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Telehealth On Demand FAQs

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How it Works, Features and Benefits

Safeguards

How it Works, Features and Benefits

What is Telehealth On Demand?

Telehealth On Demand connects patients with HotDoc GPs for same-day virtual care focused on low-complexity needs — such as medical certificates, repeat prescriptions, and general advice.

The service is designed as a safety net, not a substitute — providing timely access to care while keeping patients connected to their regular GP or practice.

With patient consent, consult notes can be automatically shared with the patient’s home practice, and patients are encouraged to follow up with their usual GP.

 

How does Telehealth On Demand benefit my practice and GPs?

Telehealth On Demand enables your GPs to offer same-day virtual care for low-complexity needs when a patient is otherwise unable to access timely care. It creates flexibility around your schedule, additional billable opportunities during white space, improves access for patients and directs the patient back to their regular provider after the consult.

 

How can practices participate in Telehealth On Demand?

Any GP at your practice can opt in to provide Telehealth On Demand consults when it suits their schedule. It’s an opportunity to make use of quieter times or offer care remotely, without needing to manage additional infrastructure or admin. To express your interest in joining, simply click complete this short questionnaire and our team will be in touch.

We appreciate your patience as we roll the service out to our customers.

 

What are the benefits of Telehealth On Demand for patients?

Telehealth On Demand allows patients to access same-day virtual care for low-complexity issues when they are otherwise unable to access timely care. To promote continuity of care, patients can opt to have consult notes shared directly with their nominated practice and receive a copy of their own consult notes after each appointment.

If the practitioner is unable to complete the consultation notes, the patient will be notified via email.

 

Can I see a demo of Telehealth On Demand?

Yes, you can see a demonstration of Telehealth On Demand by either:

  • Checking out the video walk-through on this page; or
  • Clicking the “Join Telehealth On Demand” button and completing a short questionnaire — our team will then reach out to set up a time to discuss and demonstrate in more detail.

 

How is this different from other Telehealth services?

HotDoc’s Telehealth On Demand is built with, not around, general practice. Local GPs from real practices like yours are encouraged to participate, and our booking flows encourage patients to return to their regular provider both before they book and after each appointment.
Patients can also share consult notes with their regular practice, enabling seamless follow-up and protecting continuity of care.
 

If the practitioner is unable to complete the consultation notes, the patient will be notified via email.

 

What kinds of appointments are suitable for Telehealth On Demand?

Telehealth On Demand is designed for low-complexity, same day needs such as medical certificates and repeat prescriptions, as well as general advice. Before they book, patients are clearly shown via the booking flow what’s suitable and what’s not, and are required to complete clinical screening questions before they can proceed.

 

Can I control when our GPs appear for bookings?

Absolutely. Once your GPs have opted-in and set up Telehealth On Demand, you can set their availability based on capacity, preference or clinical needs. You can also toggle their availability on or off at any time.

 

Can I adjust appointment length or time in the PMS?

No, the Telehealth On Demand appointment length and time must not be edited in your Practice Management Software. If the length/time is edited, this releases the pre-authorised payment and automatically marks the consult as cancelled in our system.

 

How do GPs get paid for Telehealth On Demand consults?

All consults are 100% privately billed, and patients are fully informed of this before they book. Patients enter their payment details during booking, and payment is processed automatically at the end of the consult with funds directed to the nominated account for the participating GP’s practice within several business days.

 

Can patients receive a Medicare rebate for their Telehealth On Demand consult?

No, all consults are 100% privately billed, and patients are fully informed and consent to this before they book. There are no Medicare rebates applicable for the service.

 

Which public holidays does Telehealth On Demand observe with regard to after-hours pricing?

HotDoc Telehealth On-Demand observes public holidays recognised in Victoria (VIC) and New South Wales (NSW). This applies regardless of which state a clinic or patient is located in.

If a public holiday falls in your state but not in VIC or NSW, the platform will treat that day as a standard business day and apply regular appointment pricing. This means patients in other states may not receive after-hours rates on their local public holidays.

 

How does this fit into a hybrid care model?

