Telehealth GP appointments in Perth, bulk billed for eligible patients
Whether your telehealth appointment is bulk billed comes down to three things.
We bulk bill a telehealth appointment up to 15 minutes if a Perth Home GP doctor has visited your home in the last 12 months.
The same applies to a patient under 1, or an urgent problem booked after hours and consulted after 11pm. Otherwise that consult is $70, with no Medicare rebate.
Every doctor is a GP Fellow, meaning fully qualified as a specialist GP. We’re here day and night. Call 1300 815 321 to book.
Anyone in Australia who needs a GP and doesn’t need to be examined in person. You don’t have to be an existing patient.
Bulk billed after a home visit from us within 12 months, for a patient under 1, or an urgent issue after 11pm. Otherwise $70 for 15 minutes.
Call 1300 815 321. Reception will tell you the times available, book you in and confirm whether a fee is payable.
Day and night, 7 days a week, including public holidays. Most consults happen by video, with phone available when video isn’t an option.
Will my telehealth appointment be bulk billed?
A bulk billed telehealth appointment is available in the following situations. Our guide to the Medicare telehealth eligibility rules explains all three ways to qualify, and the exemptions.
When an urgent after hours call is bulk billed
All three of these have to be true.
- The problem is urgent.
- You book inside the after hours period, which is after 6pm on weekdays, from midday on Saturday, or any time Sunday or a public holiday.
- The doctor consults you after 11pm.
Our telehealth doctors bulk bill that consult up to 15 minutes.
More on after hours telehealth →What can our telehealth doctors help with?
Our telehealth doctors treat a wide range of conditions. Other telehealth services we can provide include repeat prescriptions, eScripts, referrals and medical certificates. An eScript is an electronic prescription sent to your phone by SMS that you can fill at any pharmacy.
Patient stories
What our patients say about our telehealth service
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Rated 5 out of 5 on Google
I didn’t expect to have such a great experience seeing a GP for my kid at midnight. Booking was super easy and the attending GP had such a calm demeanour. I’d recommend it to everyone need a Telehealth GP consultation.
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Rated 5 out of 5 on Google
Very efficient and friendly. I needed a new script quite urgently and was struggling to get one as Brit on holiday in Australia. Everything was sorted out within a few hours, all over the phone and then by tele consultation. What a relief! Would defintely recommend.
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Rated 5 out of 5 on Google
Always five stars for Dr Patton! I got a zoom call within ten mins and he was very thorough.
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Rated 5 out of 5 on Google
Very impressed with the Telehealth consultation this evening. First time I have used this service and would highly recommend them
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Rated 5 out of 5 on Google
Was reassuring to get a telehealth appointment at short notice for a friend who wasn't well. Thank you.
How does a video or phone telehealth consult work?
Wherever possible we consult by video. If that isn’t an option for you, a consult with a doctor over the phone is available for many requests.
It is simple. Your GP sends a link by SMS to your phone, or by email if you’d prefer. You click the link and go into an online waiting room, and the GP joins you there for your consultation.
If you’ve booked a phone consult, the GP calls you at your allocated time.
Seeing an online doctor is just like consulting a GP in a clinic, only you’ll be talking with your GP over video or phone.
When do I need to see a doctor in person?
For some medical problems an in-person assessment is needed, for example pressing on the abdomen when someone has severe tummy pain.
Even then, a telehealth consult can be worth having. After hours especially, our GPs use telehealth to give guidance. If a parent is worried about a child, the GP can advise whether a trip to the emergency department is needed. They can also say whether it’s safe to wait and see your regular GP the next day.
What makes Perth Home GP different is that we’re not just a telehealth clinic. We’re a full General Practice that also provides regular care and urgent care through home visits, including daytime home visits and after hours home visits. We also provide regular care to homebound patients. If you think you need an in-person assessment, a home visit may be the better fit.
Should I book telehealth or a home visit?
When consulting a GP you can choose between telehealth, a home visit, or attending a GP clinic. Various factors influence the best option, including where you live, how easy it is for you to get to a clinic, the time of day, cost, and whether you need an in-person consultation.
| Phone or video consult | GP home visit | Clinic appointment | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where | Wherever you are in Australia | Your home | The clinic you travel to |
| Examination | Video examination or review of photo e.g. rash | In-person examination at home | In-person examination at the clinic |
| Hours | Day and night, 7 days | Day and night, 7 days | The clinic’s own opening hours |
| Cost | Bulk billed for eligible patients, otherwise $70 | Not bulk billed, see our fees page | Depends on the clinic |
| Best for | Advice, scripts, certificates, referrals and conditions not needing in-person assessment | In-person examination when getting to a clinic is difficult | In-person examination when getting to a clinic is easy |
Four situations people call us about
Illustrative examples, not real patients.
“I’m too unwell to work today and I can’t get in to see anyone. Nobody needs to look at me, I just need a certificate before my manager’s cut off this afternoon. I haven’t got a regular GP I can reach at short notice.”
Yes. A GP can assess you by phone or video and provide you with a certificate by email. You don’t need to have been a patient before, so call 1300 815 321.
“My asthma preventer ran out and I’ve been meaning to sort it for a fortnight. I’m not sick, I’ve just let it slide, and now I’ve got nothing to take in the mornings. Is that something you can do without me coming in?”
