Online servicesACC services enabled for Telehealth
You can find information here on what services allow for Telehealth consultations with ACC clients.
On this page
We have detailed a full list of ACC services below to outline:
- if they're approved to conduct Telehealth consultations
- if they're considered essential during the COVID-19 Alert Levels 3 and 4 response periods. An essential service at Alert Levels 3 and 4 is for emergency or acute needs only
- any other key criteria or notes important to that service.
Services A-C
| Service | Essential service at Alert Levels 3 and 4? | Telehealth approved? | Additional comments |
| Acupuncture | No | No | |
| Ambulance – air and road | Yes | Yes, for road ambulance providers only. | Telehealth follow up by ambulance communications centre as per Road Ambulance Service Specification. |
| Artificial limb services | Yes | Yes, as per the contract (phone follow-up after limb fitting) | Essential service at Alert Levels 3 and 4 only if required to meet urgent needs, particularly for clients working in essential services. |
| Audiology | No | Yes | Telehealth approved for hearing aid fittings only for clients already in the process of testing. |
| Behaviour support | Yes | Yes, where clinically appropriate | |
| Blind services | Yes | Yes | Essential service at Alert Levels 3 and 4 for emergency or urgent needs only. Doesn't include activities of daily living. |
| Chiropractic services | Yes | Yes | Essential service at Alert Levels 3 and 4 only in acute life-preserving setting. Use specified rates and codes for Telehealth invoices. |
| Clinical psychiatric services | Yes | Yes, where clinically appropriate | |
| Clinical services | No | Yes | Pre-approval must be obtained from ACC for Medical Case Reviews and Medical Single Discipline Assessments (these can be conducted via Telehealth at Alert Levels 2, 3 and 4 only). |
| Communication assistive technology assessments | Yes | Yes, where clinically appropriate | |
| Concussion services | No | Yes, where clinically appropriate | Need for a member of IDT to be present for Telehealth consult has been waived during all alert levels. |
| Counselling | Yes | Yes, where clinically appropriate |
Services D-H
| Service | Essential service at Alert Levels 3 and 4? | Telehealth approved? | Additional comments |
| Dental services | Yes | Yes |
Essential service at Alert Levels 3 and 4 for emergency and acute care only. Telehealth has been enabled for clinical consultations (non-emergency support, including dental trauma or pain and infection medications) that do not meet dental emergency requirements for normal face-to-face treatment. The Dental Council (DCNZ) has guidelines on the use of Telehealth for non-emergency dental consultations. Guidelines for using telehealth in dentistry during the COVID-19 alert level response Use specified rates and codes for Telehealth invoices. |
| Dietitians | Yes | No | Essential service at Alert Levels 3 and 4 for emergency and acute care only. |
| Education support | No | Yes, under specific circumstances. | Telehealth is enabled for home-based learning during all alert levels. |
| Elective surgery | No | No | |
| Emergency care coordination team | No | No | |
| Functional capacity evaluation | No | No | |
| General practice providers (GPs, nurses, and nurse practitioners) | Yes | Yes | Covers urban, rural, Urgent Care. Use specified rates and codes for Telehealth invoices. |
| General practitioners with special interest | No | Yes | Use specified rates and codes for Telehealth invoices. |
| Hand therapy | Yes | Yes | Essential service at Alert Levels 3 and 4 for emergency and acute cases only. Use specified rates and codes for Telehealth invoices. |
| High-tech imaging | Yes | No | Essential service at Alert Levels 3 and 4 for emergency and acute cases only. |
| Housing assessments | Yes, to support discharge from hospitals or spinal units. | No |
Assessments for standard and complex modifications should be put on hold at Alert Level 3 and above. At Alert Level 2, will proceed in compliance with the construction sector, allied health, and/or ACC employee health and safety protocols. ACC employees will be invited to initial site visits where possible. |
| Housing modifications | Yes, for Alert Level 3 only. | No |
At Alert Level 3, internal and external housing modifications can be undertaken if physical/safe distancing requirements are adhered to. The focus is primarily on construction-based work already in motion or essential design work projects. Pre-design projects are excluded due to the difficulty in having assessors, designers, project management and case owners in attendance. At Alert Level 2, internal and external housing modifications can be undertaken if health and safety and physical/safe distancing requirements are adhered to. |
| Hyperbaric oxygen services | Yes | No | Essential service at Alert Levels 3 and 4 for emergency and acute cases only. |
Services I-L
| Service | Essential service at Alert Levels 3 and 4? | Telehealth approved? | Additional comments |
| Impairment assessments | No | Yes |
Services can be delivered via Telehealth at all Alert Levels where clinically appropriate but must be agreed in advance with the Permanent Injury Compensation team to ensure that referrals accurately reflect the appropriate delivery method and other considerations related to the specific needs of individual client circumstances. |
