Free (Medicare Bulk-Billed) After-Hours Doctor Home Visits @ 13 SICK, [VIC] DoctorDoctor (Melbourne) (+HealthTap)

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National Home Doctor Service

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    Mokr on 15/04/2024 - 12:08

    can you use those for just normal ailments, don't they need to be a bit more serious than a cough?

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  ShinK0 on 16/10/2023 - 16:09

  Never knew about this, thanks for the repost… we should still be allowed to upvote this.

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  capslock janitor on 16/10/2023 - 17:02

  [REPOST]

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  Haribo on 16/10/2023 - 22:22

  Don't understand how this can be no gap and normal in person gp appointments usually have a gap fee.

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    G Wok on 16/10/2023 - 23:40

    Same, how can this service be sustainable? The travel alone is a significant cost…ubers are expensive these days

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      chleo1 on 17/10/2023 - 11:02

      Same with bricks and mortar. A medical centre has to pay rent, cleaning, electricity, reception, heating and cooling etc etc. Payroll is the biggest outgoing.
      Include consumables like paper, tongue depressors and a lower medicare rebate for day hours then yes, GPs will have to charge a gap.

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    meelek on 15/04/2024 - 15:08

    A couple of reasons;
    1) Because frequently it's not a GP you see. Last I looked (as someone interested in working for them) it was 3rd year medical graduate and above. I personally didn't back my own skills in seeing the potential mix of patients at that point and my MDO won't cover me if I get myself out of my depth and scope of practice. You may well get a 'real' GP on occasion, but many have chosen GP for the lifestyle and pay is likely better in practice hours, so why would they work AH?

    2) Because successive governments in their collective wisdom, have frozen the medicare rebate for GPs at unsustainable low levels while looking the other way at the misuse of 'urgent' care after hours services by the practices and patients. Rebate for urgent care services is much higher than the 15min consultation rebate, and their call centres are pretty adept at bouncing back anything that's more complex to EDs anyway.

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  Rob-4x4 on 17/10/2023 - 07:54

  Nice idea but interesting use of the word "National" when the vast majority of Australia is not covered by it

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  jackshao on 15/04/2024 - 12:15

  -1

  ok

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  Dogstar on 15/04/2024 - 13:03

  For anyone in the Illawarra: https://radiodoctor.com.au

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  w3av3r on 15/04/2024 - 13:57

  for about a year now I've only been able to get $45 tellehealth appointments with this app. just me?

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  JuryWheel on 15/04/2024 - 14:22

  Anyone have success with this (or another easy service) to get a medical certificate - seems like such a waste when you clearly have a virus to go to a GP and pay $80+…

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    Frozensage on 15/04/2024 - 14:51

    yep they email me one after, was great especially if you have an employer who needs a cert for every sick leave.

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      yphuongd on 15/04/2024 - 15:18

      So, if I just have a cold and need a medical certificate for my sick leave, I wouldn't require an in-person visit?

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      JuryWheel on 16/04/2024 - 13:37

      Was this the "homedocter.com.au" service or "doctordoctor"?

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  Frozensage on 15/04/2024 - 14:50

  local GP couldn't book me in for an appointment cause its all full EXCEPT if I paid a gap there are all of a sudden more slots available.

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  zhaomh on 15/04/2024 - 16:25

  I recall we also have the bulk billed after-hour doctor in NSW through a 1300 hotline. Does anyone know the number, or has this been discontinued?

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  xyzzyxyzzy on 14/10/2024 - 13:05

  Used twice in Perth. No one was available after 12am :(

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  hopper on 14/10/2024 - 13:09

  used it when my kid was 1 year old and fell on floor, saved us at mid night.

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  yessum on 14/10/2024 - 14:55

  Used this last week for the first time and it was great, simple and quick. Not sure if it's bulk-billed (free) for subsequent appointments though based on this FAQ answer.

