A telehealth doctor in Australia is a registered GP who consults you by phone or video instead of in a clinic, and for everyday non-emergency problems it is often the fastest way to get care. At NewTeleDoc Medical you book online, speak with an AHPRA-registered Australian doctor, and receive any eScript, certificate or referral electronically once the doctor approves it. A standard GP consultation is $49.
This guide explains what happens in a consult, what a doctor can and cannot do remotely, how to check that a service is legitimate, and how the costs fit together.
TL;DR
- Telehealth is a consultation with a doctor by phone or video, suited to problems that do not need a physical examination.
- The doctor can send an eScript by SMS or email, and can issue certificates and referrals where clinically appropriate.
- Chest pain, difficulty breathing, severe bleeding or sudden collapse are emergencies: call Triple Zero (000).
- Our published fees: $49 for a standard GP consultation, $15 to $25 for medical and carer's certificates, $25 to $39 for repeat eScripts, and $25 for pathology, imaging or specialist referrals.
- Check that your doctor is AHPRA-registered, that fees are explained before you pay, and that your privacy is protected.
Table of Contents
- What a telehealth doctor is and how a consult works
- What a telehealth doctor can help with
- When you need an in-person exam or urgent care
- How to choose a telehealth service you can trust
- What telehealth costs in Australia
- Why book with us
- Getting the most from your appointment
- FAQ
- Sources
What a telehealth doctor is and how a consult works
The federal government's digital health agency describes telehealth as a consultation with a healthcare provider by phone or video call, used when a physical examination is not necessary or possible. The doctor is a real, registered GP. The difference is the setting: your lounge room, your desk or a quiet corner at uni rather than a waiting room.
The Queensland Government's virtual care page lists three types of virtual care: video appointments, phone appointments (good for check-ins, follow-ups and medicine questions), and remote monitoring using devices or apps. For a typical GP visit, you are choosing between video and phone.
Before the appointment
Preparation is simple and mostly practical. The digital health agency suggests you charge your device, check your internet, confirm your microphone and camera work, set up any app you are asked to use, and find a private, well-lit place. Queensland Health adds that it helps to have your medicines, notes and recent test results to hand, and to join on time.
Two things make the consult faster in practice:
- Write down your symptoms, when they started and what you have already tried.
- Have your medicine names (or the boxes) ready, along with any allergies.
During and after the consult
The doctor asks about your history, talks through options and agrees next steps with you. Those steps can include a prescription, a test request, a certificate, a referral, or a follow-up visit. If the doctor decides you need hands-on assessment, they will tell you so and recommend an in-person appointment.
You can book straight away through our online GP consultation page, and our guide to how online GP consultations work walks through the process in more detail.
What a telehealth doctor can help with
Access Health WA says telehealth is useful for follow-ups, prescriptions, test results, mental health support and mild illnesses that do not need a physical exam. That matches the reasons most people book online:
- Common illness: colds, flu, COVID-19, sore throats, skin complaints and urinary symptoms. See our page on telehealth care for cold, flu and COVID-19.
- Repeat medication: ongoing scripts for medicines you already take.
- Paperwork: medical certificates for work or study, and carer's certificates.
- Referrals and tests: pathology, imaging and specialist referral letters.
- Mental health: support and mental health care plans.
- Sexual, men's and contraceptive health: private consults without a trip to a clinic. See sexual health, men's health and contraception.
Prescriptions
During a telehealth consultation the doctor can send an electronic prescription by SMS or email. You take it to a pharmacy or have the medicine delivered, and a new SMS or email arrives for repeats when you collect the medicine. Whether a medicine is appropriate is always the doctor's clinical decision. Our guide on prescriptions over telehealth covers this in depth, and repeat scripts are on our repeat prescriptions page.
Medical certificates
Students and busy professionals use telehealth most often for certificates. If the doctor assesses that you are unwell and unfit for work or study, a certificate is issued digitally, so you can forward it to your employer or university straight away. Our online medical certificate page sets out the service, priced from $15 and up to $25 depending on the certificate.
