What Is Telehealth? How Online Healthcare Works in Australia

Telehealth means healthcare delivered at a distance - a doctor consulting with a patient via phone, video, or an asynchronous online form rather than face to face in a clinic. In Australia, telehealth is not a separate system or a lesser form of medicine. It operates under the same regulatory framework as every other form of healthcare, delivered by the same AHPRA-registered practitioners.

The expansion of telehealth since 2020 has been significant. Medicare now subsidises many telehealth consultations, AHPRA has updated guidance for remote practice, and a generation of patients has experienced genuine clinical care without leaving home. Understanding how it works - and how to use it well - makes you a more effective patient.

There are two main models:

Synchronous (real-time) consultations: Video or phone calls where you speak with a doctor live. These feel most like an in-person GP visit. The doctor sees and hears you, asks questions, and provides advice or a diagnosis in real time. Video is typically preferred because it gives the doctor more clinical information (skin appearance, breathing, how you look generally).

Asynchronous consultations: You submit a structured health questionnaire, the doctor reviews it, and responds - typically via a certificate, prescription, or clinical note delivered to your email. This model works well for straightforward requests (medical certificates, repeat prescriptions, common infections) where the clinical information needed can be captured in writing.

Both models can produce clinical documents, but the doctor still needs enough information to make a safe decision.

The Consultation Process (Asynchronous)

1. 1

   You complete an online health form with your symptoms, medical history, current medications, and allergies

2. 2

   An AHPRA-registered doctor reviews your submission, applying the same clinical judgment they would in a clinic

3. 3

   The doctor determines whether your request is clinically appropriate for remote management

4. 4

   If appropriate: a certificate, prescription, referral, or advice is issued and delivered to your email

5. 5

   If not appropriate: you are referred to in-person care, with an explanation

This is not a form-rubber-stamping service. A clinical assessment happens for every submission.

Australian telehealth is delivered by AHPRA-registered practitioners - the same registration required to work at a hospital or GP clinic. Common provider types:

Medical doctors (GPs and specialists): The majority of telehealth in Australia is delivered by GPs. Registration requires a recognised medical degree, supervised clinical training, and ongoing compliance with the Medical Board of Australia's standards.

Nurse practitioners: Registered nurse practitioners hold AHPRA registration and are authorised to prescribe, issue medical certificates, and provide a range of GP-equivalent services. They are increasingly common in telehealth platforms.

Other registered practitioners: For specific services (telehealth psychology, physiotherapy consultations), other AHPRA-registered practitioners may provide care within their scope.

You can verify any doctor's current AHPRA registration at ahpra.gov.au. A legitimate telehealth service will display the treating doctor's name and registration number on every document they issue.

Telehealth is appropriate for most common GP presentations. Conditions suitable for remote consultation include:

Infections and acute illness: Cold and flu, sinus infections, throat infections (strep, tonsillitis), ear infections in adults, urinary tract infections, skin infections (mild to moderate cellulitis, folliculitis).

Skin conditions: Rashes, eczema, psoriasis, acne, cold sores, tinea - conditions that can be assessed from description and photographs.

Mental health: Anxiety, depression, burnout, stress, insomnia. Telehealth is particularly well-suited for mental health consultations where the clinical information comes from the patient's account rather than physical findings.

Medication management: Repeat prescriptions for ongoing medications (blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, thyroid, contraception), dose reviews, medication queries.

Medical certificates: For routine work, carer's leave, and study absences where online assessment is clinically suitable.

Chronic disease management: Diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, asthma - for patients whose condition is stable and whose regular management does not require examination.

Women's health: Contraception (pill, patch, ring), UTI treatment, period pain management.

Men's health: ED treatment, hair loss, general health concerns.

Referrals and pathology requests: A telehealth doctor can issue referrals to specialists and order pathology (blood tests, urine tests) based on your history and symptoms.