  What's my telehealth Medicare Eligibility

  To receive a bulk-billed telehealth consultation with a Medical Practitioner on our platform, you will need to have attended one of our 4000 subscribed GP practices in the last 12 months for a face-to-face consult. You will not need to have attended one of our 4000 subscribed GP clinics to receive a Medicare-funded telehealth consultation if your request falls under the following specific exemption categories:

  Children under the age of 12 months
  Patients who are homeless (do not have suitable accommodation alternatives)
  Patients receiving an urgent after-hours (unsociable hours) service
  Patients who are seeking assistance with smoking cessation
  Patients affected by ‘natural disaster’
  Patients accessing specific MBS items for blood borne viruses, sexual or reproductive health consultations, Pregnancy counselling services, mental health planning and treatment services and eating disorder planning and treatment services
  Patients of medical practitioners at an Aboriginal Medical Service or an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service
  People isolating because of a COVID-related State or Territory public health order, or in COVID-19 quarantine because of a State or Territory public health order
  However, if you do not meet all the criteria above, we recognise the urgent nature of healthcare after hours and will pay the Medical Practitioner on your behalf for your first consultation with subsequent consultations incurring private fees.

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    tonester on 14/10/2024 - 15:04

    that’s telehealth - this deal is:

    Free (Medicare Bulk-Billed) After-Hours Doctor Home Visits @ 13 SICK, [VIC] DoctorDoctor (Melbourne) (+HealthTap)

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  frewer on 14/10/2024 - 18:36

  My Regional town isnt on the list, my last visit to GP rather less than impressive, more like dismissive T_T. I just die quietly here

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    Alley Cat on 13/10/2025 - 17:15

    lol being dismissive is the love language of incompetent workers of any trade. Gotta keep shopping for GPs, don't give up!

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  Jsupjsupjsup on 14/04/2025 - 12:25

  Have attempted to use this service twice but both times the GP has cancelled. Pretty disappointing so far!

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  alUK234 on 14/04/2025 - 12:51

  -3

  Somewhat tangential but why do we accept doctors earning a tonne of money but then also tall about them as if they are super altruistic? Given 16% our taxes are spent on healthcare and then we pay insurance in many cases and out of pocket to fund a profession where we subsidise education costs, pretty much guarantee them a job for life with a very high salary and that requires no extra work (i.e. they dont take work home or do any work they are not paid for unlike moat of us), I think it should be a privalege to have such a job and things like out of hours etc should be mandated by gov't as a way of doctors (especially gps) giving back to society for all the privileges they are granted at our expense.

  Just throwing that out there to see if anyone agrees or if I am missing something!

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    alUK234 on 14/04/2025 - 15:01

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    I see ive been negged. Fair enough, but can you explain which part is wrong or where I am misguided? Or is it it because my comment is a little off topic? Which is also fine but its a bit cowardly to neg without explaining?

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      TimeWaster on 13/10/2025 - 17:02

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      I’ll try my best to help you understand why you’d been negged because I can see no one else did.

      Doctors don’t earn a tonne of money like you think. Some do - most don’t. A GP trainee rate is $47.58/hr. Sure they’re a trainee, but this is AFTER being an A/A+ standard student for 2-6 years of their high school life (factor in how much tutoring costs if they weren’t blessed with natural intelligence) and then 6-8 years of university (factor in the cost of this + living expenses because you definitely don’t have time to work and study one of the hardest degrees out there) and then internship and residency. Now we’re talking 12 years of INTENSE effort and work, doing a job (and degree) that is so stressful it has the highest suicide rate of any profession just to make that $47.58/hr. And this is still ignoring the opportunity cost if they went into business, consulting or investment banking instead (they certainly have the intelligence and determination for it) and also the fact that they’ve given up their 20s and maybe even 30s for this. Now they’ve got another 2-3 years of more intense unpaid study while working that job so they can graduate as a GP just for you to call them privileged. You’ve got to remember that most doctors could have been almost anything else. They chose this life to help people and we should nurture this or they will leave and do something less stressful and more lucrative.

