Telehealth for Rural and Remote Australians

For Australians in rural and remote areas, Abby Health provides long-term GP and Nurse Practitioner care via telehealth, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Patients in Modified Monash Model 6 and 7 areas are exempt from the standard 12-month face-to-face requirement for Medicare-rebated telehealth. Bulk billed for eligible patients. Abby was founded from Broken Hill — this mission is in our origins.

Where Abby comes from

In 1928, a pedal-powered radio transmitter in Broken Hill, New South Wales, made the first wireless medical consultation in the world. A nurse tapped a message in morse code. A doctor in Adelaide answered. The Royal Flying Doctor Service was born from that moment — and with it, the idea that where you live should not determine whether you receive care.

That lineage is not incidental to Abby. Our CMO, Dr Ramu Nachiappan, practised as a GP in Broken Hill for 35 years. Our mission — restoring long-term, continuous care for every Australian — was shaped in one of Australia's most remote communities. From morse code to AI-supported consultation briefs, the problem has never changed. Neither has the answer: reach the people the system forgot.

The 12-month face-to-face rule — and why it doesn't apply to most rural patients

Since 2022, most patients living in metropolitan and inner regional areas (Modified Monash Model classifications 1–5) must have seen a GP or Nurse Practitioner in person within the past 12 months to access ongoing Medicare-rebated telehealth consultations. This requirement was designed to ensure telehealth supplements, rather than fully replaces, in-person care for patients who have reasonable access to it.

Patients in Modified Monash Model 6 and 7 areas — outer remote and very remote Australia — are exempt from this requirement. The Commonwealth recognised that requiring a face-to-face visit before accessing telehealth Medicare rebates is not a reasonable condition where the nearest GP practice may be hundreds of kilometres away. If you live in an MM6 or MM7 area, you can access Medicare-rebated telehealth with Abby without having first seen us in person. For a full explanation of the rule and how to determine your classification, see the 12-month face-to-face rule explained.

Your Modified Monash classification is determined by your postcode, not your state. The Australian Government Department of Health publishes the full classification tool.

What rural and remote patients can access through Abby

An Abby consultation is a real GP or Nurse Practitioner consultation, not a triage service or a call centre. Within that consultation, your clinician can provide the same care that would be available in a well-resourced urban practice — and coordinate what they cannot provide directly:

GP consultations — general practice, chronic disease management, mental health, women's health, men's health, skin concerns assessed by photo, repeat prescription reviews, referrals, and medical certificates.

Nurse Practitioner consultations — acute illness assessment, ongoing stable medication reviews, contraception, wound care advice, and more, within NP scope of practice. For more on what Nurse Practitioners can do, see what a Nurse Practitioner is in Australia.

Mental Health Care Plans — your GP can complete an MHCP via telehealth, making you eligible for Medicare-rebated psychology sessions.

Pathology referrals — your clinician can order blood tests, urine tests, and other pathology. You collect the sample at your nearest collection point; many regional towns have local pathology services. Results are reviewed by your clinician and shared with you.

Imaging referrals — if imaging is clinically indicated, your clinician can provide a referral for your local radiology service.

Prescriptions — e-scripts can be sent directly to any pharmacy you choose, including pharmacies with home delivery to remote addresses. You do not need to be in a city to fill a prescription issued through an Abby consultation.

Specialist referrals — if you need a specialist, your clinician can write a referral. Many specialists now conduct initial consultations via telehealth, and your Abby clinician can advise on the most practical pathway for your location.

Continuity of care — not just access

Access alone is not enough. For rural Australians who have experienced the revolving door of locum doctors and fly-in-fly-out GP services, the discomfort is not just getting an appointment — it is getting an appointment with someone who already knows your story.

Abby AI, our medical AI, prepares a clinical brief before every consultation — surfacing your history, medications, allergies, and relevant context — so that whichever clinician you see, they start informed. This is the quiet intelligence behind "Care that understands you": you should not have to repeat yourself. Three in four Abby patients see the same clinician again (71% rebook rate, Abby Health internal data, Q1 2026).

For patients in remote communities, this continuity is not a convenience. It is clinical care that is meaningfully different from a one-off consultation with a stranger.

Bulk billing and cost

Abby consultations are bulk billed for eligible patients, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. There are no weekend surcharges, no after-hours loadings on telehealth, and no gap fees for eligible patients. For rural and remote Australians managing the cost pressures that come with distance — freight, fuel, and the indirect costs of travel to access any service — removing cost as a barrier to seeing a doctor matters.

Medicare eligibility applies. For information on Medicare eligibility, visit Services Australia.

How Abby's partnerships extend the mission

Abby Health is backed by the Alberts Family Office Impact Venture Fund. Our impact model includes partnerships with the Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services in the Northern Territory — not as a corporate social responsibility initiative, but as a care network delivering the same clinical standards to patients who have historically been the furthest from them. The tradition that started with a pedal radio in Broken Hill continues.

How to get started

Book through abbyhealth.app/book or download the Abby Health app. You will be asked for your reason for visit and postcode. If you are in an MM6 or MM7 area, you are not required to have completed a prior in-person visit. For more about Abby's model for rural and remote patients, see Abby for rural and remote Australians.

For an overview of all telehealth appointments and how they work, visit the Appointments help hub.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to have seen a doctor in person before booking?

If you live in a Modified Monash 6 or 7 area, no. The 12-month face-to-face exemption applies to you. If you are in an MM1–5 area, the standard rule applies — see the 12-month face-to-face rule explained for full detail.

Can I get my prescriptions delivered to a remote address?

E-scripts can be sent to any pharmacy in Australia. A number of pharmacies offer home delivery and mail-order services to remote addresses. Your clinician can advise on practical options for your area.

What if I have no or limited internet access?

Phone consultations are available where video is not feasible. Your clinician can conduct an assessment by phone call without requiring video. Let the booking system know your preference when you book.

Can I use Abby for my children in a remote area?

Yes. Abby's clinicians can consult for paediatric concerns within the standard scope of a GP telehealth consultation. Your clinician will advise if in-person assessment is required.

Is there any support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients?

Abby's mission is to reach all Australians, including those in communities historically underserved by the health system. Our impact partnerships include the Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services. All Abby Health practitioners hold current AHPRA registration and are required to practise within professional standards that include cultural safety.

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