Telehealth GP appointments: what can and can't be done over the phone

Telehealth became mainstream during the pandemic and has stayed because patients find it useful. A phone call for a repeat prescription or a results discussion saves a trip, time off work and a car park. But not everything can be done remotely, and knowing the difference helps you book the right appointment first time.

Who can have a bulk billed telehealth appointment

Medicare funds telehealth with your regular practice. To be eligible you need to have had a face-to-face appointment at Toongabbie Doctors in the previous twelve months. There are exceptions for children under 12 months, people who are homeless, patients isolating with COVID-19 and some mental health and sexual health services. Registering with MyMedicare extends your access to longer Medicare-funded phone consultations.

What works well by telehealth

• Repeat prescriptions for stable, ongoing medicines
• Discussing test results and adjusting treatment
• Medical certificates for minor illness when you cannot come in
• Follow-up after an in-person consultation
• Mental health check-ins and reviews of a treatment plan
• Referral letters where your GP already knows the condition
• Advice about whether a symptom needs to be seen

What needs an in-person visit

Anything that requires examination, a procedure or a measurement your GP cannot take remotely. That includes new or unexplained pain, chest or abdominal symptoms, lumps and skin lesions, ear and throat infections in children, injuries, blood pressure checks, immunisations, skin checks and procedures, pregnancy checks and most first-time diagnoses. If you book telehealth and your GP feels you need to be examined, they will ask you to come in, often the same day.

Electronic prescriptions

After a telehealth consultation your prescription is sent to your phone as an SMS or email token. Show it at any pharmacy, including Good Price Pharmacy Warehouse downstairs at Toongabbie Point. Repeats are stored in the same way, and you can ask your pharmacy to set up an Active Script List so you never lose a token.

How to prepare

Find a quiet, private space with good reception. Have your medicines, any readings such as blood pressure or blood glucose, and a list of questions ready. For video, check your camera and connection a few minutes early. Your GP will call from a private number, so answer calls around your appointment time even if the number is withheld.

Telehealth for mental health

Mental health is one of the areas where telehealth works particularly well. Follow-up appointments, reviews of a mental health treatment plan, discussion of medication and check-ins during a difficult period can all be done by phone or video, and many patients find it easier to talk from home. The initial assessment for a plan is best done in person, and telehealth is not appropriate in a crisis, when 000 or the Mental Health Line on 1800 011 511 is the right call.

Telehealth for chronic conditions

If you have a GP management plan, telehealth is useful for reviewing blood glucose or blood pressure readings you have taken at home, adjusting medicines and renewing scripts and referrals between in-person reviews. Keep a simple log of your readings, or use an app, and have it ready for the call.

Telehealth for children

Phone or video consultations can help parents decide whether a child needs to be seen, discuss results or manage ongoing conditions such as asthma or eczema. Because young children are difficult to assess remotely and can deteriorate quickly, most new illnesses in children, and any fever in a baby under three months, should be seen in person.

Privacy and telehealth

Telehealth consultations are recorded in your health record in the same way as an in-person visit and are protected by the same privacy law. We do not record the audio or video. Choose a private space at your end, and if you are using video, check that your screen cannot be seen by others.

What telehealth is not for

Telehealth is not for emergencies. Chest pain, difficulty breathing, severe bleeding, sudden weakness or a seriously unwell child need 000 or Westmead Hospital emergency department, not a phone appointment.