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    drfuzzy on 14/04/2025 - 16:32

    I'll ignore most of the problems with your post, but want to ask where you got the 16% figure from? In Australia approx 9% of taxes are spent on healthcare compared to the USA where it is approx 17%.

    I have no idea where you pulled 16% from.

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      alUK234 on 16/04/2025 - 23:20

      This is a fair callout. The number I had was from 21/22 which is not a fair number to pick. You are correct that it is closer to 10% outside of that period. Still a huge amount of money when we pay insurance and gap payments too. My general point however is that doctors have a status that is not lived up to in my experience. I find doctors like to make a buck just as much as any other person, when combined with a lack of transparency in fees and no public pressure, feel that whilst it may be different in hospital..GPs have it pretty easy compared to most.

      Also - please point out the problems, I am genuinely open to changing my view.

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    Alley Cat on 13/10/2025 - 17:24

    The worst thing we have accomplished as a society is to overpay this profession. It attracts people who are intelligent enough to pass the exam, but have zero interest in the wellbeing of the patients unless it can be measured quantitively. Not discounting the resources required to get the certificate in order to practice and be paid, but that in itself should be a filter to rule out those who are in it for the wrong reasons, not becoming a 'cost of running a business'.

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  w3av3r on 14/04/2025 - 13:21

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  doctors mostly only offer telehealth these days, still better than paying.
  this service is the best way to get a sick note for work.

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    drfuzzy on 14/04/2025 - 16:30

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    No it isn't. You are costing taxpayers an enormous amount for something that is not urgent.

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      w3av3r on 14/04/2025 - 18:50

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      i think you'll find they don't do any 'urgent' medical care (that's what the ER is for), and they are free to arrange visits by most urgent if they need.
      thanks for looking out for us taxpayers though.

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  drfuzzy on 14/04/2025 - 16:28

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  This service is being abused by some in the community and the government have taken steps to crack down on it. It may eventually be severely limited or stopped completely due to the abuse.

  It is not intended as a replacement for your GP, but for genuine circumstances where you can't wait to see your GP later in the week.

  Types of abuse that are ruining it for everyone include patients delaying medical treatment to after hours so as to get a free home visit and people using it for non-urgent tasks such as scripts or minor ailments that can wait. It is costing taxpayers and takes a patient away from their normal GP who is left to pick up the pieces.

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    CharlieAus on 13/10/2025 - 14:16

    When we tried them maybe 3 times around 10 years ago for a sick baby they couldn't write scripts and said we'd have to go to our normal GP to get a script. Each time we had to wait hours and hours and got pretty fresh to English speaking doctors that made it hard to properly communicate the problems too. Can't imagine how anyone would abuse it, like what outcome they'd be hoping for heh.

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  syousef on 15/04/2025 - 00:40

  I tried this from western Sydney and got a call an hour later that no doctors were working in my area. I ended up doing hospital from home so it was pretty serious.

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  NoHorny on 13/10/2025 - 14:14

  Also tried this in Melbourne west, booked after hour appointments(a couple of times) for the kids (they get sick out of nowhere sometimes) and these guys called back an hour later saying there were no doctors available in the area.

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  lawyerz on 13/10/2025 - 15:04

  Wow OP from 2014.

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  MR-AM on 13/10/2025 - 16:36

  Most useless service — they give you a six-hour time frame, only to cancel just 10 minutes after booking, saying the doctor isn’t available!

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  furyou on 13/10/2025 - 16:45

  +1

  please don't abuse this, these doctors charge $250 to the government Each time we call them out. That's our taxes.
  most doctors will tele to update your scripts etc

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  deathjr on 13/10/2025 - 22:51

  you can see on your medicare page how much they charge, it's not $250 every time

  i've used the service a couple of times and the charges were from $70-110

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