Telehealth GP
Appointments
Sometimes you need to speak with your GP, but coming into the medical centre is not the most practical option. A telehealth appointment can make it easier for eligible patients to stay connected with their doctor when a remote consultation is clinically appropriate.
Telehealth is available to eligible patients who have attended our Cannonvale practice in person within the previous 12 months. Some health concerns still need a physical examination, so telehealth will not be the right option for every appointment.
The important question is not simply: “Can this be done online?”
It is: “Can my doctor safely assess what I need without seeing me in person?”
Another Way of Accessing General Practice: Not a Replacement
Telehealth can be useful when the conversation is more important than the consulting room. For some appointments your GP may be able to review an ongoing concern, discuss follow-up care or talk through the next step without requiring you to travel to the clinic. For others, being physically examined is an important part of safe medical care.
You, at Home
A private space and a scheduled appointment time.
Your Coral Coast GP
The same doctor and the same records as your in-person care.
Cannonvale Clinic
Where care continues if an examination is required.
Eligibility
Attended in person within the previous 12 months
Who Can Book a Telehealth Appointment?
Under the clinic's current policy, telehealth appointments are available to eligible patients who have attended Coral Coast Doctors in person within the previous 12 months. This means telehealth is primarily designed to help existing patients access appropriate ongoing GP care remotely.
Eligibility may also depend on
- The reason for your appointment
- Whether a physical examination is needed
- Medicare requirements
- Your individual medical circumstances
- The type of follow-up required
If you are unsure whether telehealth is suitable for what you need, contact reception before booking.
Telehealth for a child or patient with a carer
For a telehealth consultation with a parent or carer, the child or patient must be present during the appointment. A family member, carer or support person may participate with the patient's consent.
May Be Suitable for Telehealth
For an appropriate patient and appointment, a remote consultation may potentially be useful for:
- Follow-up care
- Ongoing health concerns
- Medication discussions
- Reviewing how you have been going since a previous appointment
- Discussing referrals
- Discussing investigation results
- Some chronic disease follow-up
- Some mental health consultations
- General medical advice relevant to an existing patient
Whether a particular issue can be safely managed through telehealth remains a clinical decision.
When an In-Person Appointment Is Better
Convenience should never come before an appropriate medical assessment. Your GP may recommend attending Cannonvale if your appointment requires:
- A physical examination
- Direct assessment of a new or changing physical concern
- A procedure
- A skin examination
- Certain measurements or clinical observations
- Testing or investigations available at the clinic
- Another form of hands-on assessment
This does not mean telehealth has “failed”. It simply means your doctor needs more information before making an appropriate clinical decision.
Book an In-Person GP AppointmentDifferent From an Anonymous Instant-Doctor Platform
People often search for an online doctor because what they really want is something simpler: access to their GP without making an unnecessary trip. Our telehealth service forms part of the general practice care provided through our Cannonvale medical centre.
For eligible patients, that means the remote appointment can sit within an existing healthcare relationship: with your GP able to consider relevant information from your ongoing care at the practice. That continuity is one of the most useful reasons to choose telehealth through your regular GP rather than treating every online appointment as an isolated consultation.
Explore Family Medicine
Four Straightforward Stages
Step 1
Book the Appropriate Appointment
Use the clinic's booking system or contact reception. If you are unsure whether your concern is appropriate for telehealth, ask before booking.
Step 2
Make Sure Your Contact Details Are Current
The clinic needs accurate contact information to manage your appointment and any appropriate follow-up.
Step 3
Speak With Your GP
Explain your concern as you would in person. Have information such as current medications or relevant health history available.
Step 4
Work Out What Happens Next
The consultation may be enough on its own, or your doctor may recommend an in-person appointment, further testing, monitoring or referral.
Telehealth is the appointment: not necessarily the end of the healthcare journey.
Your GP will advise what, if anything, needs to happen next.
Prescriptions & Telehealth
Needing a prescription does not automatically mean a medication can be issued remotely. Patients should contact reception or book an appointment for new or repeat prescriptions, and the GP must review whether the medication remains safe and appropriate. Some prescriptions may require an in-person assessment, recent testing or ongoing monitoring. Arrange prescription appointments before your medication runs out.
Can I Discuss Test Results by Telehealth?
We ask patients to arrange a follow-up appointment to discuss pathology, imaging and other investigation results with their doctor. Reception may confirm whether a result has arrived but cannot interpret it or give clinical advice. Your doctor may instead ask you to attend the Cannonvale practice if an examination or further testing is needed.
Referrals & Follow-Up Care
A GP appointment often involves working out what happens next. Whether a referral can appropriately be managed during telehealth will depend on the reason for the referral and your individual clinical circumstances. Telehealth remains part of your broader GP care rather than a completely separate service.
Telehealth & Mental Health
For some eligible patients, telehealth may provide another way to speak with a GP about mental wellbeing when remote care is appropriate. Mental Health Care Plans and more complex concerns may require additional appointment time, so let reception know what you want to discuss when booking.
Explore Mental Health ServicesTelehealth & Chronic Disease Care
Regular review can involve discussing symptoms, medications, test results or changes in how you have been managing. For eligible patients, some follow-up conversations may be suitable for telehealth. Others may still require physical assessment.
