If you’ve never used a telehealth service before, the format is the part most people are uncertain about. Will it feel rushed? Will the clinician have read anything before we speak? What happens during and after your consultation?
Here’s what to actually expect, step by step.
Before the consult: your assessment
Everything starts with a structured online assessment. The assessment typically takes around 10 to 15 minutes to complete. You can save your progress and come back, and there’s no charge or commitment for filling it in.
The assessment asks about:
- Your cycle history, contraceptive use and any pregnancies
- Current symptoms in your own words, not pre-baked checkboxes
- Medications, supplements and allergies
- Lifestyle factors: sleep, stress, exercise, diet
- Family history of relevant conditions
- What matters most to you, and what you’d like to discuss
This isn’t busywork. Your clinician reads it in full before the call begins, so the consult itself can focus on listening rather than data entry.
The consult: up to 45 minutes
Telehealth consults at Emintell run up to 45 minutes for an initial appointment. That extended time allows for an unhurried clinical conversation in a single session.
What’s typically covered:
- A walkthrough of your assessment, with follow-up questions where the answers were ambiguous
- Specific symptom mapping: when did it start, what makes it better or worse, what have you already tried
- Investigations to date and what they did or didn’t show
- Discussion of options, with plain-language explanations of mechanism, evidence and trade-offs
- Pathology requests if needed (which can be completed at any accredited Australian lab)
- Referral pathways if your situation calls for it
You’ll have the space to discuss concerns that matter to you, in detail. That’s by design.
After the consult: your written care plan
Your written care plan is typically provided within 24 hours of your consultation, delivered to your patient portal. Timeframes may vary. It’s a structured document that explains:
- Your treatment plan and rationale, in plain English (if medication is deemed medically appropriate)
- Recommended follow-up timing, as advised by your clinician
- What to watch for, including any side-effects worth flagging and when to contact us
- Pathology timing if follow-up bloods are part of the plan
- When your next check-in is, and what we’ll be reviewing
Not all consultations result in a prescription. Your clinician may recommend lifestyle changes, monitoring, referrals, or further investigations.
If your clinician determines that medication is appropriate, any prescription is yours to take to the pharmacy of your choice.
Between consults: secure messaging
Care doesn’t pause between appointments. Through your portal you can message your care team for clarifications, side-effect questions or updates without paying for a new consult. Pathology results flow back into the portal automatically, and you’ll receive a written interpretation alongside your results.
What it isn’t
Telehealth isn’t a quick-script service, and it’s not a substitute for your regular GP for general primary care. We work alongside your GP, sending consult summaries with your consent, and we refer to in-person practitioners for procedures, imaging and anything that can’t be safely managed remotely.
Our goal is to provide clinical care in a format that works around your life.
Telehealth is not suitable for all health concerns. Your practitioner may recommend in-person assessment, urgent care, GP review, specialist referral, further investigation or no treatment depending on your circumstances.
This article is for general information only and should not replace individual clinical advice. Individual results vary based on your individual circumstances. Assessment findings do not guarantee a particular outcome.
Take the assessment when you’re ready.