Telehealth On Demand is part of our hybrid care approach - giving GPs and your practice the flexibility to offer both in-person and virtual care on your terms, supported by technology that enhances rather than fragments care.

Examples of how GPs are using a hybrid-care approach:

  • Using Routine Requests for asynchronous repeat scripts from existing patients between appointments
  • A GP doing in-person appointments in the morning, then switching on Telehealth on Demand to fill afternoon gaps
  • At a future state, GPs connecting with patients actively seeking their particular sub-specialist expertise (e.g. Menopause, Women’s Health, Diabetes)

Based on our consultation with a diverse range of GPs, we believe that this model reduces burnout, maximises billable time across different levels of services, and ensures GPs are appropriately rewarded for all types of care they provide.

 

How far in advance can a patient cancel a Telehealth On-Demand appointment?

Patients can cancel their appointment up until the cancellation cut-off time set in the practitioner’s individual settings in the HotDoc Dashboard. We recommend setting the cancellation window to at least 10–15 minutes before the appointment start time, in case the practitioner is running early. 

Please see: How to add or edit your practitioners' Bookings settings


Safeguards

How does the service protect continuity of care?

We’ve designed a set of Telehealth On Demand guidelines to help ensure patients remain connected to their usual care team, even when same-day access isn’t available. These guidelines focus on three key forms of continuity:

  • Relational continuity: The patient’s Care Team remains the default option in the app. If no availability is shown or the clinic doesn’t offer telehealth, we prompt the patient to call reception before showing other options.
  • Management continuity: After each consult, patients are encouraged to book a follow-up with their usual GP.
  • Information continuity: With the patient’s consent, consult notes are sent back to their nominated GP or clinic. 
    If the practitioner is unable to complete the consultation notes, the patient will be notified via email.
     

You can read more in our Telehealth On Demand guidelines here.

 

What information do patients receive about Telehealth On Demand?

Patients are given clear and transparent information about Telehealth On Demand throughout the booking flow, including what the service is, how it works, when it’s appropriate, and when it’s not.

 

We offer telehealth at our practice but don’t always show this availability online. How will the patient know that’s an option?

If your practice offers telehealth but doesn’t show availability online, we will still prompt them to call your practice to check availability, and this will always be shown before the Telehealth On Demand option.

 

How is patient consent for information sharing captured?

During the booking flow, patients are asked if they’d like to share their consult summary with their nominated home practice. If they consent, the summary (including any prescription information) is sent to that practice’s HotDoc Dashboard.

 

How do you select which GPs can deliver Telehealth On Demand consults?

 
GPs in Australia are able to opt-in and participate in the service provided they: 

  • Are registered with AHPRA as a Medical Practitioner
  • Comply with the Medical Board of Australia’s Code of Conduct, AHPRA guidelines, RACGP standards and HotDoc’s Practitioner Code of Conduct
  • Hold appropriate professional indemnity insurance


We are committed to partnering with practices and GPs who uphold a high standard of clinical care and committed to promoting safe, effective care delivery. 

 

What onboarding and training do GPs receive before delivering Telehealth On Demand consults?

After you complete your expression of interest form, our team will be in touch to provide a comprehensive demonstration of the Telehealth On Demand platform — including how to complete appointments using the HotDoc GP Sidebar.

We recommend that any GPs interested in participating are present for the demonstration; however, we also provide easy-to-follow user guides for any GPs that are not able to attend on the day.

 

How does HotDoc ensure that quality of care is upheld for any GPs participating in the service?

Making sure that high-quality care is delivered through Telehealth On Demand is a core priority, and we’ve implemented a number of measures to monitor, maintain and continuously improve the standard of care provided by participating GPs. These include:

  • Clear Practitioner Standards: 
    All GPs participating in the service are required to comply with our Practitioner Code of Conduct, which ensures high standards of patient care, regulatory compliance, and professional integrity in line with RACGP guidelines, industry best practices, and HotDoc’s internal standards.
  • Patient Feedback & Quality Monitoring: 
    After each consultation, patients are invited to provide a review and rating of their experience. These reviews are monitored by our team on a regular basis, and any issues or areas for improvement identified are followed up by our team with the relevant practitioner or their home practice.
  • Ongoing Quality Support for Practices:
    To support GPs in maintaining and improving quality, HotDoc provides practices with weekly performance reports that include each GP’s average rating and a categorised analysis of reviews, helping them pinpoint specific areas of focus to proactively address any quality concerns, celebrate success and support their GPs.

