At Parkmore Medical Centre, we provide telephone and video telehealth consultation.
It is a legislative requirement that GPs working in general practice can only perform a telehealth service where they have an established clinical relationship with the patient (seen in person in the last 12 months), with limited exemptions (such as Isolation due to COVID-19 illness)
We bulk bill telehealth for Commonwealth concession card holders and children under 16 years of age during the weekdays.
There’s might a fee for the telehealth consultation, the fee is the same as a consultation in the clinic.
We can send prescriptions electronically (eScript) to you through SMS, Email or directly to your pharmacy. We can also email you pathology request, radiology request, specialist referral or a medical certificate.
Soon, to fulfil requirement from Service Australia, everyone would need an email address to have a telehealth consultation. Please update your email address with reception or get one if you haven’t got one.
When not to use a telephone or video consultation
The RACGP acknowledges that while video or telephone consultations are generally not ideal for the following circumstances, the GP may need to exercise a judgement as to the balance of risks of a physical examination. The RACGP recommends that video or telephone consultations should generally not be used, and arrangements made for an in-practice face-to-face consultation:
• for assessing patients with potentially serious, high-risk conditions requiring a physical examination, particularly for patients with chronic disease who are unable to self monitor appropriately and patient groups deemed high risk for poor outcomes from COVID-19. So if you have a serious illness requiring emergency service, call 000.
• when a physical/internal examination is required/cannot be deferred to support clinical decision making
• where a patient’s ability to communicate by telephone or video consultation is compromised and they do not have a support person to assist them during the consultation, impacting clinical quality and patient safety
• in situations where there is any doubt about the clinical appropriateness of a telephone or video consultation (in these instances, attending the practice in person for a face-to-face consultation is preferable).
