Home Technology How Telehealth Consults Are Changing Healthcare in Australia in 2025

How Telehealth Consults Are Changing Healthcare in Australia in 2025

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Picture this: you wake up feeling a bit off—tired, light fever, perhaps a rash—and instead of driving to the clinic, you grab your phone or laptop, log in, and within minutes are chatting with your GP from the comfort of home. That scenario is no longer exotic—it’s increasingly common across Australia in 2025.

Telehealth consults are no longer a stopgap solution—they are rewriting how Australians access care. In this article, we will explore why telehealth is now central to healthcare in Australia, what’s driving the change, where challenges still lie, and what patients and providers can do to thrive. Along the way, we’ll emphasize why offering quality telehealth services in Australia matters more than ever.

From Experiment to Mainstay: The Telehealth Evolution

Telehealth in Australia did not emerge overnight. Before COVID-19, it was largely limited to pilot programs or remote outreach services. During the pandemic, the system was forced to jump—government subsidies, Medicare support, and loosened restrictions helped it scale rapidly.

Now, in 2025, it’s settled into everyday practice. Telehealth is woven into many general practices, mental health services, allied health, and chronic disease management. As Remote Staff notes in its 2025 update, virtual consults, wearables, AI support, and electronic prescriptions are increasingly routine.

The market metrics reflect this shift. The Australian telehealth market is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 28% between 2025 and 2030. That rapid growth suggests adoption is not faddish—it’s structural.

Key Ways Telehealth Consults Are Reshaping Healthcare

What exactly is changing? Let’s dig into the main shifts.

1. Greater access across geography

One of telehealth’s clearest wins is that it breaks distance barriers. Rural, remote, and regional communities now have more realistic access to specialist consults, follow-ups, and even allied health services, without enduring long drives or scarcity of local providers. For many Indigenous communities and outer regional areas, this has huge implications for equity.

2. Better chronic disease and follow-up care

Managing long-term illnesses is one of telehealth’s strongest niches. Conditions like diabetes, hypertension, asthma, and heart disease often require regular check-ins, lab reviews, medication adjustments, and lifestyle conversations. Many of those don’t require a full in-person visit. Telehealth enables more frequent, lower-friction touchpoints and keeps patients engaged.

Some practices combine remote monitoring (e.g., wearable glucose monitors, BP cuffs) with virtual follow-ups—a “hybrid” care approach.

3. Surge in mental health and allied health uptake

Mental health has become a major telehealth domain. Virtual counselling, psychology, psychiatry, and peer support are often more accessible, less stigmatized, and more flexible than in-person care in many areas. Allied health (physio, dietetics, speech therapy) is also increasingly offering remote sessions, broadening choices for patients.

4. Hybrid care and continuity

Telehealth is rarely a full replacement. Most strong models blend in-person and remote care. For example, a patient may have an initial face-to-face consultation, followed by virtual check-ins. Or some visits rotate between physical clinics and remote sessions. That helps preserve the benefits of both modes—human connection, physical assessment, and convenience.

5. Smarter technology, data & AI support

2025 is seeing telehealth evolve under the hood. Platforms integrate with electronic health records, lab systems, imaging, and predictive analytics. AI-driven tools may help triage those who need in-person care, flag risk, or assist clinicians with decision support. Some hospitals have started pilot AI imaging systems in South Australia, for instance.

Why “Quality Telehealth Services in Australia” Cannot Be Optional

Scaling telehealth is one thing—doing it well is another. As virtual care becomes normalized, the bar for quality must remain high.

Matching in-person standards

According to the Medical Board of Australia, a telehealth consult must aim for the same standard of care as face-to-face visits (when clinically possible). New guidelines came into effect in September 2023, tightening expectations for consultation quality. Practitioners must adhere to their board’s code, be mindful of limitations, and escalate to in-person care when needed.

Safety, privacy & data compliance

Telehealth platforms must be secure, have end-to-end encryption, comply with the Privacy Act 1988, and align with state privacy laws. Health information is sensitive, so robust governance is non-negotiable.

Inclusion, equity & access

Even the best telehealth model fails if people can’t access it. Connectivity, device availability, and digital literacy are real issues—especially in remote, low-income, or older communities. Providers must consider inclusivity—support, training, or hybrid “hub” models may help bridge the digital divide.

Avoiding superficial or “checklist” medicine

A danger in telehealth is that it reduces interactions to rote checklists or algorithms. High-quality care still requires listening, clinical judgment, and time for nuance. There’s concern in Australia about some platforms prescribing with minimal assessment, or overreliance on AI without human oversight. Regulators have fielded complaints about telehealth prescribing practices.

Training, monitoring, and continuous improvement

Clinicians must be trained in remote communication, telehealth workflow, and patient engagement. Telehealth services should monitor outcomes, user feedback, and safety incidents—and iterate. Accreditation like EQuIP7 for Telehealth offers a framework for safe, effective, accessible services.

