Understanding Telehealth Medical Appointments in Australia

Understanding telehealth appointments in Australia

Telehealth appointments in Australia are Medicare-funded video or phone consultations with AHPRA-registered clinicians. They are suitable for many everyday needs — prescriptions, referrals, mental-health care plans, certificates, and follow-ups — but not for emergencies or anything that needs an in-person examination. To bulk bill telehealth appointments, Australia's 12-month face-to-face rule generally requires you to have seen the clinic in person, or be eligible under one of several exemptions.

What do telehealth appointments look like?

You book in the Abby app or on the website, choose between a scheduled time or the First Available queue, and join your clinician by video or phone when they are ready. The clinician opens the consult with your record already in front of them — Abby AI, our medical decision-support tool, prepares a summary of your relevant history before the appointment so you do not have to re-tell your story.

The consult itself is structured the same way as an in-person GP visit: a question about why you are there, a clinical conversation, a plan, and any follow-ups. By the end you may leave with an e-script, a referral, a pathology request, a certificate, or a plan for what to monitor before the next visit. For a quick orientation, see what is telehealth.

When is telehealth a good fit — and when isn't it?

Telehealth is a good fit for the everyday workhorse of primary care: prescription requests and repeats, mental-health care plans, contraception, sexual-health screening referrals, common skin issues by photo, follow-up of stable chronic conditions, certificates, and quick second opinions. It is especially good for people who cannot easily get to a clinic — rural and remote patients, parents at home with kids, shift workers, or anyone with mobility constraints.

It is not a good fit for emergencies, anything that needs a hands-on examination, complex undifferentiated abdominal pain, severe mental-health crises, or imaging-led diagnoses. Read the candid limits in what telehealth can't do — the safety limits and the comparison in telehealth vs in-person — when to choose each.

If your symptoms are severe or worsening, call 000 or go to the nearest emergency department.

How does Medicare cover telehealth?

Medicare covers telehealth consultations through specific Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) item numbers for video and phone consultations of various lengths. These items are set out at MBS Online, with policy context published by the Department of Health. Under bulk billing, Medicare pays the clinician directly and you have nothing out-of-pocket.

To book the appointment, your Medicare card must be valid and in your name, and the clinic must meet the standard telehealth eligibility rules. Read Medicare and telehealth: what eligible Australians can access for the full picture.

What is the 12-month face-to-face rule?

For most Medicare-funded GP telehealth consults in Australia, you need to have had a face-to-face appointment with a GP at the same clinic in the preceding 12 months. There are exemptions — for example, people in residential aged care, infants under 12 months, people experiencing homelessness, and patients in declared disaster or emergency zones — and there are also separate item numbers for chronic-disease management. The rule is the Government's mechanism to encourage continuity of care; the policy basis sits with Services Australia at Medicare.

For the deep dive — including how Abby handles the rule and the exemptions — see the 12-month face-to-face rule explained.

How is Abby different from a generic telehealth service?

Abby is an online-first clinic — a long-term clinical relationship delivered over telehealth, not a one-off transaction. Around 71% of Abby patients return to the same clinician next time (Abby Health internal data, Q1 2026). The clinician you see has your full record, prepared by Abby AI before the consult. Our clinicians are AHPRA-registered and listed on the public AHPRA register. For more on the difference, see how is Abby different from other telehealth providers and the brief history at a brief history of Australian telehealth.

How do I prepare for a telehealth appointment?

A few small things make a meaningful difference: a stable internet connection or strong phone signal, a quiet room where you can speak privately, your Medicare card to hand, and any current medication packets within reach. If you have recent observations (a blood-pressure reading, a temperature, a wound photo), have them ready. The full checklist is at preparing for your telehealth appointment checklist.

How Abby can help

Abby is open seven days a week, 365 days a year, with 300+ clinicians on the network (Abby Health internal data, Q1 2026). Most patients are seen in minutes through the First Available queue, or you can book a scheduled time. Start at abbyhealth.app. Abby appointments are bulk billed for eligible patients with a valid Medicare card.