Referrals, pathology and imaging
A GP is the usual gateway to blood tests, scans and specialists. Online, the doctor can issue a pathology referral, an imaging referral or a specialist referral letter, each at $25. You then take the electronic request to the collection centre or imaging clinic.
Mental health support
Phone and video suit mental health conversations well, because you can speak from somewhere you feel comfortable. We offer a bulk-billed mental health care plan for eligible Medicare card holders, and the details are on our online mental health page. If you are in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, call Triple Zero (000) rather than booking an appointment.
When you need an in-person exam or urgent care
Telehealth is for non-emergency care. Access Health WA is clear that in-clinic visits are best for physical examinations, vaccinations, procedures and hands-on assessment, and that life-threatening symptoms such as chest pain, difficulty breathing, severe bleeding or sudden collapse need an emergency department or a call to Triple Zero (000).
Healthdirect lists situations where a physical examination may be needed, including pain, rashes or lumps, eye or vision problems, injury, pregnancy and conditions that need monitoring. An exam can sometimes happen over video, but not always.
The standards for doctors back this up. The Medical Board of Australia's telehealth guidelines, effective 1 September 2023, expect doctors to keep reassessing whether telehealth remains appropriate and to arrange in-person care when it is needed. A good telehealth doctor treats the remote consult as a full consultation, held to the same standard of care as one in a clinic.
A simple rule of thumb:
| Situation | Right pathway |
|---|---|
| Cold, flu, mild infection, rash you can describe and show on camera | Telehealth consult |
| Repeat of a medicine you already take | Telehealth consult and eScript |
| Work or study certificate for a short illness | Telehealth consult |
| Blood test, scan or specialist referral | Telehealth consult and referral |
| Lump, injury, severe pain, needing a hands-on exam or vaccination | In-person appointment |
| Chest pain, trouble breathing, severe bleeding, collapse | Triple Zero (000) |
How to choose a telehealth service you can trust
Before you book anywhere, check four things.
1. The doctor is registered
Doctors consulting patients in Australia must be registered with the Medical Board, and the Board's guidelines expect them to meet standards such as recency of practice, continuing professional development and professional indemnity insurance. At NewTeleDoc Medical, every consultation and document is managed by AHPRA-registered Australian doctors.
2. Identity and fees are handled up front
The same guidelines expect doctors to confirm your identity, explain billing and obtain your financial consent. The Department of Health also requires providers to obtain informed financial consent before a telehealth service, including fees and any out-of-pocket costs. You should never be surprised by a charge after the call. Our fees are published on our pricing and fees page before you book.
3. Your privacy is protected
The Department of Health says the technology used must meet clinical requirements and satisfy privacy laws. We handle patient information under the Australian Privacy Principles. You can help from your side too: take the call somewhere private, and use a device and network you trust.
4. The doctor closes the loop
The Medical Board's guidelines say doctors must make follow-up arrangements and, with your consent, inform your usual GP of investigations, referrals, advice and medications prescribed. Ask for the follow-up plan at the end of your call and keep your own record of what was prescribed.
What telehealth costs in Australia
Cost is where telehealth confuses people, because two systems overlap.
Medicare-funded telehealth has rules about who can claim. Under the rule on the official Medicare Benefits Schedule item 91900 page, an eligible practitioner is one who provided a face-to-face Medicare service to the patient in the last 12 months, or is at a practice that arranged one. A previous video or phone consult does not count. The same page says the longer phone items also need the patient to be registered with the billing practice through MyMedicare, and lists a 100% benefit of $87.10 for a 20-minute-plus GP phone attendance as of 1 July 2026. The schedule is updated each July, so check the page for the current amounts.
The Department of Health's MyMedicare FAQ (October 2025) says registration normally requires two or more face-to-face appointments at the practice in the past 24 months, or one for practices in remote locations. It also notes that people aged 14 to 17 can register and consent without a parent or guardian.
