Frequently asked questions

Through our online booking system. Choose your appointment type and a time, enter your details, and you will receive a confirmation SMS straight away.

Most people find a same-day time, and appointments are available seven days a week including evenings. Availability varies by appointment type — longer appointments such as mental health consultations and treatment plans tend to book out further ahead.

Phone suits most appointments and works anywhere you have mobile reception.

Choose video if it would help the doctor to see you — a rash you want looked at, or if you would simply rather talk face to face. You will get a link by SMS shortly before your appointment. It opens in your browser and there is no app to install. Video uses roughly the same data as a video call on any other service.

No — new patients are welcome. Note that Medicare's rules for telehealth rebates do usually require an existing relationship with the practice. New patients without that history can still book as private patients. See eligibility.

Consultations sometimes run over when someone needs more time — one day that person may be you. If we are running more than 15 minutes behind, we will send you an SMS. Please keep your phone with you and answer calls from private or withheld numbers.

Yes, for a child you are responsible for, or for an adult who has asked you to and who will be present for the consultation. The doctor needs to speak with the patient. For a child aged 14 or over, the doctor may ask to speak with them privately for part of the appointment.

Yes. Note it when you book and we will do our best. It may mean waiting a little longer for a suitable time.

Yes. We can arrange a telephone interpreter at no cost to you through the Translating and Interpreting Service. Tell us the language you need when you book so we can organise it in advance. We can also arrange appointments with the National Relay Service.

Anywhere in Australia. You need to be physically in Australia at the time of the consultation — our doctors are registered to practise here and cannot treat you while you are overseas.

No. Every appointment type is available to patients without a Medicare card at a private fee, shown before you confirm your booking.

Yes, as a private patient. We will email you an itemised receipt that you can submit to your Overseas Student Health Cover or Overseas Visitor Health Cover provider. Many policies reimburse most or all of a GP consultation, but check your own policy.

Australia has reciprocal health care agreements with a number of countries, and visitors from those countries may be able to enrol in Medicare for medically necessary treatment. Tell us where you are visiting from when you book and we will help you work out what applies. Otherwise, the private fee applies.

You can find your Medicare number in the Express Plus Medicare app or through myGov. If your card has genuinely expired, Services Australia can issue a new one. We cannot claim a rebate without a valid number, but you can still be seen and pay privately.

Almost always because Medicare does not have your current bank details. Update them through myGov or the Medicare app and the payment will follow. If it has been more than three business days and your details are correct, email accounts@breckenhealth.com.au and we will check the claim went through.

Usually within an hour of the consultation, and always the same day. Prescriptions arrive as an SMS token. Certificates and referrals are emailed as PDFs. Check your junk folder if nothing has arrived.

You get an SMS with a barcode token. Show it at any Australian pharmacy, which scans it and dispenses your medicine. If your prescription has repeats, the pharmacy sends you a fresh token each time you fill it. Do not delete the SMS until the script is fully used.

A certificate issued after a telehealth consultation has exactly the same legal standing as one issued in person. It includes the doctor's name, AHPRA registration number and practice contact details, and employers can verify it with us. In our experience employers accept them without difficulty.

No. A doctor can only certify what they have assessed. If you were unwell earlier in the week, the doctor can note the history you have given, but cannot certify that you were unfit for work on days before they saw you. This is a professional obligation, not a policy we can make exceptions to.

A referral from a GP to a specialist is generally valid for 12 months from the date of your first appointment with that specialist, unless the referral says otherwise. Indefinite referrals are possible for some ongoing conditions. Keep the PDF — you will need it at your appointment.

Yes — contact us and we will correct any clerical error, such as a misspelled name or a wrong date of birth, free of charge. We cannot change clinical content, such as the dates you were assessed as unfit.

No. We do not prescribe opioids, benzodiazepines, stimulants, medicinal cannabis or any other drug of dependence by telehealth, under any circumstances. Safe prescribing of these medicines requires continuity of care and access to your full history. Please see a GP in person.

No. Call 000 for any emergency. Chest pain, difficulty breathing, severe bleeding, signs of stroke, a severe allergic reaction, or thoughts of harming yourself all need immediate in-person help, not a telehealth appointment.

Not by telehealth. These require examination and continuity of care, and are best done by a GP who knows you and can see you in person.

We work best alongside a regular GP rather than replacing one. Everyone benefits from a doctor who knows them, can examine them and can coordinate their care over time. If you do not have one, ask us — we will help you find a practice near you taking new patients.

Only the treating doctor and the practice staff who need it to provide your care and administer your account. We do not share your information with employers, family members, insurers or anyone else without your consent, except in the narrow circumstances the law requires — such as a court order or a serious threat to someone's safety.

No. Consultations are not audio or video recorded. Your doctor writes clinical notes during or after the appointment, in the same way as an in-person visit.

Some documents, such as prescriptions and event summaries, may be uploaded to My Health Record if you have one. You can ask us not to upload a particular consultation, and you can control your own record's settings through myGov. Just tell your doctor.

Yes. You have a right of access to your health information under the Privacy Act. Contact us to make a request — we will respond within 30 days. A reasonable administrative fee may apply for large requests, and we will tell you the amount before we start.

Tell the doctor during the consultation rather than in an online form. If there is something you do not want recorded in a certificate or shared with a third party, say so — the doctor will work with you on how it is documented.