Managing Your Health Virtually with Australian Telehealth Providers

Australian telehealth has come a long way in recent years. In fact, the virtual healthcare landscape has changed so much that it’s now an integral part of how many of us connect to the doctor, some, or even a lot of the time. If you are new to telehealth or haven’t looked at different options online in a while, this quick round-up is for you. In this short overview, I also cover some of the most popular providers and when you should seek in-person care. For in-depth reviews, you can check out Medicompare’s telehealth provider pages.

While telehealth used to mean dialling into your GP for a phone consult, there are now a wide range of providers, in addition to the more modern telehealth services offered by your local GP clinic.

This gives you access to a much greater variety of choices nationwide, plus access to your local clinics. In addition, telehealth has become an integral part of the government’s healthcare strategy, unlocking access to bulk billing through some providers and for some services. It has also further incentivised local GP clinics to include telehealth, which allows for a mix of in-person and online consults.

Where telehealth shines is the extended access, as most comprehensive providers, such as Healthy Life, offer either extended opening hours or 24/7 telehealth. A more timely access to medical assistance, without even leaving your home, can help prevent some conditions from escalating and can also prove handy when you run out of refills or need an urgent medical certificate after hours.

By extended access, I’m also referring to the inclusion of healthcare services for patients living in rural, remote, and regional areas or needing special assistance to access their doctors’ visits.

With Australia’s healthcare system becoming skewed towards high costs and/or long wait times for specialist care, telehealth provides a reprieve with more affordable solutions and much shorter wait times. For example, same-day assistance for musculoskeletal injuries is available via Ribboncare, and Hola Health provides mental health treatment plan assessments within hours (bulk-billed, even). These services also expand access to specialist services, perhaps not available in your local area.

Speaking of wait times, typical wait times to speak to a doctor are within 15 minutes with many providers, including Instant Consult, and even the slower providers with 1-hour waits still offer service faster than you could book and attend most GP appointments at your local clinic.

While best practice requires telehealth consults to follow the same high-quality standards as in-person visits, the convenience of quickly filling in a questionnaire, having a short doctor’s consult shortly after and your prescription, medical certificate or referral delivered to your phone all within 20 minutes is hard to match. Ensuring you’re in good hands comes down to comparing reviews and choosing a highly recommended, top-rated provider, similar to how you’d vet a new GP clinic before booking.

In the convenience stakes, some providers offer end-to-end services, including medication delivery, sometimes through partners such as Hola Meds or Chemist Warehouse. Others focus on price-match guarantees for prescription-based or integrative health solutions to chronic conditions such as weight or hair loss. These include Hub.Health, Greencare and Mosh.

In terms of affordability, it is hard to beat telehealth providers these days. While some health treatments offer low-cost options for simple services such as eScript requests or medical certificates, like the specialised Sicky, others offer bulk billing for part or all of their telehealth services, like 13SICK and Abby Health.

There are some health needs that telehealth cannot address and some where in-person visits will provide more diagnostic options. You should definitely see the doctor face-to-face if you need a physical exam or treatment, for example, when you suspect a fracture, suffer severe abdominal pain, or have skin lesions that need tending.

While telehealth can refer you for diagnostic tests, you will need to head to a clinic or lab to have blood drawn, imaging, or vaccinations.

More complex chronic diseases also often require a more hands-on approach, sometimes through a multidisciplinary team, which may include some telehealth consults. Diabetes, severe asthma and heart problems should not be solely addressed by telehealth.

Finally, in medical emergencies, telehealth should not be your first go-to. If you suffer chest pain, shortness of breath, heavy bleeding or any life-threatening symptoms, you should immediately dial 000 or head to your nearest emergency department. Of course, there are specialised emergency telehealth services where emergency doctors can triage you if you do not have access to A&E or an urgent care clinic in your local area, but this is often costly and should not be your first point of contact.

1. Prepare your environment to allow for a positive, private experience. Ideally, you want to be in a quiet space, with good lighting, stable internet, and any medication bottles or recent test results handy.
2. Be concise but thorough during the intake. If you are filling in a form, list symptoms, duration, and any relevant medical history before the call to help make the most of your time with the doctor.
3. Confirm follow-up steps before you hang up. It’s harder to get assistance after your consult, so make sure you ask how to obtain prescriptions, whether a repeat appointment is needed, and what signs should trigger an in-person visit.

In summary, Australian telehealth options have come to reflect in-person options. You can expect some kind of virtual solution for most healthcare needs, though with a different pricing structure than in-person providers. Using telehealth can translate into reduced downtime due to travel and appointments, much greater convenience and even privacy and a smoother continuity of care, if you find the right provider for your needs and prepare for your consults. Telehealth is especially helpful for routine issues like colds, allergies, medication renewals, mentalhealth assessments and minor injuries. For more personal care, new diagnoses or complex health matters, seeking help from your regular GP remains your best option.

Disclaimer

This article is for informational purposes only and is no substitute for professional medical advice. Please choose your provider with care. Always consult your doctor or a qualified health professional regarding any health-related questions or concerns.