Five checks that take ten minutes and tell you whether an online health service is a real, doctor-led clinic, plus the warning signs worth walking away from.
A legitimate telehealth clinic in Australia uses AHPRA-registered doctors who assess you before anything is prescribed, dispenses through a licensed Australian pharmacy, shows you every cost before you pay, and has real Australian business details. You can check all of this yourself in about ten minutes, and it's worth doing before you share your health information with anyone.
Five checks worth doing
1. Look up the doctors. Every practising doctor in Australia is listed on the public AHPRA register. If the clinic names its doctors, search them. If it doesn't, ask the clinic to confirm its doctors are AHPRA-registered and that a doctor, not a form, makes the decision about your treatment.
2. Check how you're assessed. A real clinic takes a proper history before recommending anything, including your conditions, medications, allergies and goals. Be wary of anything that lets you choose a treatment first and answer questions later.
3. Ask where medicines come from. Anything prescribed should be dispensed by a licensed Australian pharmacy, on a prescription written for you. If a service can't tell you which pharmacy dispenses, or ships products from overseas, ask why.
4. Find the business behind it. Look for an Australian company name and ABN, a privacy policy that explains where your health data is stored, and a real way to contact a person.
5. Get the costs in writing. You should know exactly what you'll pay, what's included and what happens if the doctor decides treatment isn't right for you, all before money changes hands.
Warning signs
- Guaranteed results, before-and-after photos or patient testimonials. In Australia, health services aren't allowed to advertise this way, so a service that does is already ignoring the rules.
- A product menu or "add to cart" button for prescription medicines.
- Products labelled "not for human use" or "for research only". These haven't been made or checked for people to use.
- No doctor contact at all, or a doctor you can never reach after the first step.
- Pressure to pay quickly, or costs that only appear at checkout.
How UHD BioHealth measures up
We're a doctor-led telehealth clinic based in Melbourne, operated by UHD Bio Health Pty Ltd. Every patient is assessed by an AHPRA-registered doctor from a detailed questionnaire before anything is recommended, and a second, independent doctor reviews the plan and speaks with you before anything is prescribed. Medicines are dispensed by an Australian pharmacy and delivered to you. Your plan lists every cost before you pay, and the questionnaire, review and plan are free. Your health information is encrypted and stored in Australia.
You can read more in what to look for in a telehealth clinic and why two doctor reviews matter, or start the free questionnaire.
Common questions
How do I check a telehealth doctor is real?
Search their name on the public AHPRA register, which lists every registered health practitioner in Australia. If a clinic won't tell you who its doctors are, at least ask it to confirm they're AHPRA-registered and that a doctor will assess you before anything is prescribed.
Is it legal to buy prescription medicines online in Australia without seeing a doctor?
No. Prescription-only medicines need a prescription from an Australian prescriber after an assessment. A service that sells them through a shopping cart, without a doctor assessing you first, isn't operating as a legitimate clinic.
What's a red flag with an online health service?
Promises of guaranteed results, a product menu instead of a doctor's assessment, no clear costs before you pay, no Australian business details, or products labelled 'not for human use' or 'for research only'. Any one of these is worth stopping at.
Want a proper look?
An in-depth health questionnaire covering your history, symptoms, medications and lifestyle, read by an AHPRA-registered doctor within 24 hours. Bloodwork where it's needed, and a written plan before you pay anything.
General health information only, not medical advice. Complete our questionnaire and a doctor will assess whether a consult is right for you. Individual needs and outcomes vary. In an emergency, call 000.
What does a doctor-led health assessment cost in Australia?
What you're likely to pay to have a doctor properly look at your energy, sleep, recovery or long-term health, and the questions to ask before you pay anything.
Seeing a doctor-led telehealth clinic from Melbourne
UHD BioHealth is based in Melbourne and works by telehealth across Victoria and the rest of Australia. Here's how it works if you're in Melbourne, and what to expect.
A free doctor review. What's the catch?
Why UHD BioHealth doesn't charge for the questionnaire, the doctor's review or your written plan, what you do pay for if you go ahead, and what happens if you don't.