Wellness Review

Bottom Line:

Wellness provides affordable, in-depth and customizable Telehealth services with Medicare rebates available positioning itself as a practical option within the wider wellness for life AU healthcare landscape.

Wellness provides telehealth services for patients who want the feel of a traditional in-person medical appointment with added convenience and speed. Operating under the broader wellness for life brand, the platform focuses on accessible care delivered by qualified professionals.

Wellness stands out from its competitors in the telehealth industry thanks to its AHPRA-registered nurse practitioners, as well as the patient’s ability to choose both their practitioner and appointment time in advance – a feature not commonly offered in the telehealth space.

Prices are mid-range, comparable to prices from PrimeMedic, and cheaper than competitors such as Doctors On Demand. Of particular note is the extended length of telehealth appointments at Wellness (between 15-30 minutes), allowing patients to properly receive treatment without the stress of a time constraint.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

1. Patients can choose their practitioner when booking an appointment, allowing them to build a therapeutic relationship with their practitioner.

2. The website is easy to navigate, with a smooth appointment booking process.

3. Patients can choose their appointment time in advance.

Cons: 

1. No service after hours, unlike the 24/7 availability offered by competitors such as UpDoc and Hola Health.

2. Website only; no mobile app available.

3. Limited Wellness for life reviews available online: only two positive reviews were found on the website, with none located on Google or Trustpilot

Available Services

Wellness offers a range of telehealth services and general medical advice, including:

Online Prescriptions: Wellness has in-person clinics set up in various pharmacies across Australia. E-Prescriptions can be sent to one of these clinics, or the patient's pharmacy for collection.

Blood Test Referrals: Online referrals for blood tests and medical imaging

Doctor Appointments: Support for asthma, pain and inflammation, cold and flu, and skin conditions

Medical Certificate: Certificates of up to three days can be completed during a standard consult and sent to the patient's email address.

Emergency Contraception: Sexual health advice

Vaccinations: Organisation of travel and flu vaccinations

A consult is required for all provided services. There are two types of Telehealth consults offered -

A standard consult (up to 15 minutes) is suitable for one to two repeat prescriptions, sick certificates, or simple medical issues like colds, gastro, or earaches.

An extended consult (up to 30 minutes) is suitable for more than 2 scripts, multiple issues, general advice (including travel), symptom assessment, or changes in condition management.

Services are mixed billed. Medicare rebate is available for patients; however, patients must have attended one of the Wellness in-person clinics within the past 12 months to qualify.

Pricing and Speed

Wellness provides two appointment types with two different price points – standard and extended consult. Both options include a video call, with phone consultations available for patients with limited internet access. 

Standard Consult:

• Time Length: Up to 15 min
• Appointment fee: $42.99 + any applicable transaction fee.
• Medicare rebate available up to $27.05 (If eligible). Additional charges may apply if this appointment exceeds the regular appointment length.

Extended Consult:

• Time Length: Up to 30 min
• Appointment Fee: $79.99 + any applicable transaction fee
• Medicare rebate available up to $51.25 (If eligible)

User Experience

User-Friendly and Easy to Navigate

• The Wellness website is easy to navigate, with clear headings at the top and the bottom of the webpage. I checked all links on the website, and they correctly navigated me to the appropriate page.
• The simplicity of the Wellness website and booking process was similar to InstantConsult. 
• The booking process is intuitive – the booking page clearly shows dates and times available for appointments, and available practitioners.
• Once an appointment time is selected the billing policy, new patient policy and services not offered by Wellness is clearly displayed for patients.
• Wellness then asks for basic information (e.g. address, name, phone number) with required fields clearly marked. There is also an option to subscribe to Wellness, but you did not have to say yes to continue the booking process.
• Card verification is required to securely book an appointment, and it is clearly highlighted that payment is not taken until after the consultation 
• After booking, patients receive an email and SMS from Wellness Virtual Care is containing a link to join video consultation after completing the booking.
• Overall, the booking process was smooth, and I was able to book a Telehealth appointment without any difficulty.
• The font on the website is large and easy to read, making it accessible for users with visual impairments.

Privacy and Data Security

Overall, Wellness appears to value patient privacy and confidentiality. When booking a telehealth consultation, a pop-up box appears with terms and conditions, including a privacy policy, which needs to be approved by the patient before the booking process can continue.

Wellness uses a secure video consultation platform with end-to-end encryption, helping protect patient data. During the booking process, patients are regularly reassured that access to data is strictly limited to authorised personnel.

Shortly before your appointment, the nurse practitioner will send a secure video link via SMS or email, meaning no additional logins or downloads are required.

Customer Support

Wellness customer support is available Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm AEST/AEDT. No availability is reported for outside of these hours. On the contact page, email addresses for both Wellness Virtual Care and Professional Services are clearly provided for patients to contact if required.

A telehealth enquiry box is available for patients to ask about a variety of topics including account setup, IT issues, general enquiries and Telehealth enquiries. I sent Wellness a Telehealth enquiry within business hours, receiving a prompt and informative response within one hour. There was no live chat option that I could see on the Wellness website.

Telehealth with the benefits of an in-person appointment. Reviews remain limited.

Wellness provides a tiered Telehealth system, with patients having two affordable price points to choose from. The choice of appointment time and practitioner is a feature rarely seen with other Telehealth providers. The website is easy to navigate, and patients' privacy appears to be prioritised.

A potential concern is the limited online presence and lack of independent Wellness for life weight loss reviews may indicate that Wellness is still establishing itself within the telehealth market.

All information on this page is independently researched and verified. 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 recommended in addition to primary care and cannot provide the same accuracy as in-person physical assessments by your GP. Consult your primary healthcare provider for comprehensive and personalised medical advice.