Telehealth GP in Australia: What It Is, How It Works, What to Expect
A telehealth GP is an Australian-registered general practitioner who consults with patients by phone or video instead of in a clinic room. The training is the same. The registration is the same. The Medicare item numbers are the same. The duty of care is the same.
What changes is the channel. The doctor isn't a different kind of doctor — they're a regular GP using a different tool to see you.
Three things are true of every telehealth GP in Australia:
- They're registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). You can verify any practitioner on the public register before or after the consult.
- They work under the Medical Board of Australia's telehealth guidelines, which set the same standards of clinical practice as face-to-face care.
- They claim Medicare rebates under specific telehealth item numbers (91890 for phone, 91800 for video, plus longer-consult items), subject to Medicare's eligibility rules.
If a clinic advertises “telehealth doctors” without telling you whether the practitioner is AHPRA-registered or whether the consult attracts a Medicare rebate, ask. A reputable Australian clinic answers both questions plainly.
The mechanics are simple. You book through the clinic's website or app, you provide your Medicare details, and at the booked time the doctor calls or video-calls you.
Inside the consult, the doctor takes a history, asks questions, observes what can be observed remotely (skin, breathing, body language), makes a clinical decision, and issues whatever's needed during the consult itself. Scripts arrive as eScript tokens by SMS. Certificates arrive by email. Pathology requests are sent electronically to the lab of your choice. Specialist referrals are emailed to you to take to the specialist.
A typical telehealth GP consult is 10–15 minutes for a focused issue, longer for complex care. The same pacing as a face-to-face consult.
What makes a good telehealth GP consult, in our experience: a doctor who has your previous notes in front of them so they don't ask the same three questions every time. A clinic that's clear about what falls outside telehealth scope. A line that doesn't drop. A follow-up plan at the end.
If you've never had a telehealth consult before, our companion piece on online doctor consultations walks through the full step-by-step.
What a telehealth GP can do well:
- Repeat scripts and prescription reviews for established medications
- Medical certificates for routine illness
- Mental health concerns, including referrals for psychology and Mental Health Care Plans
- Skin issues that can be assessed by photo or video
- Sexual and reproductive health: contraception, STI screening, period concerns
- Chronic disease management with home monitoring (blood pressure, blood glucose, peak flow)
- Pathology requests and result follow-ups
- Specialist referrals
- Preventive health discussions and Mental Health Care Plans
What a telehealth GP can't do:
- Hands-on physical examination — abdominal palpation, ear examination for young kids, certain neurological tests
- Suspected skin cancer that requires a dermatoscope
- First-prescription Schedule 8 controlled medications in most circumstances
- Acute mental health crises requiring face-to-face support
- Certain first-prescription mental health medications, where Medical Board guidance recommends in-person assessment
- Anything genuinely urgent (chest pain, severe breathing trouble, suspected stroke) — that's a Triple Zero (000) call, not a telehealth booking
A good telehealth GP is honest about scope. If the doctor says “this needs to be seen in person”, that's clinical judgement, not a failure of telehealth.
Since 2022, Medicare-funded telehealth has required an existing relationship between you and the practice — specifically, a face-to-face consult with the same practice in the previous 12 months. This is what's known as the “12-month face-to-face rule”, set out by the Department of Health and Aged Care.
It exists for good reason: Medicare wanted telehealth to support continuity of care, not replace it with anonymous one-off transactions.
Exceptions where the rule doesn't apply:
- Children under 12 months
- Patients in residential aged care facilities
- Patients affected by a declared natural disaster
- Specialist consultations following a referral
- Blood-borne viruses, sexual and reproductive health
- Termination of pregnancy
- A handful of other specific clinical categories under MBS rules
If you're a brand-new patient with no recent face-to-face history at the practice, your first telehealth consult typically can't be Medicare-rebated unless you fit one of the exceptions. Many online clinics will quote a private fee for the first visit and bulk bill subsequent telehealth consults at the same practice.
If cost is the question, ask the clinic up front: “What will I pay on the day?” Our explainer on bulk billed online doctors covers the eligibility rules in detail.
The honest framing is: most primary care can be done either way, and the right choice depends on the issue, not on your preference.
Telehealth fits when: the issue is well-described in words and observed in pictures, when continuity matters more than examination, when you're managing something already diagnosed, when you need a script or certificate quickly, when you're juggling work, kids, or distance.
Face-to-face fits when: the issue requires physical examination, when a procedure is needed (ear cleaning, wound care, vaccinations, swabs, dressings, suturing, biopsies), when you're acutely unwell and the GP needs to lay hands on you, when a chaperone or interpreter is best in person.
Many people use both. They book telehealth for the routine 80% — scripts, certificates, mental health follow-up, results conversations — and book face-to-face for the 20% that needs hands. That's not telehealth replacing in-person care. It's telehealth filling the gaps in-person care leaves open.
If you have a regular GP you see in person, telehealth between visits is perfectly compatible. If you don't have a regular GP, telehealth is often the fastest way to start a relationship with one.
Care that understands you.
Is a telehealth GP cheaper than a regular GP? Same Medicare rebate, same item numbers. The cost depends on whether the clinic bulk bills, not whether it's telehealth or in-person.
Are telehealth GPs less qualified? No. AHPRA registers GPs, not channels. Every Australian-registered GP is assessed against the same standards regardless of how they consult.
Can a telehealth GP write a referral to a specialist? Yes. The referral is valid for 12 months from the date of issue, the same as a face-to-face referral.
Can a telehealth GP do my Mental Health Care Plan? Yes, with the appropriate clinical history. Mental Health Care Plans require a longer consult and a structured assessment, both of which work over telehealth.
Can I get a sick certificate from a telehealth GP? Yes. Australian law doesn't require a face-to-face assessment for routine medical certificates. Our piece on doctor's note vs medical certificate covers what employers accept.
What if I need an examination during the consult? Your GP will tell you. They'll either refer you in person or arrange a follow-up.
Are telehealth notes shared with my regular GP? Only with your permission. You can ask the telehealth clinic to share notes with another practice.
Abby Health is an online-first clinic. Telehealth isn't an add-on for us — it's how the practice runs.
What this looks like in practice:
- Every Abby Health practitioner holds current AHPRA registration
- Bulk billed for eligible patients with a valid Medicare card
- Most patients seen within the hour, seven days a week
- Continuity-first — the GP sees your previous Abby consults before they call. Three in four patients book again with a doctor they've seen before
- Honest scope. Some things genuinely need hands; your GP will say so and direct you
- Records governed by Australian privacy law. Chief Medical Officer Dr Ramu Nachiappan (35 years as a GP in Broken Hill) and Clinical Director Dr Bosco Wu (AMA NSW Council Member) lead the clinical governance
You can book a consultation and an Australian-registered GP will be with you within the hour. Bulk billed for eligible patients with a valid Medicare card.
Find Comfort. Abby Health. Care that understands you.
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The information reflects guidance available as of the "last updated" date shown above. Medical knowledge evolves, and individual circumstances vary — always discuss decisions about your care with a qualified clinician.
In an emergency, call 000 or attend your nearest emergency department. Abby Health is not an emergency service. For mental health crisis support, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
If you have feedback or believe any information in this article requires correction, please contact our editorial team at support@abbyhealth.app. Abby Health complies with AHPRA advertising standards and the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care's National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards.
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