Understanding how telehealth works in Australia starts with one principle: it is a mode of healthcare, not a shortcut around clinical standards. A doctor and patient communicate in real time by video or telephone when remote care is clinically appropriate. This guide is general information current to 9 August 2026.
What telehealth can include
The Medical Board of Australia's telehealth guidelines define telehealth broadly enough to include video, telephone and internet consultations, transmission of clinical images or data, and prescribing. The exact service depends on the practitioner's scope, the patient's needs and whether a safe assessment can be made remotely.
Telehealth may be used for triage, review, preventive care, treatment discussions and some new concerns. It does not guarantee a diagnosis, prescription, certificate, referral or test. The clinician may arrange an in-person examination or another service.
Before the appointment
Check the provider and practical details:
- Use the Ahpra register to check practitioner registration.
- Confirm whether the appointment is video or telephone.
- Ask for the fee, expected Medicare rebate if any and cancellation terms.
- Check how identity, privacy and consent will be handled.
- Ask how records will be shared with your usual care team.
- Confirm what happens if the connection fails or urgent in-person care is needed.
Prepare a quiet, private place and test the connection. Have your medicine list, allergies, relevant history, recent results and questions ready. Only send photographs or health records through the service's nominated secure method.
During the consultation
The practitioner should identify themselves, confirm the patient's identity, explain the process and obtain consent. They take a history and assess whether telehealth remains suitable. The Medical Board requires doctors to protect privacy, keep appropriate records, meet professional standards and arrange in-person care when necessary.
Tell the clinician:
- where you are physically located in case urgent assistance is needed
- the main concern and when it began
- relevant medical history and current medicines
- pregnancy or pregnancy planning where relevant
- red-flag symptoms or recent deterioration
- what you need to understand or decide
Video can provide information that a telephone call cannot, but neither replaces a hands-on examination when one is clinically required.
Prescriptions, referrals and certificates
A doctor may issue a prescription, referral, test request or certificate after assessment when clinically and legally appropriate. These are professional decisions, not included outcomes that follow automatically from paying for a consultation.
The Medical Board states that prescribing or providing healthcare to a patient whom the doctor has never consulted in real time, based only on a questionnaire, text, email or live chat, is not good practice. A patient's usual practitioner with access to the clinical record may have a different basis for acting in limited circumstances.
Medicare eligibility and private fees
Telehealth is not automatically free or Medicare-rebateable. Current Services Australia guidance says that MBS general-practice telehealth generally requires either:
- the service to be provided by the patient's MyMedicare-registered practice
- an eligible telehealth practitioner relationship, such as a face-to-face MBS service with the practitioner or practice in the previous 12 months
- a listed patient or service exemption
The exemptions and item rules are detailed and can change. Clinical suitability is still required even if MBS eligibility is met. Ask the provider to explain the fee and rebate before the consultation; a private telehealth service can charge a private fee.
When in-person or emergency care is needed
Telehealth may be unsuitable when the clinician needs a physical examination, observations, imaging, pathology or an immediate procedure. It is also not an emergency response service.
Call Triple Zero (000) for a life-threatening emergency. For urgent but non-life-threatening concerns, follow local urgent-care advice or contact healthdirect on 1800 022 222. Do not wait for a routine telehealth booking when symptoms are severe or rapidly worsening.
After the consultation
Before disconnecting, confirm:
- the clinician's assessment and any uncertainty
- medicine directions and safety warnings
- tests, referrals or in-person review required
- how results will be communicated
- what symptoms should trigger urgent care
- when and with whom follow-up should occur
Ask for important instructions in writing. If the advice or document does not arrive through the agreed channel, contact the provider rather than assuming the plan has changed.
Sources
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