Telehealth is not appropriate when physical examination, hands-on treatment, or immediate investigation is required:

• Emergencies (call 000 or go to ED)
• Chest pain, breathing difficulty, or other potentially life-threatening symptoms
• Conditions requiring a physical examination for diagnosis (possible fractures, joint injuries, abdominal conditions requiring palpation)
• Prescribing for conditions the doctor has not previously assessed (most telehealth services cannot initiate Schedule 4 or Schedule 8 medications without prior clinical context)
• Procedures (wound closure, injections, dressings)
• Paediatric presentations in very young children, where atypical symptom presentation makes remote assessment unreliable

A responsible telehealth service will decline to manage conditions outside its clinical scope and direct you to appropriate in-person care. If a telehealth service will treat anything you submit regardless of clinical appropriateness, that is a red flag.

Medicare provides rebates for certain telehealth consultations. The key requirements:

• Video consultations typically attract a higher rebate than telephone-only
• Some rebates require an established GP relationship (regular patients of the same GP)
• Longer consultations attract higher rebates
• Private telehealth services may charge a gap or operate entirely outside Medicare

For private telehealth services that do not process Medicare rebates, you pay a flat fee. The fee is typically lower than a non-bulk-billed GP visit. Medicare status does not affect the validity of documents issued.

PBS prescriptions issued via telehealth attract the same subsidy as those from in-person GPs. The PBS subsidy is attached to the medication and your Medicare eligibility, not the consultation channel.

Your health information from a telehealth consultation is protected under the Privacy Act 1988 and the 13 Australian Privacy Principles. Health information is classified as "sensitive information" - the highest protection category.

A legitimate telehealth service:

What it is not

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Good remote care can still ask more questions, decline unsafe requests, or redirect to local care.

• Stores your data on Australian-based servers
• Uses encryption in transit and at rest
• Does not sell your information to third parties or use it for marketing
• Provides you access to your records on request
• Reports data breaches that may cause serious harm

Standard doctor-patient confidentiality applies. A telehealth doctor cannot disclose your health information to your employer, family members (without consent), or any third party outside the narrow mandatory reporting requirements.

Not every online service meets Australian healthcare standards. Check for:

• Named doctors with visible AHPRA numbers: Every document (certificate, prescription) should show the doctor's name and registration number. Verify at ahpra.gov.au.
• Clinical intake process: A legitimate service asks about your medical history, current medications, and allergies. No clinical intake = no genuine assessment.
• No guaranteed outcomes: A legitimate service cannot guarantee a prescription or certificate before reviewing your submission. Clinical decisions happen after assessment.
• Australian ABN and contact details: Verifiable business registration and a real address.
• Complaints process: Every registered health service has a complaints process.

LegitScript certification is an additional voluntary verification used by some telehealth services. It indicates independent audit against healthcare compliance standards.

If a telehealth doctor cannot safely assess or manage your condition remotely, they will refer you. This is not a failure - it is the safety system functioning correctly. Common reasons for referral:

• Symptoms suggesting something that needs physical examination
• Symptoms that are severe or deteriorating
• Requests for medications that require prior examination or monitoring
• Uncertain clinical picture that needs investigation the doctor cannot order without seeing you first
• Emergency symptoms requiring immediate in-person care

If you are referred to in-person care, follow the advice. A telehealth service that never refers anyone is not exercising appropriate clinical judgment.

Different services suit different needs:

GP video consultations via MyMedicare/Medicare: Best for complex consultations with your regular GP. Rebated by Medicare. Requires an established patient relationship.

Private asynchronous platforms: Best for straightforward requests - certificates, repeat prescriptions, common infections. Faster turnaround, flat fee, no appointment needed.

Specialist telehealth: Growing area for psychiatry, dermatology, endocrinology, and other specialties. Typically requires a referral from a GP first.

For most day-to-day healthcare - getting a sick leave certificate, renewing a repeat prescription, getting advice about a rash or infection - a private asynchronous telehealth service is the most practical option: available when you need it, no waiting room, no travel, result delivered by email.

• PBS: fees, patient contributions and Safety Net thresholds
• Services Australia: PBS Safety Net thresholds
• Healthdirect: medicines information
• Medical Board of Australia: telehealth consultations with patients
• AHPRA: Register of practitioners
• TGA: advertising a health service