Dozens of city-centre GP practices on the ‘brink of collapse’
Lockdowns and uncertainty over the future of telehealth is fueling fears of the future, says David Dahm, an accountant specialising in medical practices
City-centre GP practices have gone into “hibernation” and are relying on telehealth for their survival because of the collapse in patient numbers due to the lockdown.
According to David Dahm, an accountant specialising in medical practices, up to 10% of practices in the centres of Melbourne and Sydney are in imminent danger of closing as a result of “a 20-30% downward movement in foot-traffic revenue”.
With office workers continuing to work from home, he claimed many practices had entered “hibernation mode” with staff placed on indefinite leave.
The anxiety over financial viability is also being fuelled by ongoing uncertainty over the future of the temporary MBS telehealth items, which are due to expire on 30 September.
