Bottom Line:If you’re wondering whether Midoc is safe, the truth is, you have good reason to. My research shows that although this service might appeal to some users looking for a budget-friendly, 24/7 service, there are plenty of more transparent, established, and professional telehealth businesses out there at a similar price point.
Feature |
Details |
Website | https://www.midoc.com.au/ |
Phone Number | 1300788166 |
Services Offered | Medical certificates and clearances, e-Scripts, referrals, doctors’ consultations, wound care and dementia assistance, mental health assessments, men’s health appointments |
Response Time | AHPRA-registered doctors usually respond and review cases within one hour. |
Price Range | Free mental health assessment, other services cost from $18 to $108.95 (gap fee) |
Mobile App | Mobile apps available for Android and iOS users |
Operating Hours |
Midoc’s range of services includes medical certificates and doctors’ consultations with a mental health and aged care focus. While the FAQs state that all services include a doctor’s call, the booking process and many reviewers on Google state that all contact can be just via form, email, and text. Midoc offers limited bulk-billing. It isn’t available for all after-hour services, like on 13SICK.
Mental Health Plans: Mental health assessments are bulk-billed, as are sessions with a Midoc psychologist on a mental health care plan. This level of comprehensive bulk-billed mental health care is not readily available on other telehealth sites offering mental health services such as 24-7 MedCare.
Medical Certificate: Medical certificates are compliant with the Australian Medical Association, according to Midoc’s website. But online reviewers and their booking process show that not all patients receive the necessary calls, like on other sites such as MedMate. Many customers receive an SMS or email courtesy follow-up and symptom check the next day. This is not standard practice with competitors such as Sicky.
Online Prescriptions: Scripts are available 24/7. Midoc eScripts can be sent to your phone and require a Medicare card or IHI, for example, for travellers.
Medical Clearance: Midoc offers medical clearance certificates for work, carers, and children, unlike all other telehealth sites I reviewed. These can only be ordered if you also bought a medical certificate.
Telehealth Consultation: Telehealth doctors’ consultations can be booked 24/7, although Google reviews [5] and the Midoc’s offer of a refund “when doctors are not available” suggest limited availability after-hours. These consultations have a few inclusions not specifically available on other telehealth sites, including wound care and dementia care. Only some of them can be bulk-billed.
Specialist Referral: Referrals on Midoc specifically include change of specialist or a paediatric referral, as well as the more common new or repeat referral letters. Medicare rebates are available.
Midoc bills itself as a 24/7 service, though with the caveat that doctors aren’t always available. Note that most other telehealth services have more defined opening hours with downtimes and/or after-hours care. While most simple requests are turned around within an hour (or 15 minutes within review), Midoc wait times for call-backs can prove slow according to Trustpilot [1] and Google [5] reviews, and sometimes it is impossible (Midoc does offer a refund when doctors aren’t available).
Overall Experience:
The site feels neither modern nor professional (with mixed fonts, unusual menus, grammatical mistakes, and typos), but it is okay to navigate. It is less modern and functional than, for example, PrimeMedic. Midoc seems to be targeting an older demographic, as it highlights dementia, aged care, and wound care.
Midoc does not outline a comprehensive privacy policy like other telehealth competitors such as MedMate. However, the site states in its FAQs that “all data is encrypted and secure” in line with the Australian Cyber Security Centre’s (ACSC) standards. Midoc also claims to have “the strongest ISO security”.
There is no further information available on the site. Most other telehealth sites I’ve checked, such as Updoc, clarify how data is handled, stored, and shared. They also normally give patients information on how to opt-in on sharing medical records with their primary care provider and medico-legal requirements related to sharing with Medicare and insurance companies. Furthermore, they generally share information on how to access your personal data.
On the plus side, Midoc operates a 24/7 customer support and booking number. Clients also comment positively [5] on the customer service team’s follow-ups via SMS or emails post medical certificates. These patients also mentioned that customer service sometimes recommends a follow-up at a doctors’ clinic.
Some Google customers [5] state they waited and called repeatedly over several days but were never called back (no missed calls, either, for multiple customers.)
The customer service responds defensively, puts the onus back on the customer by saying they should have called back to the main line, and often neither resolves customer complaints promptly nor fully. Responses to reviews include long responses about the treatment nurses as a profession deserve and how they are not appreciated enough. Multiple customers also state they did not receive calls for medical certificates but SMSs that say “see GP” [5].
All information provided is based on the most up-to-date research at the time of posting. Please always do your research and weigh your options.
Medical certificates and prescriptions provided without a telehealth consult do not follow best practice. Please consult your GP for more personalised assistance.
Telehealth is designed to complement your primary doctor’s care. It requires phone and video calls instead of a physical assessment, which may be inferior to an in-person assessment. Questionnaires cannot replace telehealth appointments, and employers can reject medical certificates obtained without a consultation.
