Updoc Review

Bottom Line:

Highly Rated, Fast Doctor’s Consults at Affordable Rates 

Updoc offers middle of the range telehealth services, often with fast turnaround for doctor consultations, medical certificates, and prescriptions with competitively priced monthly plans but surge pricing for one-time users.

Pros:

1. Offers most basic telehealth services, often within minutes [1].

2. The pricing is very affordable for users on monthly plans. 

3. Basic services like repeat scripts, referrals, doctor’s certificates etc are pain-free to obtain. Scripts can be filled by Updoc-partnered pharmacies or by your own pharmacy. 

Cons: 

1. These are AHPRA registered medical practitioners [3] but you cannot select a doctor, meaning you won’t be able to build a relationship and benefit from continuity. 

2. No mental health plans available, no specialised appointments, which other sites offer.  

3. On higher end of telehealth price range compared to other sites, especially during peak hours. 

 Updoc Telehealth Services Like an Online General Practice 

Ranging from doctor’s certificates over standard consults, to priority appointments and weight loss consultations, Updoc Australia offers a smaller range of services than comparable sites, such as Hub Health: 

Online Prescriptions: These are also sent to you via phone and email and can be filled by online or local pharmacies.  

Blood Test Referrals: Blood tests and pathology tests can be ordered to get a better picture of underlying conditions.  

Doctor Appointments: All doctors are practitioners registered in Australia (AHPRA) and can prescribe, refer and order further tests. 

Imaging Referral: If you need to head to an imaging or radiology provider, the Updoc doctor can refer you to your nearest one. 

Weight Loss Support: Supporting you in your journey to dropping weight, Updoc’s doctors can assist with practical advice and prescriptions. 

Medical Certificate: Sent to your phone and email, these are available swiftly and can be used for your employer. 

Specialist Referral: If you need to have further examinations, a specialist consult or advice, Updoc’s doctors can refer. 

Note: All services are available as one-off fees or under a monthly subscription. None of them can be claimed via Medicare. There’s no bulk billing. 

 Surge Pricing, But Cheap Subscriptions 

If you’re wondering how much Updoc costs, there are two answers:  

• As a one-time off-peak user, you’ll pay around the same as with most competitors, like Click for Health, yet substantially more than at some like the bulk-billed My Telehealth Clinic. 
• “Unlimited” access options on monthly plans are cheaper than sites offering similar subscriptions, e.g. Hub Health. 

One-time services, like Updoc doctor’s certificates start from $39.95, while doctor’s consultations, including pathology requests, referrals, and prescriptions cost from $49.95 or $99.95 for priority service. A weight loss consult, at $79.95, costs more than comparable services at Hub Health, but is significantly cheaper than comprehensive programs at Medmate. 

Updoc’s prices are subject to surge pricing, which means their actual price could be substantially higher; consultation costs can quintuple [2]. This is unusual in the telehealth space. 

None of Updoc’s services are bulk billed, but it offers very affordable subscriptions: an Updoc medical certificate subscription costs a monthly fee of $19.95., the unlimited doctor’s consult option sits at $39.95, and for $40 more, you’ll get unlimited weight loss consultations. In subscription terms, Updoc beats most competitors on price. 

Updoc advertises a quick turnaround on doctor consultation requests, often within minutes, normally within one hour, unless if between 12am and 6am [2] or during very busy periods, where the request will be responded to the next day.  Medical certificate requests are fulfilled within 6 hours for express requests and 24 hours for standard requests, according to Updoc’s site. 

These general guidelines are backed up by online customer reviews with the bulk receiving prompt service within or close to one hour. This means Updoc sits in the middle of telehealth providers for advertised speed, but customer reviews show the service mostly exceeds advertised times, including on the almost instant delivery of medical certificates and prescriptions, similar to InstantScripts [2]. 

 Privacy and Security Clearly Defined 

Updoc states its commitment to the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act) on their website (including the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs)).  

While the default options will still lead to your data being used for analytics or direct marketing purposes, for example, their privacy policy provides comprehensive information and practical tools to opt-out, unsubscribe and protect your privacy further. This section of Updoc’s website has links to the relevant steps you can take [5].  
  
Their data and your private information are stored using some of the most up-to-date security protocols in line with industry standards, these include five layers of security.  
 
Updoc also de-identifies certain information, limits access to users of regularly updated encrypted keys only and redacts sensitive information, such as passwords. The site is also constantly monitored for security breaches. 
 
Updoc’s privacy policy page is clear and detailed, easy to refer back to for any questions you may have. 

Updoc Customer Support Options Limited and Response Sometimes Lacking

Updoc customer service receives mixed reviews. While information on how to cancel Updoc subscriptions can be easily found on the site, it is only available via their portal. (Emailing the general Updoc email contact address will get you in touch with technical support.) 

Refunds are processed within 7 days, according to the website. Some customers report having trouble getting them issued but others say they were almost instant [1] – unusual in the online space. 

Updoc doesn’t offer phone contact, available support options are a content library, logging a support request or emailing. There’s no clearly communicated response time, sometimes no response at all and this is one of the most common complaints of customers [4]. 

 Highly Rated, Fast Doctor’s Consults at Affordable Rates 

Overall, Updoc medical certificates, doctor’s consults and referrals receive high ratings across the board. The stand-out are very fast response times, cheap monthly plans and digital certificates, referrals and tests.  
 
While AHPRA-registered doctors can provide most of the services a GP can, they are not specialised general practitioners.  
Accessing customer support when there are problems, like cancelling Updoc subscription or not receiving your Updoc medical certificates, is somewhat lacking. 

You should always consult your regular GP for the most comprehensive assessment of your health. If telehealth advice received is unclear or if symptoms persist or worsen, contact your nearest healthcare provider immediately. 

 Telehealth assessments do not replace in-person assessments and cannot provide the same comprehensive picture of your health to the practitioner.  
 
Medicompare takes great care to ensure the accuracy of all sources and information provided but cannot be held responsible for differences in the services offered. We encourage you to do your own due diligence and research the provider of your choice carefully.  
 
You can check your telehealth practitioner’s credentials or make a complaint about them [6].

[1] https://au.trustpilot.com/review/updoc.com.au 
[2] https://www.productreview.com.au/listings/up-doc
[3] https://www.medicalboard.gov.au/Codes-Guidelines-Policies/Telehealth-consultations-with-patients.aspx#
[4] https://www.productreview.com.au/listings/up-doc/q-and-a 
[5] https://updoc.com.au/privacy-policy
[6] https://www.ahpra.gov.au/Registration/Registers-of-Practitioners.aspx