| Integrated home and community support | Yes | Yes, where clinically appropriate |
Initial client assessments and reviews may be completed via Telehealth, if this is deemed to be clinically appropriate. |
| Integrated services for sensitive claims | Yes | Yes, where clinically appropriate | In no circumstances can group therapies be delivered via Telehealth without prior approval. |
|
Living my Life services
|
No | No | |
| Living my Life tailored support | Yes | No | Clinical judgement required for clients that need essential support, eg high-risk and vulnerable clients. |
Services M-O
| Service | Essential service at Alert Levels 3 and 4? | Telehealth approved? | Additional comments |
| Managed rehabilitation equipment services | Yes, for necessities of life. | No | Requests for non-essential items such as recreational equipment should cease during Alert Levels 3 and 4. |
| Medical consumables | Yes, for necessities of life. | No | |
| Medical specialists (Cost of Treatment Regulations) | Yes | Yes, where clinically appropriate | Use specified rates and codes for Telehealth invoices. |
| Neuropsychological services | Yes | Yes, where clinically appropriate | |
| Non-acute rehabilitation | Yes | No | |
| Nursing services contract | Yes | Yes | |
| Occupational therapy | Yes | Yes, where clinically appropriate | Use specified rates and codes for Telehealth invoices. |
| Optometry | Yes | No | Essential service at Alert Levels 3 and 4 for emergency and acute care only. |
| Orthotics | No | No | |
| Osteopathy | No | Yes | Use specified rates and codes for Telehealth invoices. |
| Outpatient burns and scar management | Yes | Yes |
Services P-R
| Service | Essential service at Alert Levels 3 and 4? | Telehealth approved? | Additional comments |
| Pain management services | No | Yes, where clinically appropriate | |
| Palliative care | Yes | Yes | |
| Pharmaceuticals | Yes | No | |
| Physiotherapy | Yes | Yes | Essential service at Alert Levels 3 and 4 for emergency and acute care only. Includes Physiotherapy Specialists and DHB Physiotherapists. Use specified rates and codes for Telehealth invoices. |
| Podiatry | No | Yes | Use specified rates and codes for Telehealth invoices. |
| Primary response in a medical emergency | Yes | No | |
| Psychological services | Yes | Yes, where clinically appropriate | |
| Radiology | Yes | No | Essential service at Alert Levels 3 and 4 for emergency and acute care only. |
| Residential rehabilitation support | Yes | n/a | For essential support at Alert Levels 3 and 4 for clients in residential rehabilitation. |
| Residential support services | Yes | n/a |
Services S-Z
| Service | Essential service at Alert Levels 3 and 4? | Telehealth approved? | Additional comments |
| Sexual abuse assessment and treatment | Yes | Yes, where clinically appropriate | |
| Social rehabilitation needs assessments | Yes | Yes | Essential service at Alert Levels 3 and 4 to access appropriate equipment to remain safe at home. |
| Specialised rehabilitation and adolescent rehabilitation | Yes | No | |
| Speech and language therapy | Yes | Yes | Essential service at Alert Levels 3 and 4 for emergency and acute care only. Use specified rates and codes for Telehealth invoices. |
| Spinal cord injury rehabilitation | Yes | No | |
| Spinal vocational rehabilitation (community assessments) | No | Yes | Telehealth approved where clinically appropriate for community assessments. |
| Support needs assessments | No | Yes | |
| Taxi/mobility taxi services | Yes | No | Essential service at Alert Levels 3 and 4 only when necessary for hospital discharges or hospital follow-ups. |
| Training for independence | Yes | Yes, where clinically appropriate | Essential service at Alert Levels 3 and 4 for necessity of life, emergency, and acute cases, and/or high-risk and vulnerable clients only. |
| Transport for independence assessments | No | No | |
| Traumatic brain injury – residential rehabilitation | Yes | No | |
| Vehicle modifications | No | No | |
| Vocational medical services | No | Yes, where clinically appropriate, at Alert Levels 2, 3 and 4. |
Telehealth removed for Initial Medical Assessments (first assessments only, Telehealth for follow-up assessments remains enabled). Vocational Independence Medical Assessments remain unapproved for Telehealth at all Alert Levels. |
| Vocational occupational assessments (Initial occupational assessments and vocational independence occupational assessments) | No | Yes, where clinically appropriate | |
| Vocational rehabilitation services | No | Yes, where clinically appropriate | |
| Wheelchair and seating assessments | Yes | Yes | Essential service at Alert Levels 3 and 4 only for essential repairs or provision of chairs to allow some level of mobility. |
Telehealth criteria and rates
For more information about Telehealth criteria and requirements, visit the Telehealth page.
Telehealth criteria during the COVID-19 response
If specified, you can find service item codes and rates for Telehealth invoices on our website. Use normal codes and rates unless specified otherwise.
Service item codes and rates for Telehealth invoices
Note: while we've advised your Practice Management Software (PMS) vendors of these changes, we understand there may be a delay in these codes being available in your system.