Choosing a Telehealth Provider in Australia: What to Check Before You Book
A good telehealth provider should make it easy to understand who will provide your care, whether the practitioner is registered in Australia, what the appointment will cost, how your health information is handled and what happens if telehealth is not suitable for your needs.
Before booking, compare the service on clinical standards and transparency rather than convenience alone. Telehealth is one way to access healthcare, but it should still involve appropriate assessment, informed consent, privacy protections and a clear plan for follow-up or face-to-face care when needed.
If you are new to virtual care, start with What Is Telehealth and How Does It Work in Australia? for an overview of how telehealth works.
Quick checklist: what to check before you book
• Can you identify the healthcare practitioner and check their Australian registration where applicable?
• Does the service explain when telehealth may or may not be appropriate?
• Will you have a real-time consultation when that is needed for appropriate care?
• Are consultation fees, Medicare arrangements and possible out-of-pocket costs clear before booking?
• Is there an accessible privacy policy explaining how your health information is handled?
• Does the service explain what happens if you need face-to-face care, follow-up or a handover to another practitioner?
• Can the service accommodate interpreter, accessibility or communication needs?
• Are its public claims realistic, clear and free from guaranteed health outcomes?
At Grove Health, patients consult with Australian-registered healthcare practitioners via telehealth, with clear information about bulk-billed appointments and what to expect before booking. Where telehealth isn't clinically appropriate, your practitioner can discuss appropriate next steps for your care.
Explore Telehealth with Grove Health
Grove Health connects eligible Australian patients with registered healthcare practitioners through telehealth consultations.
Learn more about how our consultations work, check your eligibility for bulk billing and explore your appointment options.
1. Check who will be providing your care
Start by finding out what type of healthcare professional you will be seeing and whether that profession is regulated through Australia’s National Registration and Accreditation Scheme.
Ahpra advises people using virtual care to check that their practitioner is registered in Australia using the public Register of practitioners. The register can also show current conditions or limitations on a practitioner’s registration.
If you want a step-by-step guide, read How to Check if a Healthcare Practitioner Is Registered in Australia.
Not every health-related occupation is regulated by Ahpra, so first check whether the type of practitioner you are considering belongs to an Ahpra-regulated profession.
2. Check whether telehealth is appropriate for the care you need
Telehealth is not automatically the right format for every appointment. A responsible service should recognise the limits of phone and video care and support an in-person assessment when it is needed.
Ahpra says practitioners should assess and regularly reassess whether virtual care is safe and clinically appropriate for the patient and the service being provided. Telehealth can be appropriate for many consultations, but it isn't suitable in every circumstance. Practitioners should consider whether virtual care is clinically appropriate and recommend face-to-face assessment where required.
Before booking, ask yourself whether the service clearly explains:
• when phone or video care may be suitable
• when a physical examination, test or procedure may require an in-person appointment
• what happens if the practitioner decides telehealth is not enough
• how urgent or emergency situations should be handled
For a fuller comparison, see Telehealth vs In-Person Appointments: When Is Each Appropriate?.
3. Look for a genuine clinical consultation, not just a form
For medical care, the consultation process should allow the practitioner to gather enough information to assess your circumstances appropriately.
The Medical Board of Australia says providing healthcare to a new patient based only on an asynchronous questionnaire, text, email or online request, without a real-time direct consultation by phone, video or in person, is not good practice.
During a telehealth consultation, Ahpra says you can expect a registered practitioner to:
• identify themselves and confirm your identity
• ask about your current concern and relevant health history
• provide information in a way you can understand
• seek informed consent
• protect your privacy and confidentiality
• reassess whether telehealth remains appropriate as the consultation progresses
The exact questions and length of an appointment will vary, but convenience should not replace an appropriate clinical assessment.
4. Check the fees before you book
A telehealth provider should make it reasonably clear what you may need to pay and whether Medicare is expected to apply to the consultation.
The Medical Board’s telehealth guidance says doctors should explain billing arrangements, including Medicare rebates, bulk billing and any gap payment, before the consultation. Services Australia also explains that bulk billing means the provider accepts the Medicare benefit as full payment for the service.
Useful questions include:
• What is the total consultation fee?
• Is this appointment bulk billed?
• If not, is a Medicare benefit available and what might the gap be?
• Are there separate fees for follow-up appointments, cancellations or other services?
• When will payment be taken?
For more detail, read Is Telehealth Covered by Medicare in Australia?.
5. Read the privacy policy
Telehealth involves sharing sensitive health information through digital systems, so privacy should be part of your comparison.
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner says a health service provider should explain why it collects your health information, how it stores and protects it, and whether it may disclose the information to other parties. Private health service providers must also have a privacy policy.