Yes, and the GP will ask how your asthma’s been tracking. A prescription can be sent to your phone as an eScript. Call 1300 815 321.
“My four year old has had a high fever since this afternoon and it’s now 9pm. She’s miserable and I can’t settle her. I honestly can’t tell whether this is something to sit out at home or whether I should be taking her to the emergency department.”
A GP can help you decide. We assess sick children by video at night regularly, and give parents guidance and reassurance. If the GP thinks your child needs assessing in the emergency department, they’ll write you a referral letter and send a copy to the ED. Call 1300 815 321.
“I get migraines regularly and I’ve got a bad one now. I’ve run out of my medication, it’s 11pm and my own GP isn’t open until the morning. I don’t know how I’m meant to get through the night.”
Yes. A GP can assess you and send any prescription you need to your phone as an eScript. The pharmacy that’s open the latest in Perth is Beaufort Chemist in Mount Lawley, which closes at 2am, so you still have options. Call 1300 815 321.
How do I book a telehealth appointment?
We provide telehealth to patients located anywhere in Australia. Our home visits cover the Perth, Rockingham and Mandurah regions, and you can check if we visit your suburb on our service area page.
Call 1300 815 321
Call our reception team, who will tell you the times available and clarify whether a fee is payable.
Choose 15 or 30 minutes
Choose from an up to 15 minute or an up to 30 minute consult, and the consultation time that suits you.
Video or phone call
Receive a link by SMS to your video room, or a phone call from your GP.
After your consult
Prescriptions, certificates and referrals come through electronically once the consult ends. With your consent we send a copy of your notes to your regular GP for continuity of care.
Meet the team behind your care
Our team of GPs, together with our practice nurse and geriatrician, provide regular and urgent care through home visits and telehealth, day and night.
Common questions
Questions people ask about telehealth appointments
Can telehealth be bulk billed in Perth?
Yes, a bulk billed telehealth appointment is available in three situations. We bulk bill telehealth appointments up to 15 minutes if a Perth Home GP doctor has visited your home in the last 12 months. We also bulk bill when the patient is under 1, and when an urgent booking made after hours is consulted after 11pm. Otherwise it’s $70.
Is GP telehealth covered by Medicare?
Medicare provides rebates for telehealth to patients who have had an in-person consultation with their GP practice within the last 12 months. That’s why we can bulk bill our patients for 12 months after they’ve had a home visit with us. Medicare makes two exceptions to that. It provides a rebate for children under 1, and for any patient with an urgent issue who books after hours and is consulted after 11pm. The full eligibility rules are on the Services Australia website.
Do I have to have seen Perth Home GP before?
No. Anyone can book a telehealth appointment with us, whether or not we’ve met you. What a previous home visit changes is the fee, not your access. Without one, a consult of up to 15 minutes is $70. We also bulk bill a patient under 1, and an urgent problem booked after hours and consulted after 11pm, whether or not we’ve visited you.
Is telehealth available after hours?
Yes. We’re available day and night, 7 days a week, including public holidays. An urgent problem booked in the after hours period and consulted after 11pm is bulk billed. More detail is on our after hours telehealth page.
What if I need to be examined?
Your GP can examine some things over video, and can ask you to send a photo, for example of a rash. For an in-person examination you would need a home visit. A Perth Home GP doctor can come to you across Perth, Rockingham and Mandurah, day or night. See how daytime home visits and after hours home visits work.
Is Perth Home GP a telehealth clinic?
No, Perth Home GP is an accredited mobile GP practice, and telehealth is one part of what we do. Every doctor is a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners or the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine. In addition to telehealth our GPs also undertake home visits across Perth, Rockingham and Mandurah.
Is an online doctor the same as seeing a GP?
Yes and no. It’s the same in that an online doctor consult with us is with a GP Fellow, a fully qualified specialist GP. They consult you by video or over the phone. What’s different is that they can’t examine you in person over telehealth. Where an in-person assessment is needed, we can provide that through a home visit.
What’s the latest pharmacy open in Perth?
The latest opening chemist in Perth is Beaufort Chemist, at 647 Beaufort Street, Mount Lawley, which closes at 2am. For urgent treatment late at night, our telehealth GPs can send an eScript to your phone, which you can take to Beaufort Chemist to fill.
How is Perth Home GP able to offer more bulk billing telehealth appointments than other practices?
Two reasons. We have more bulk billing options available compared to telehealth clinics, and we operate more hours than GP clinics.
Unlike a telehealth clinic, we also visit patients at home. Medicare provides a rebate to patients who have had an in-person consultation with their GP practice. So patients who have had a home visit from us get 12 months of bulk billed telehealth afterwards.
And unlike a clinic that is closed after hours, we consult day and night, 7 days a week. Operating later at night lets us bulk bill an urgent after hours consult taken after 11pm.
Clinical review
Last clinically reviewed
Medically reviewed by Dr Mike Patton, MBBS, FRACGP, GP and Clinical Director, Perth Home GP.
Reviewed for clinical accuracy against current Australian guidance.
This page is general information and is not a substitute for medical advice. If you have concerns about your health, speak to a doctor. In a medical emergency, call Triple Zero (000) immediately.
Speak to a GP today
To book a telehealth consultation, please call our reception team on 1300 815 321. They’ll tell you the times available and confirm if a fee is payable. We’re here day and night, 7 days a week.