Use the code HOLA10 for $10 off a medical certificate at Hola Health.
Single day: $6.90 (usually $16.90)
Multi day: $29 (usually $39)
I just received a 3 day certificate for $29 within approximately 5 minutes of applying for it.
Edit:
For those of you questioning why it costs more for multiple days, they require you to consult with a Telehealth consultant (via video) to be approved for multiple days, whereas you don't have to for a single day.
i did say visit your local bulk-billed GP. most don't but there are those that still does. if it worth it to you to find one that's up to you. and you can also call in for tele-health option if they offer it
Sometimes tele health also fully booked thanks to influx of immigrants this year.
And if i get one slot, the call time could be 3 hours later than booked appointment time
@Skinnerr: The shop and gp aee nice, but i think they prioritise thr face to face customers first if they are on site, and slot in tele in between
funny how most of the negger stay silent, afraid to say whats really on their mind.
I don't understand why my statement is being negged.
My GP is bulk billed, she's heaps busy and typically runs late so I do have to wait for her. On the other hand, at the same clinic there are a few doctors that flies through the patients, who I've seen as well.
Tele-health for me is not an appointment per say, my GP will just call me back that day and it could be anytime that day. This suits me too.
I don't understand why my statement is being negged.
I didn't neg you, but it's because your statement is incredibly ignorant, and condescending. Did you think the rest of us were too dumb to think of just going to our local GP?
It's great that you have access to a local bulk-billing GP with reasonable wait times. However, the reality is that many people do not. I have one bulk-billing "superclinc" near me, which always runs consistently late and is impossible to get a same-day booking.
This is an issue that has been widely reported on in the media, so it's not as if this situation is particularly uncommon. Similarly, not all GPs offer telhealth…etc., and many are certainly not free.
Is this true? I thought more GPs bulkbilled than not bulk bill but I havent tried many different areas. Just the ones close to home.
You'd struggle to find a bulk billing doctor in my entire state. It's not financially viable for a practice to bulk bill and many that tried are now closed.
My local Bulk bill GP averages a 80min wait for $6.9 this isnt bad
But like others have said you can get stat dec for free however i also understand people dont want to thrash stat decs more when a few times a year
In the past have used these online media certs they work pretty well esp if you have a lot of sick leave to take
Telehealth isn’t free at all practices. Mine still charges for this.
It’s only free (bulk billable) if the patient has visited in person in the last 12 months, AND they bulk bill telehealth.
I don’t bulk bill telehealth at all.
As HamBoi69 already said use a stat dec, save money and give back time to GPs who don’t need to have their time used to write medical certificates
Hmm using this logic. Hope you have never ask a tradesmen to come and quote some work for you
False equivalency.
Having to supply a medical certificate (especially for common illnesses) is a real issue impacting gp accessibility.
No it’s not.
That’s what GPs are for. General practice.
Constantly having to quote jobs without guarantee of work is a real issue.
Is a tad silly that any employer requires on of an employee - as the system is so easily gamed and if you cannot trust an employee to turn up & not fake illness, what really are you employing them for at all?
Shocked FWA stills allows this to be written into Awards, especially given the reality of how easy to get they are and how stretched the GP system is without dealing with nonsense like this.
Yep. And we are entitle to x days anyway, why giving them if not willing to accept people will take them?
You're not entitled to any sick leave if you're not unwell.
If everyone was expected to take all their sick leave all the time for no reason, what do you think would happen to salaries?
And then, after depleting their sick days, they'll come to work sick because they can't afford leave without pay.
If everyone took their sick days as budgeted, they would less likely to be ill down the road. Mental illness is not that obvious but far more common than you can imagine, even with all the awareness campaigns, plenty of people still stick it out due to pride or use work as a distraction and save it all up.
@Alley Cat: I strongly support the use of sick leave for mental health. I have often supported people under such circumstances. But they should see a doctor and get professional support to get better in the long run. I always steer people towards that.