 

Will you regularly review which GPs are participating in the service?

Yes, we have a comprehensive quality management system in place to monitor the performance and care of GPs services through Telehealth On Demand. After each consultation, patients are invited to provide a review and rating of their experience, which helps ensure continuous quality oversight.

GPs are expected to maintain a long-term average rating of at least 4.2 stars. If a GP consistently falls below this standard, a quality management review will be conducted, feedback will be provided, and HotDoc may request the GP be removed from the service to ensure Telehealth On Demand can continue to uphold the highest quality of care and experience.

 

What changes were made since the pilot?

Since the pilot, we’ve received feedback from over 200 customers and key stakeholders across the industry including the RACGP, Patients Australia and other major industry stakeholders across 1:1 interviews and several product focus groups.

We have carefully collected and considered their feedback before relaunching Telehealth On Demand, and have made a number of changes that address the most consistent themes.

These changes include:

  • Transparent patient messaging: Crystal clear communication that the first port of call is the patient’s regular practice, and the participating telehealth doctor is not part of their regular care team
  • Patient information flow: Consult summaries sent directly back to the patient's usual GP or practice system (with patient consent)
  • Patient education: Multiple touch-points before and after booking that deliberately guide patients back to their regular care team.

We also have future enhancements on their way including:

  • Enhanced Patient Care Team highlighting a patient’s Home Clinic and Usual GP preferred GPs, including when registered with including their MyMedicare enrolment status, within the HotDoc App
  • Automatic write-backs of Telehealth On Demand notes directly into PMS patient records

Our pilot data shows this approach works: 75% of Telehealth On Demand patients have already returned to their regular practice for follow-up care.

You can read more about the changes we’ve made in our Telehealth On Demand guidelines here.

 

Can we view which of our regular patients have used the service?

Yes, if patients have opted to share their consult details with your practice, these will appear within your HotDoc Dashboard to help your team provide informed care and follow-up.

 

What if a patient books by mistake, thinking it’s with their regular GP?

We’ve added multiple touch-points in the booking flow to prevent them booking these appointments by mistake, including clear banners, confirmation screens, and pre-consult messaging that indicates it is not with their regular care team. We also educate the patient post-consult to return to their regular GP for follow-up.

You can read more about our radical transparency and informed use promise in our Telehealth On Demand guidelines here.

 

Are all practices required to participate?

No, participation from practices and GPs in the Telehealth On Demand service is optional.

 

How will HotDoc make sure that this service continues to meet the needs and expectations of General Practice?

This service has been built with, not just for, general practice.

In designing the product itself, we have received feedback from over 200 customers and key stakeholders across the industry including the RACGP, Patients Australia and other major industry stakeholders across 1:1 interviews and several product focus groups.

To uphold this promise into the future, we have developed the following set of Telehealth On Demand guidelines which include this commitment. You can read them here.

 

How do patients leave feedback or make a complaint about the care they receive through Telehealth On Demand?

After a Telehealth On Demand consultation, patients are invited to rate and provide feedback on their experience via two channels: directly within the HotDoc app and through a link included in their payment confirmation email.

All submitted reviews are monitored regularly to assess service quality and identify areas for improvement. This ensures HotDoc can address any concerns, uphold a high standard of care and make necessary updates to the platform or service as needed.

 

Can we see which of our GPs are providing Telehealth On Demand consults to patients?

Yes, if GPs from your practice are participating in the service, you will be able to see which of your GPs are active via Telehealth On Demand Settings in your HotDoc Dashboard.

You can also enable or disable Telehealth On Demand consults for them from this same page.

 

Will HotDoc keep reviewing Telehealth On Demand, and how can I give feedback?

We are committed to ongoing consultation with our customers as the product evolves and to always prioritise patient safety, practice trust and continuity of care.

If you have feedback or suggestions, you can share them with us here - we’d love to hear from you.

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