Telehealth On Demand is a HotDoc service that connects patients with available practitioners for short-notice telehealth consultations.

This guide outlines what practitioners need to know to deliver Telehealth On Demand consultations safely, professionally, and in line with clinical and regulatory expectations.

1. What is Telehealth On Demand? 

Telehealth On Demand (TOD) allows practitioners to deliver privately billed telehealth consultations to patients they have not seen before, using short-notice availability in their existing calendar.

The service is designed to support low-complexity, episodic care – such as general advice, repeat prescriptions, or medical certificates – while maintaining safe clinical standards and continuity of care wherever possible.

Telehealth On Demand is not intended to replace a patient’s regular GP or ongoing care relationship. Instead, it acts as a safety-net service, helping patients access timely care when their usual practice is unavailable.

2. How Telehealth On Demand works for practitioners

When you participate in Telehealth On Demand, HotDoc matches you with patients based on gaps in your calendar availability.

• Appointment requests can be sent between 5 minutes and 2 hours before the proposed consult time

• Consults are booked directly into your existing appointment sessions

• You are free to accept or decline any request based on your clinical judgement

• Patients are only charged after a consultation is completed

Telehealth On Demand operates 24 hours a day, including:

• Business hours: 8am–6pm AEDT

• After hours: 6pm–8am AEDT (with a higher service fee)

Keeping your availability up to date in your calendar ensures requests are only sent when you are genuinely available to consult.

3. Appointment types

Patients can request the following types of Telehealth On Demand consultations:

• Short general consultations (up to 8 minutes)

• Long general consultations (up to 15 minutes)

• Single-day medical certificates

• Multi-day medical certificates

• Prescription requests

All Telehealth On Demand appointments are intended for low-complexity presentations that are clinically appropriate for telehealth.

4. Clinical responsibility and scope of practice

Telehealth On Demand is intended for low-complexity care that can be safely delivered via telehealth. Some requests are not appropriate for this service, even if a patient has selected a relevant appointment type.

You are not obligated to proceed with a consultation if:

• The request falls outside the scope of safe telehealth practice

• The clinical issue is more complex than initially presented

• A face-to-face assessment or ongoing GP relationship is required

You should decline or redirect a Telehealth On Demand consultation if it involves any of the following.

Restricted medications 

• Schedule 8 medications (e.g. opioids, stimulants)

• Schedule 4D medications (e.g. benzodiazepines)

• Any medication where prescribing via telehealth is not clinically appropriate or permitted

Complex or high-risk presentations

• Symptoms requiring a physical examination to assess safely

• Acute or severe presentations that may require urgent or in-person care

• Complex mental health presentations, including where there are safety concerns

Referrals and investigations

• New specialist referrals where a thorough assessment cannot be completed via telehealth

• Requests that would normally require an established clinical relationship or access to longitudinal records

• Backdated medical certificates or return-to-work certificates

Requests outside safe telehealth practice

• Issues that fall outside accepted telehealth guidelines or professional standards

• Situations where continuity of care with the patient’s regular GP is clinically important

• Any request that, in your clinical judgement, is not suitable for telehealth

5. Frequently Asked Questions