@Make it so: Maybe you could then appreciate the possibility that the slackers are simply mentally ill too? If you think about it, why would someone slack off work? If they hate it, but still go to it every day, that doesn't sound like a logical person, does it? Lying is a very short-term strategy, a logical person also would not use it unless it's necessary. If you think that's because they are not intelligent enough to realise there's a consequence, that points to their cognitive capacity, because everyone understands the consequences of deception since childhood. It's all mental illness, and they won't have issues lying to themselves about not being mentally ill. If they need it to cope, let them, they may or may not get to the point of realising they need help. That's why you budget for the sick days.
You're not entitled to any sick leave if you're not unwell.
Yes, but why is it an assumption that there are hordes of people taking sick leave when not "really" unwell?
To be honest, I find the uppity-ness of this entire conversation quite funny - most of us do not work in jobs which are absolutely mission critical. The reality is that if someone is off for a day, it has very little (if not zero) impact on the broader picture. More often than not, those people have to "catch up" with things they missed out on whilst away anyway.
The idea that somehow hordes of people out there are itching to exploit their employers for a few extra days off (when many employees spend hours and hours of every week just sitting around anyway) is just silly IMO.
If everyone was expected to take all their sick leave all the time for no reason, what do you think would happen to salaries?
Nothing would happen at all, for the vast majority of jobs.
My view (as a people manager) is that laws around sick leave were written in a time and context for where most people were factory line workers, where you had to be present and physically working. This is just not the case for the vast majority of corporate jobs anymore.
The impact of taking sick leave is minimal, as it should be. What I tell my team is that I care about output and results - I trust that they are adults. If they need to finish up early, take the day off, their kid is sick, their mum needs to go to hospital…etc., whatever else - it's not my problem as long as the work is done and they are upfront with me.
I genuinely don't even check to see whether they log the sick leave on the Employee Portal / inform HR or not.
At the end of the day, services like this exist because most employers are not reasonable, and because the laws around sick leave are not really compatible with how most people work today.
Well timed for Monday
WTH? When did this become a thing? Paying for a medical certificate?????
Years ago. Keep up.
I've never had to pay for a medical certificate … so what's years ago?? Having said that, it's been at a least 7 years since my last medical certificate!
You've always had to pay for a medical certificate, it was just coming out of your taxes rather than on the spot.
The gap has widened so now bulk bill GPs are going away and you'll be paying for the service for often than not.
Not only not a deal, but an ethically questionable ripoff
Never had to show one doctors cert for the past 5 years at my employer.
Personal leave taken anytime with no questions asked to cover my illness and caring for my kids.
Consider yourselves too lucky mate.
Not all empoyers are like that. Ask around if you do t believe me
Congratulations?
Significantly cheaper to use stat dec.
And i heard there is this online service where you can get GP to visit your place at anytime even late evening and then issue sickie letter on the spot? Is that true?? Like a mobile GP??? How sick is this
Google "locum doctors" … you find services like 13sick … it's bulk billed because after hour service attracts higher medicare rebates
I tried 13sick the other day, it was a complete waste of time. Well, 3 minutes of the 'doctor''s time anyway. Heavy accent, kept trying to finish the session, was far more interested in giving me the certificate, which I didn't require. I needed a solution but he told me to get painkillers. Don't think anyone would pay for the service. Booked a session with a GP, crossing my fingers.
I've used a similar service.
I had the flu, I was genuinely bedridden and could not work at all for a few days.
I called my regular doctor, no appointments for another few days. I called around to several local clinics, none willing to accept a new patient. Tried Healthengine, there was a clinic 30 mins away that had a time later in the day - I didn't think I felt up to driving 30 mins given I was bedridden.
Emailed HR to ask if a stat dec would be okay, they said they prefer a medical certificate. I have a good relationship with my employer and like my job. It wouldn't be worth going to war with HR about whether they are obliged to accept a stat dec or not.
