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Doctors on Demand is a well-established Australian telehealth service built around video consultations. InstantMed is an async, form-based service optimised for speed. Both use AHPRA-registered doctors — the difference is how, when, and how much you pay for the consult.
Doctors on Demand is a strong choice if you want a video-based doctor consultation that feels closer to an in-person visit. InstantMed is the better choice if you want speed, a lower price, and don't need a face-to-face conversation for what's essentially a straightforward request. For a medical certificate or a repeat script, video is overkill — async wins on both time and cost. For nuanced discussions, video has genuine clinical advantages.
Both formats have legitimate clinical uses. The right choice depends on your condition, your preferences, and your budget.
An async consultation works like a structured medical history — you fill in a form with your symptoms, relevant background, and what you're asking for. A doctor reviews it on their own time, often within an hour for common services. If they need clarification, they message you. If they're satisfied, they approve and issue whatever you need — a certificate, a script, a referral.
A video consultation is closer to the experience of an in-person GP visit. You book a slot, a doctor joins a video call at the scheduled time, and you have a live conversation. The doctor can ask follow-up questions in real time, observe you, and guide the conversation dynamically. It takes longer — typically 10 to 20 minutes — and the doctor's time is dedicated to you for that period.
Neither format is universally better. Async is efficient; video is interactive. The match depends on what you're trying to get done.
Async telehealth handles structured, rule-based care very well. Medical certificates, repeat prescriptions, common infections with clear presentations, and follow-ups for established conditions all fit the async format. The clinical decisions in these cases rely on history and documented symptoms more than live observation — and async lets the doctor focus on the record without the constraints of a live call.
Video telehealth has an edge when you genuinely need real-time interaction. A new symptom you're trying to describe but can't put into words, a condition where the doctor wants to observe your skin tone or breathing, a consultation where you have many questions and want to feel heard. These cases benefit from live conversation.
A useful heuristic: if you could send the doctor a detailed email and get a useful answer, async is fine. If you'd find yourself saying 'it's easier if I just show you,' video is probably the better fit.
Video consultations cost more because they require dedicated doctor time. Async consultations spread that doctor time across more patients per hour, which lowers the per-patient cost. For services where the clinical work is genuinely similar — like a repeat prescription review — paying the premium for video doesn't give you better care, just a different delivery format.
The time trade-off runs the other direction. Async services can be submitted anytime and reviewed whenever the doctor gets to them — which is often very quick, but not guaranteed to a specific minute. Video consultations give you a fixed appointment time, which is predictable but requires you to be available then.
For most Australians, the right approach is to pick the tool that fits the job. Pay for video when real-time interaction matters; use async when it doesn't. Both are legitimate telehealth models, and both deliver clinically valid care.
All clinical decisions are made by AHPRA-registered doctors following our clinical governance framework. We never automate clinical decisions.
Video consultations require scheduled doctor time — a 15-minute slot is reserved for you whether you use all of it or not. Async consultations let a doctor review multiple requests efficiently, which lowers the cost per patient. That efficiency is passed on in the price. It's not about cutting clinical corners; it's about a different workflow for different kinds of care.
Yes. The Fair Work Act requires a medical certificate from a registered health practitioner. An AHPRA-registered doctor issuing a certificate based on an async clinical assessment is legally identical to one issuing it after a video consult. Your employer can't reject a valid certificate based on the consultation format.
Video makes sense when your issue benefits from real-time discussion — new symptoms you're worried about, something that needs visual assessment, a condition you haven't been able to explain in writing. For repeat scripts, medical certificates, and straightforward cases, async is faster and cheaper without clinical downside.
Yes. Both services are standalone — you don't need to cancel anything or transfer records to try the other. Your clinical records stay with the service that created them, but you can access both services independently whenever you need them.
Currently InstantMed is async-first by design. If you specifically want a video consultation with a doctor, Doctors on Demand or a similar video-first service will suit you better. For the services async can handle well — certificates, scripts, common consults — we focus on doing that well rather than offering every format.
For medical certificates, InstantMed is usually faster — reviews typically happen in around 30 minutes and the service runs 24/7. For scheduled video consults, Doctors on Demand is fast once your slot comes up, but you may wait hours or days for the next available appointment depending on demand.
Both services can prescribe most common medications through Australia's eScript system. Both follow the same prescribing rules set by the TGA and state authorities. Controlled substances (Schedule 8) generally require an in-person assessment regardless of the telehealth service.
Both services are bound by the Australian Privacy Act and the Australian Privacy Principles for health information. Both use encryption in transit and at rest. The specific data handling practices are in each service's privacy policy, which you should read before using either.
See why Australians choose InstantMed for their healthcare needs.
Get startedThis information is for general educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making decisions about your health. Content on this page has been reviewed by AHPRA-registered Australian doctors but does not replace a personalised medical consultation.