Fixed-fee telehealth works differently: you pay a published price for a defined service. Our current fees, read from our pricing page in November 2026, are:
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Standard GP consultation | $49 |
| Medical and carer's certificates | $15 to $25 |
| Repeat eScript refills | $25 to $39 |
| Pathology and STI test requests | $25 |
| Radiology and imaging referrals | $25 |
| Specialist referral letters | $25 |
| Weight management program | $49 to $65 |
| Mental health care plan | Bulk-billed for eligible Medicare card holders |
The benefit of a fixed fee is that you know the figure before you book, whether or not you have visited a clinic in person lately. For a worked example, take a student with gastro who needs a certificate for an exam deferral. Instead of finding an open clinic and sitting in a waiting room while unwell, they book online, speak to the doctor from bed, and receive a certificate by email once approved, at a published fee of $15 to $25. Our guide to telehealth costs in Australia goes through the Medicare side in more detail.
Why book with us
Our service is built around the reasons people reach for telehealth in the first place: no waiting room, nationwide access, clear upfront pricing and end-to-end digital delivery. Everything is handled by AHPRA-registered Australian doctors, from the consult to the eScript, certificate or referral, and your documents arrive electronically once the doctor approves them.
If you need a GP for a non-emergency problem, our standard GP consultation is $49. If you only need a certificate or a repeat script, you can go directly to the specific service and pay the lower fee.
We also have state pages if you want local detail: New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia. The service is the same nationwide.
Getting the most from your appointment
A few habits make a ten-minute consult more useful.
- Test your setup. A working camera and microphone, and a stable connection, save time. Queensland Health recommends a test call before video appointments.
- Be specific. "A dry cough for five days, worse at night, no fever" gives the doctor more to work with than "I feel sick".
- Show what you can. For skin concerns, good light and a steady camera help the doctor assess what they are seeing.
- Name every medicine. Include over-the-counter products and supplements, because they can interact with prescriptions.
- Ask about follow-up. Find out what to watch for, how long to wait, and when to seek in-person care.
- Keep your documents. Save your eScript SMS or email and your certificate somewhere you can find them.
If you live in a regional area, telehealth can matter even more. The Department of Health notes that longer funded telehealth consults may be particularly beneficial for people with mental health concerns, disability or reduced mobility, older Australians, and people in rural or remote areas. The same logic applies to anyone whose week leaves no room for travel and waiting.
FAQ
Can a telehealth doctor in Australia prescribe medication?
Yes, where the doctor decides it is clinically appropriate. The doctor sends an eScript by SMS or email, which you take to a pharmacy or use for home delivery. Our repeat eScript refills are $25 to $39.
Is a telehealth consultation as good as seeing a GP in person?
For suitable problems, it is held to the same standard of care. The Medical Board's guidelines expect doctors to meet the standards of an in-person consult and to arrange face-to-face care when a physical examination is needed. For lumps, injuries or anything needing hands-on assessment, an in-person visit is the right choice.
Do I need to have visited the doctor in person before?
Not for our fixed-fee services. The 12-month face-to-face rule applies to Medicare-funded telehealth items, not to a published-fee service. Our fees are listed upfront, and the doctor explains them before you proceed.
What should I do if my symptoms are serious?
Call Triple Zero (000) for chest pain, difficulty breathing, severe bleeding or sudden collapse, or go to your nearest emergency department. Telehealth is designed for non-emergency care.
Can I get a medical certificate through telehealth?
Yes. If the doctor assesses that you are unfit for work or study, a digital certificate is issued after approval. Our medical and carer's certificates are $15 to $25.
Sources
- Telehealth, Australian Digital Health Agency
- Virtual care and telehealth appointments, Queensland Government
- Access Health WA, find the right health care faster
- Physical examination by a doctor, healthdirect
- Medical Board of Australia, Guidelines: Telehealth consultations
- Non-referred MBS telehealth services fact sheet, Department of Health
- Item 91900, Medicare Benefits Schedule
- MyMedicare patient FAQ, Department of Health