Before booking, look for clear information about:
• what personal and health information is collected
• why the information is needed
• who may have access to it
• how it is stored and protected
• whether third-party platforms or service providers are involved
• how you can request access to or correction of your health information
• who to contact with a privacy concern
For a detailed explanation, see Is Telehealth Private? How Your Health Information Is Protected in Australia.
6. Ask what happens after the appointment
A useful telehealth service should be able to explain what happens if you need follow-up care, an in-person assessment or involvement from another healthcare professional.
Ahpra’s virtual-care guidance says practitioners should make appropriate follow-up or handover arrangements where indicated and, with the patient’s consent, share relevant information with other practitioners when clinically appropriate.
Questions worth asking include:
• Who should I contact if I have a question after the appointment?
• How are follow-up appointments arranged?
• What happens if the practitioner decides I need face-to-face care?
• Can relevant information be shared with my usual GP or another practitioner with my consent?
• How can I request a copy of my health information if I need it?
Continuity does not mean every patient needs ongoing appointments. It means there should be a clear plan when further care or handover is clinically indicated.
7. Consider accessibility, communication and technology
A telehealth service may be clinically appropriate but still be difficult to use if it does not suit your communication, accessibility or technology needs.
Healthdirect recommends considering practical factors when choosing a healthcare professional, including the services offered, opening hours, language and payment options. Ahpra also advises patients to tell telehealth services about interpreter, accessibility or technology needs before the appointment.
Consider whether the service can support:
• phone or video appointments as appropriate
• interpreters or language needs
• hearing, vision or other accessibility requirements
• a support person or carer where appropriate
• clear instructions for joining the appointment
• a backup plan if the technology fails
If you have already chosen a service, our Telehealth Appointment Preparation Checklist can help you get ready.
8. Be cautious about unrealistic promises
Healthcare advertising should help you make an informed choice, not create unrealistic expectations.
Under Ahpra’s Guidelines for advertising a regulated health service, advertising must not be false, misleading or deceptive, create an unreasonable expectation of beneficial treatment, or encourage the unnecessary use of regulated health services.
Be cautious if a service:
• guarantees a particular health outcome before an individual assessment
• uses pressure or urgency to make you book healthcare you may not need
• makes it difficult to understand who is providing the clinical care
• is unclear about important fees or conditions
• does not explain the limitations of telehealth or what happens when in-person care is needed
9. Compare the provider with your own priorities
There is no single telehealth provider that will be the best fit for every person. Once the basic clinical, registration, privacy and transparency checks are satisfied, your choice may come down to practical preferences.
These may include:
• appointment availability
• phone versus video options
• continuity with the same practitioner or care team
• fees and Medicare arrangements
• language and accessibility support
• how easy it is to contact the service
• whether the service can coordinate with your usual healthcare professionals when needed
Healthdirect notes that choosing a healthcare professional you trust and feel listened to by is an important part of healthcare, and that you can change provider or seek a second opinion if a service is not the right fit.
Questions to ask a telehealth provider before booking
• Who will I speak with, and can I check their professional registration?
• Will the appointment be by phone or video?
• How do you decide whether telehealth is appropriate for my appointment?
• What happens if I need an in-person assessment?
• What will the appointment cost, and does Medicare apply?
• Where can I read your privacy policy?
• How do you handle follow-up care and clinical handover?
• Can you support an interpreter, accessibility needs or a support person?
• What should I do if the technology fails?
• How do I contact the service after my appointment if I have a question?
What are the main signs of a trustworthy telehealth service?
A trustworthy telehealth service should be transparent about who provides the care, how appointments work, what they cost and how personal information is handled. It should also recognise that telehealth has limits and support face-to-face care or clinical handover when needed.
The goal is not to find the service with the fastest booking page or the strongest marketing. It is to find a service that gives you enough clear information to make an informed healthcare choice.
Learn more about telehealth
For more practical guidance, explore What Is Telehealth and How Does It Work in Australia? and the other telehealth guides in Grove Education.
This article provides general educational information and is not a substitute for individual medical advice. The suitability of telehealth depends on the person, the healthcare required and the practitioner’s clinical judgement. In a medical emergency, call Triple Zero (000).
Learn more about Grove Health
Ready to learn more? Grove Health provides telehealth consultations with Australian-registered healthcare practitioners. Learn how Grove Health works and what to expect from your consultation.
Sources
• Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency — Information for people about virtual care
• Medical Board of Australia — Telehealth consultations with patients
• Healthdirect — How to find the right health professional
• Office of the Australian Information Commissioner — Handling health information