Challenges That Still Loom

Telehealth’s rise hasn’t erased all barriers. Here are key ones to watch:

Low uptake of video in general practice

Surprisingly, video-based consults remain underutilised. A 2022 study showed video was used in only ~5 % of GP telehealth consults, some months lower. Factors include clinician comfort, reimbursement models, and patient technology constraints. Without strong incentives, video use may lag.

Infrastructure & connectivity gaps

Some remote and rural regions still struggle with reliable broadband or stable connectivity. Latency, dropped calls, or poor quality video make consults frustrating or clinically unsafe.

Digital divide & literacy

Patients lacking devices, confidence, or tech skills may be excluded. Without intentional outreach, telehealth risks widening health inequities rather than closing them.

Clinical limits

Physical exams, palpation, diagnostic touch-based assessments, and acute/emergency care cannot always be done remotely. Telehealth must acknowledge those boundaries and refer when needed.

Policy, reimbursement & financial incentives

If reimbursement favours telephone or in-person over video, or if telehealth consults are undervalued, clinicians may resist adopting richer virtual modes. Pricing parity laws and incentives are under study. The policy environment must keep pace.

Oversight, misuse, and regulatory catch-up

Rapid expansion means some providers may operate on shaky compliance. As noted earlier, complaints about prescribing without adequate assessment or AI-driven prescribing have emerged. Regulators need to catch up with standards, audits, and enforcement.

What’s Ahead: The Telehealth Horizon

What may 2025 and beyond bring?

Smarter, more predictive telehealth

Telehealth platforms will get more intelligent—triaging, personalising, alerting clinicians to red flags, and anticipating patient needs using AI and data analytics.

Seamless hybrid care

Patients will move fluidly between virtual and in-person modes without friction. Labs, imaging, prescriptions, and referrals will interconnect so telehealth is part of the overall continuum, not a silo.

Expansion into telepharmacy, tele-allied, and tele-diagnostics

Pharmacists are already stepping into telehealth: Anna Barwick’s telepharmacy service, PharmOnline, is one example. Expect growth in remote pharmacy consults, remote diagnostic services (e.g. remote ECG, point-of-care imaging), and allied health domains.

Policy reforms & universal access

The Australian government has floated proposals like 1800 MEDICARE, offering a 24/7 telehealth line accessible to all Australians. That could shift baseline expectations of care access.

Focus on vulnerable and underserved communities

Telehealth models will increasingly target inclusion—programs to subsidise devices, digital navigators, local telehealth hubs (in community centers or clinics), and culturally safe models for Indigenous health.

Stronger regulation and telehealth accreditation

To safeguard trust, governments and health boards will accelerate regulation frameworks for AI in health, telehealth prescribing, privacy, and quality audits. Accreditation systems like EQuIP7 will gain traction.

Tips for Patients and Providers to Get the Most Out of Telehealth

Here are practical takeaways:

  • Choose providers known for quality: Look for clinicians or clinics with good reviews, credentials, and clear policies around privacy and escalation.
  • Favor video over phone when possible: video gives more clinical cues, aligns more with guidelines, and often enhances rapport.
  • Be prepared: have your notes, relevant test results, photos, or questions ready for the consultation.
  • Ensure tech readiness: stable internet, well-lit space, quiet surroundings, good camera and microphone.
  • Ask about follow-up plans: how and when in-person care is integrated, escalation paths, lab coordination.
  • Provide feedback: tell your provider what worked, what didn’t, so they can improve.
  • Support inclusion: if you know people with limited tech access, help them get connected or show them how to use the tools.

Conclusion

Telehealth consults are no longer a fringe experiment in Australia—they’re central to how many people access healthcare in 2025. The transformation is changing access, continuity, patient experience, and care models. But as we adopt, we must also safeguard quality, equity, and safety. The phrase quality telehealth services in Australia is not a slogan—it’s a foundational guardrail. When telehealth is done thoughtfully and responsibly, it has the potential to reshape care for the better.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1: Who is eligible for telehealth under Medicare in Australia?

In many cases, patients can claim telehealth (video or phone) via the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) or through the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA). Eligibility rules depend on service type, provider, and whether you have previously seen that GP.

Q2: Can a patient’s first visit be via telehealth?

Yes, under updated guidelines (effective September 2023), a first consult via telehealth is permitted in some cases, though clinicians must ensure they can make safe decisions under remote constraints.

Q3: What are the limits of telehealth?

Telehealth cannot replace everything. Physical exams, emergencies, complex diagnostics, or interventions that require hands-on care must be done in person. Providers should transfer or follow up physically when needed.

Q4: Why is video consult uptake low in general practice?

Multiple factors: clinician comfort, reimbursement incentives that favour phone, patient tech limitations, and workflow challenges. A 2022 study found video consults dropped from ~6.5% to ~4.1% over the year.

Q5: How can privacy be ensured in telehealth?

Telehealth platforms must comply with the Privacy Act 1988, use secure data storage, encryption, and follow state laws. Providers should be transparent about data use and consent.

Q6: What should providers do to maintain high quality in telehealth?

Train staff in remote communication, use accredited standards (e.g. EQuIP7), collect feedback and outcomes, monitor safety incidents, and maintain clear escalation protocols.