Instant Consult Review

Bottom Line:

Consistently highly rated and speedy telehealth service with a focus on best practice video consultations at a flat rate. 

Telehealth service Instant Consult centres around fast video consultations with AHPRA-registered doctors, providing advice, medical certificates, eScripts, and referrals for pathology/ radiology tests or to specialists. True to the service’s name, Instant Consult doctors often respond within minutes and follow through on referral letters, certificates, and prescriptions almost instantly post-consult.  

Pros:

1. Reliably fast access to doctors’ consultations via video call within 15 minutes, similar to Hola Health. 

2. Follow-ups on test results are swift and consistent, according to patients on TrustPilot [3] and ProductReview [2]. 

3. Consistently rated highly (above 4 out of 5 stars) by users, like only few other providers (Updoc being one). 

Cons: 

1. Higher pricing for medical certificates and eScript repeats than most similar competitors. 

2. App download or specific browsers are required to use the service. This is not the case for most other telehealth providers. 

3. No assistance with medication delivery. 

Video Telehealth Consultation-Based Services

As Instant Consult focuses on providing video consultations with doctors, there are a few technical requirements for your consult: You need to either be using the company’s app on your phone or Google Chrome or Safari web as your browser, have a camera and microphone, as well as access to stable Wifi. Only consultations for infants are bulk-billed. All consultations cost $45, unless they are longer than ten minutes. 

Online Prescriptions: Prescriptions for new medications, repeats, and compound scripts are sent to your InstantConsult inbox right after your call. 

Pathology Referrals: Pathology referrals can be issued and reviewed by Instant Consult. Once results are in, you’ll be notified if you choose to have a follow-up consultation with Instant Consult.  

Imaging Referral: Radiology referrals can be requested by your consulting doctor. They can be sent directly to a clinic, and you can choose to have the results sent to Instant Consult or your regular GP for a follow-up.

Medical Certificate: Medical certificates for work, school/university, and carers can be requested during the consultation. They cannot be backdated and can cover a maximum of three days. Certificates are sent directly to your InstantConsult Inbox. 

Telehealth Consultation: General health video consultations are always your first step to all other services. Consults are further divided into under ten minutes and extended consults.  

Specialist Referral: Specialist referrals can be requested during the doctor’s consultation. Instant Consult offers a list of specialists on its website and recommends you research the specific specialist you want to see before your booking 

Simple and Fast Approach to Video Consultations

Instant Consult charges $45 for all services other than ten-minute-plus consultations (which are priced at $55) and infant consults (which are bulk-billed). This simple and straightforward approach to cost is unusual, as most telehealth providers charging in the mid-range for consults offer cheaper medical certificates and eScripts—Updoc, for example. At the same time, not all services follow the Medical Board of Australia’s best practice recommendation to always have consultations before issuing any scripts [1].  

Wait times are short, with all patients being guaranteed a consult within 15 minutes. Patients’ reviews also comment on the prompt consultations with 4+ star ratings (out of 5) across all sites, such as ProductReview [2] and TrustPilot [3]. Wait times are often less than 10 minutes, according to reviewers. This makes InstantConsult one of the top-ranked telehealth sites I reviewed.  

Wait times for eScripts, medical certificates, and referral letters are also short, and pathology and radiology requests can be sent directly to the clinic for you, further minimising wait times. 

Clean and Clear Site Navigation and Information

Similar to Instant Consult’s straightforward approach to pricing, the booking process is easy (so long as you have downloaded the app or are using the right browser.) It is quicker and less involved than the process for many other services, for example, Midoc.  

Navigating the website is fast and easy, thanks to a straightforward and ordered top menu and clearly defined sections on the website introducing the main information. Having less differentiation between the way services are booked or priced helps keep the site navigation simple. This is an unusual approach in the telehealth space, where many providers, such as Medmate, offer diverse pricing and additional services such as medication delivery. (Consequently, also leading to websites that are harder to navigate.) 

The website’s language is straight to the point, presenting all necessary information. The key points, such as opening hours, waiting times, and pricing, are repeated in multiple areas of the site. Each service page has relevant and valuable additional information regarding the process and how to prepare to get the most out of your consult. This approach is quite different from telehealth providers such as Hub Health, which focus more on marketing and differentiating the service from the service offered by your GP. 

Clearly Outlined Privacy Policy and Access to Your Data 

Instant Consult’s privacy policy is very clearly defined and outlined on its website.  
 
The site states it collects, handles, and stores your personal data in accordance with the Personally Controlled Electronic Health Records Act 2012 [4]. 
 
Instant Consult outlines that it follows Federal and State health laws, including the National Health Act 1953 [5]. 
 
The security of your personal information is safeguarded with measures including electronic access controls, premises security, and network firewalls in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988. 
 
The privacy policy states that Instant Consult may send you marketing material, but each piece contains opt-out information. 
 
The site also makes it easy to access your data and query the records kept. 

 Great Follow-Ups, Easy to Contact, But Not Always Helpful 

Instant Consult offers longer customer service hours and more ways of connecting than most other telehealth services, offering close to 24/7 care.  

Customers on TrustPilot [3] and ProductReview [2] also comment consistently on how smooth the follow-up process for test results is.  

There are, however, a significant number of reviews on both sites that state customer service did not address concerns, such as being billed for an extended consultation, with screenshots showing the consultation lasted less than ten minutes.  

Also, reviews state repeatedly that the patient was told to go see a GP or was misdiagnosed, leading to further complications. It is worth noting that similar consultation-centred telehealth services, such as Our Sage, use GPs, not AHPRA-registered practitioners. 

Fast Telehealth Service that Keeps It Simple 

This consultation-based telehealth service shows best practice in its use of video consultations, response times, and availability. While it is ranked higher and more consistently than most competitors (say, Our Sage with an average rating of 4 stars), there are a significant number of reviews where queries or problems remained unresolved. Patients also sometimes state that their doctor was either unable to help due to qualifications, misdiagnosed them, or referred them back to their primary care physician.  

Overall, this telehealth provider provides quick assistance for most concerns not requiring the oversight of your GP.

We have made every effort to provide the most accurate and up-to-date information in this review. However, please ensure you check the most current pricing and service information before booking.  

Telehealth is designed to complement primary care provided by your own doctor. It does not include physical assessments. Please get in touch with your GP for individualised, consistent care and oversight.

[1] https://www.medicalboard.gov.au/Codes-Guidelines-Policies/Telehealth-consultations-with-patients.aspx
[2] https://www.productreview.com.au/listings/instant-consult
[3] https://www.trustpilot.com/review/instantconsult.com.au
[4] https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/privacy-legislation/related-legislation/my-health-record
[5] https://guides.dss.gov.au/social-security-guide/1/1/n/10