for follow‐up care. Often informal requests for advice.
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