Telehealth explained: Your guide to finding the right doctor online
Telehealth, while it's always been available, really gained traction during the pandemic and has remained an important part of healthcare today.
Not only does it remove barriers to health care like physical distance and time constraints, it's also affordable and often more readily available.
Australian telehealth platform founded by GPs, Qoctor, is aiming to support the health of regional Australians by offering GP appointments, medical certificates, prescription renewals, pathology referrals and mental health support (including bulk-billed mental health plan referrals).
However, the platform is not looking to replace local GPs but rather work alongside and support them.
"We want people to think of online telehealth as an option if they are stuck for seeing a doctor," Qoctor CEO and GP Aifric Boylan said.
"In a lot of areas GP clinics are overbooked and we want to be able to meet people in the moment when they are seeking help. If you miss that opportunity because of wait times, sometimes people stop seeking help."
This is especially the case with mental health with appointments for mental health plans proving to be one of the more popular appointments.
The use of telehealth to access a mental health plan can help break down one barrier to health only for patients to face another when finding a local mental health professional.
This is where telehealth can also play a role but with a mental health platform like MeHelp offering bulk-billed psychology online.
"Using telehealth for a mental health plan is a frictionless process and you can be up and running with a psychology provider very quickly," Dr Boylan said.
When selecting a telehealth provider there are some important factors to consider including the platform, who you will be seeing, their qualifications and the appointment process.
There are rules and regulations around telehealth delivery but not all telehealth providers offer the same level of service.
"Choose your service wisely," Dr Boylan said.
"The gold standard is video call, but phone calls can be OK in some cases- and you should be speaking directly to the doctor or nurse, not through SMS or a third party.
"Some of this seems basic, but there are some services out there where the doctor doesn't even speak directly with the patient.
"It should also be made very clear what type of health professional you will be seeing, either a doctor or a nurse and you should be given enough time to talk about your issue and not be overly rushed."
An appointment with Qoctor has patients speak directly with their doctor on video call with plenty of time allocated for the type of appointment booked.
To learn more about Qoctor or to make an appointment, visit the website here.
This is sponsored content for Qoctor.
Telehealth, while it's always been available, really gained traction during the pandemic and has remained an important part of healthcare today.
Not only does it remove barriers to health care like physical distance and time constraints, it's also affordable and often more readily available.
Australian telehealth platform founded by GPs, Qoctor, is aiming to support the health of regional Australians by offering GP appointments, medical certificates, prescription renewals, pathology referrals and mental health support (including bulk-billed mental health plan referrals).
However, the platform is not looking to replace local GPs but rather work alongside and support them.
"We want people to think of online telehealth as an option if they are stuck for seeing a doctor," Qoctor CEO and GP Aifric Boylan said.
"In a lot of areas GP clinics are overbooked and we want to be able to meet people in the moment when they are seeking help. If you miss that opportunity because of wait times, sometimes people stop seeking help."
This is especially the case with mental health with appointments for mental health plans proving to be one of the more popular appointments.
The use of telehealth to access a mental health plan can help break down one barrier to health only for patients to face another when finding a local mental health professional.
This is where telehealth can also play a role but with a mental health platform like MeHelp offering bulk-billed psychology online.
"Using telehealth for a mental health plan is a frictionless process and you can be up and running with a psychology provider very quickly," Dr Boylan said.
When selecting a telehealth provider there are some important factors to consider including the platform, who you will be seeing, their qualifications and the appointment process.
There are rules and regulations around telehealth delivery but not all telehealth providers offer the same level of service.
"Choose your service wisely," Dr Boylan said.
"The gold standard is video call, but phone calls can be OK in some cases- and you should be speaking directly to the doctor or nurse, not through SMS or a third party.
"Some of this seems basic, but there are some services out there where the doctor doesn't even speak directly with the patient.
"It should also be made very clear what type of health professional you will be seeing, either a doctor or a nurse and you should be given enough time to talk about your issue and not be overly rushed."
An appointment with Qoctor has patients speak directly with their doctor on video call with plenty of time allocated for the type of appointment booked.
To learn more about Qoctor or to make an appointment, visit the website here.
This is sponsored content for Qoctor.
Telehealth, while it's always been available, really gained traction during the pandemic and has remained an important part of healthcare today.
Not only does it remove barriers to health care like physical distance and time constraints, it's also affordable and often more readily available.
Australian telehealth platform founded by GPs, Qoctor, is aiming to support the health of regional Australians by offering GP appointments, medical certificates, prescription renewals, pathology referrals and mental health support (including bulk-billed mental health plan referrals).
However, the platform is not looking to replace local GPs but rather work alongside and support them.
"We want people to think of online telehealth as an option if they are stuck for seeing a doctor," Qoctor CEO and GP Aifric Boylan said.
"In a lot of areas GP clinics are overbooked and we want to be able to meet people in the moment when they are seeking help. If you miss that opportunity because of wait times, sometimes people stop seeking help."
This is especially the case with mental health with appointments for mental health plans proving to be one of the more popular appointments.
The use of telehealth to access a mental health plan can help break down one barrier to health only for patients to face another when finding a local mental health professional.
This is where telehealth can also play a role but with a mental health platform like MeHelp offering bulk-billed psychology online.
"Using telehealth for a mental health plan is a frictionless process and you can be up and running with a psychology provider very quickly," Dr Boylan said.
When selecting a telehealth provider there are some important factors to consider including the platform, who you will be seeing, their qualifications and the appointment process.
There are rules and regulations around telehealth delivery but not all telehealth providers offer the same level of service.
"Choose your service wisely," Dr Boylan said.
"The gold standard is video call, but phone calls can be OK in some cases- and you should be speaking directly to the doctor or nurse, not through SMS or a third party.
"Some of this seems basic, but there are some services out there where the doctor doesn't even speak directly with the patient.
"It should also be made very clear what type of health professional you will be seeing, either a doctor or a nurse and you should be given enough time to talk about your issue and not be overly rushed."
An appointment with Qoctor has patients speak directly with their doctor on video call with plenty of time allocated for the type of appointment booked.
To learn more about Qoctor or to make an appointment, visit the website here.
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