At HotDoc, we aim to ensure every patient has a smooth and positive experience with Telehealth On Demand. In some situations, a patient may be eligible for a refund.

This article outlines the criteria used to determine refund eligibility, how clinics are notified when refunds are processed, and the process for disputing a refund if you believe it was issued in error.

Refund Eligibility Criteria

Refunds will not be approved if:

The patient’s request is outside the clinical scope of the Telehealth On Demand service. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Mental Health Care Plans or any Complex Care Plans
  
  
• Specialist or pathology referrals
  
  
• High-risk medications, such as (but not limited to) Schedule 8, Schedule S4D, Semaglutides, COVID-19 antivirals, or medicinal cannabis
  
  
  • Examples: Diazepam, Endone, benzodiazepines, opioids, ADHD medications, weight-loss prescriptions such as Mounjaro
    
    
• The consulting practitioner determines the request cannot be fulfilled for clinical or telehealth appropriateness reasons (e.g., a physical examination is required)
  
  

Refunds May Be Approved If:

• The patient was contacted more than 30 minutes after the scheduled consultation start time and no longer required the consultation
  
  
• A technical or platform error prevented the consultation from being completed
  
  

Refunds Will Be Approved If:

• The patient was not contacted for their consultation

How HotDoc Notifies Clinics of Processed Refunds

When a refund is issued, HotDoc’s Support team will notify the clinic via email, sent to the address linked to the clinic’s payment provider account.

This is the email listed under Payments > Payment Setup > Contact's Email Address

The email will include:

• Appointment details
  
  
• The amount refunded
  
  
• The reason for the refund
  
  
• A link to the Refund Dispute Form (except for cases where the refund is due to a platform issue and the clinic is not out of pocket)

Disputing a Refund

While our team follows strict eligibility guidelines and strives to make consistent, well-informed decisions, there may be instances where your clinic has additional non-identifiable information indicating that a refund was processed in error.

In these cases, you can submit a dispute using the Refund Dispute Form, found in the refund notification email.

Acceptable supporting materials include:

• Appointment completion records
  
  
• Call logs
  
  
• Screenshots (with identifying details removed, where possible)
  
  
• Written communications with patients (appropriately de-identified)
  
  

Timeframe:

• All disputes must be submitted within 3 business days of receiving the refund notification
  
  
• Disputes submitted outside this timeframe will not be considered for timely processing and closing of refund cases.
  
  

If a dispute is accepted: 

If it is found that a refund was processed in error, our team will log this and your clinic will be reimbursed the net fee of the consultation via a discount on your monthly subscription invoice. 

For any questions on our refund policy, please contact our support team as support@hotdoc.com.au.