Explore Chronic Disease ManagementTelehealth for Children
Telehealth may also be available for eligible children where the consultation is suitable for remote care. One important clinic rule: the child must be present with their parent or carer during the consultation, and each child being assessed requires their own appointment.
Explore Children's Health
At Home in Airlie Beach? Your GP Is Still in Cannonvale
Telehealth can be particularly practical for eligible patients living around the Whitsundays. Coral Coast Doctors' physical medical centre is located in Cannonvale. Patients from Airlie Beach and surrounding communities can attend the clinic for in-person healthcare and may also use telehealth when they meet the practice requirements and the consultation is suitable for remote care.
The telehealth service does not mean Coral Coast Doctors has a separate Airlie Beach or national online clinic. It is another way eligible patients can access care through the Cannonvale general practice.
View Our Cannonvale Medical CentreBulk Billing & Telehealth
Coral Coast Doctors offers bulk billed consultations for Medicare-eligible patients where the service is eligible under Medicare. Some services may not be eligible for bulk billing or may attract an out-of-pocket fee. Telehealth also has its own Medicare eligibility requirements.
Eligible telehealth consultations may be bulk billed where Medicare and clinic eligibility requirements are met.
If you are uncertain, reception can confirm what applies before you book.
View Fees & Bulk BillingTelehealth Is Convenient. Continuity Makes It Better.
When telehealth sits alongside in-person general practice, your care can move between the two depending on what is medically appropriate. One appointment might happen remotely. The next might need to happen in Cannonvale. Both are part of the same healthcare relationship.
Preparing for Your Telehealth Appointment
A little preparation can help the consultation run smoothly.
- Make sure your contact details are current
- Have your Medicare information available where relevant
- Keep a list of your current medications nearby
- Have relevant results or documents available if the practice does not already hold them
- Find somewhere reasonably private where you can speak openly
- Write down questions you do not want to forget
- Make sure a child is present if the appointment is for them
And if your health changes significantly before the appointment, do not assume that telehealth remains the right form of care. Contact the clinic if you are unsure.
Telehealth Is Not Emergency Care
Telehealth should not be used as a substitute for emergency medical care. Coral Coast Doctors is not an emergency department.
For a serious or life-threatening illness or injury, call Triple Zero (000) or attend the nearest emergency department.
For non-emergency health advice in Queensland outside clinic hours, 13 HEALTH: 13 43 25 84.
Telehealth FAQs
Do you offer telehealth appointments?
Yes. Telehealth appointments are available for eligible patients who have attended Coral Coast Doctors in person within the previous 12 months. Some health concerns require a physical examination, so your doctor may recommend an in-person appointment. For a child's telehealth consultation, the child must be present with their parent or carer during the appointment.
How do I request a prescription?
Please contact reception or book an appointment when you need a new or repeat prescription. Your GP must review whether the medication remains safe and appropriate for you. Some prescriptions require an in-person assessment, recent tests or ongoing monitoring. Please arrange your appointment before your medication runs out, as prescriptions cannot always be issued immediately.
How long is an appointment?
A standard appointment at Coral Coast Doctors is 10 minutes and is generally suitable for discussing one straightforward health concern. Please book a longer appointment for multiple health concerns; mental health concerns or a Mental Health Treatment Plan; chronic disease management or a complex medical problem; or detailed forms, assessments, procedures or comprehensive health checks. Selecting the appropriate appointment length gives your doctor enough time to provide thorough and safe care. Please speak with reception if you are unsure which appointment type to book.
Does Coral Coast Doctors offer telehealth?
Yes. Telehealth appointments are available to eligible patients.
Who is eligible for telehealth?
The clinic's current policy states that eligible patients must have attended Coral Coast Doctors in person within the previous 12 months.
Can a new patient book telehealth?
Under the stated clinic policy, a new patient who has not attended in person during the previous 12 months would not meet the current telehealth eligibility requirement.
Is telehealth bulk billed?
Eligible general practice consultations may be bulk billed where Medicare and clinic eligibility requirements are met. Confirm the billing arrangement with reception if you are unsure.
Can I get a prescription through telehealth?
That depends on the medication and your circumstances. Some prescriptions require an in-person assessment, recent testing or ongoing monitoring.
Can I discuss test results through telehealth?
A follow-up appointment is required to discuss investigation results with your doctor. Whether telehealth is appropriate for that follow-up depends on the clinical circumstances.
Can children use telehealth?
Eligible children may use telehealth where clinically appropriate, but the child must be present with their parent or carer during the appointment.
What if my doctor needs to examine me?
Your GP may recommend an in-person appointment at Coral Coast Doctors in Cannonvale.
Can I use telehealth if I live in Airlie Beach?
Eligible patients may be able to use telehealth if the clinic's eligibility requirements are met and remote consultation is appropriate. Coral Coast Doctors' physical clinic remains in Cannonvale.
Need Your GP, But Not Necessarily the Waiting Room?
If you have attended within the previous 12 months and your needs may suit a remote consultation, check availability or speak with reception.
- Eligible existing patients
- Part of your ongoing GP care
- In-person care when it is needed
Medical content reviewed by Coral Coast Doctors
Content updated: September 2026