Ended up paying for a telehealth to get a medical certificate (similar to this service). Quick and easy, got it via email, sent it through to HR - everyone was happy and I went back to rest.
At the end of the day, I get the ethical concerns, but people who are going to "pull a sickie" are going to do it anyway.
There's also this pervasive view that somehow most people aren't honest which I don't like. Why is the assumption that most who use a service like this are nefarious vs. honestly sick? And we all wonder why employers are suspicious of their employees…
I had the flu
Who diagnosed you had the flu? Self diagnosis?
Based on symptoms, might have been some other viral upper respiratory tract infection.
FWIW, you can easily get a self-test for the flu, e.g. see https://www.chemistwarehouse.com.au/buy/142010/juschek-sars-…
the thing is with sickies depends on your job…i work in corporate and if i pull a "sickie", the work just piles up and i gotta catchup when i come back so theres no real incentive to pull an actual "sickie" for the sake of a day off. but some other jobs, especially in the labour industry where if you're sick, someone else will stack the shelf for that day and sickies are more "valuable"
Exactly this. In some instances, if you call a sickie, the other team member comes in and gets paid overtime rates. Then a some weeks later, it's that persons turn to call a sickie and you get overtime rates. Pretty smart.
Cheaper to visit your bulk billing GO or Stat Dec. not a fan of this charging more for multiple days BS either.
Is it just me or this sounds very dodgy and stupid?
When you need to attend an emrgency situation you should be allowed to use personal leave rather than forcing peop to pretend sick.
This will remove such dodgy operators.
Atleast half of the personal leave entitlements should be
available without explaining the situation to your employer other than mentioning personal reasons.
Bookmarked for when I need to stick it to the man.
If you’re planning to get a multi-day medical certificate, it’s likely better to see a doctor in person. This allows for a physical examination to ensure there’s nothing more serious that might need immediate attention. The out of pocket cost of an in-person visit would be similar ($29 - $40), but the care and outcomes are typically much better. While the service mentioned may work for many people and has its target audience, it doesn’t seem to provide the best standard of clinical care.
no one is using this service if they are actually sick….. lol
yeah u might end up catching something for real at the medical centre lol
I've caught gastro from my kid. I couldn't leave the house. Lucky for the free online doc appointment deal with Chemist warehouse.
Unfortunately seeing a or your doctor in person isn't always simple for people living remotely. But never again with this Hola bunch of b*stards!
I've used hola health once for 2 prescriptions….NEVER AGAIN HOLA HEALTH (cheating b*stards!)
needed scrips for long time ongoing medicine…. over 10 years for blood pressure and anti depression. So they charge me $20 for each, and only give me 1 month's supply.
every other time I've got those scrips, either from my distant doctor or from online providers, they've given me the appropriate 6 months supply (repeats). Not these b*stards!
I thought…OK, they've made an error, and got back to them. After 6 volleys of irritating meaningless email and barely understandable english crap, they effectively said bad luck. They are supposed to be the professionals, I am the non professional patient. They can quite legally and ethically provide these prescriptions for 6 months supply…. or if they're not sure, they can discuss repeats with the patient.
Did I mention I think they're cheating sc m? (no…. doesn't mean "a")
every other time I've got those scrips, either from my distant doctor or from online providers, they've given me the appropriate 6 months supply (repeats). Not these b*stards!
That's generally the case for many GPs. You need to request they provide you repeats, not assume as they don't always do it by default. This is my experience from multiple docs and many different meds I am on.
not good enough
I can understand why a telehealth-only company provides an 'emergency' prescription with zero repeats (e.g. only one to two months supply) for a chronic condition.
I state this, knowing that many "telehealth-only" companies, this one included, appear to have dubious business practices. Which are unfortunately the natural result of an overall dubious business-model which primarily is focused on profit rather than public-benefit healthcare.
I would do the same thing (zero or very limited repeats) when patients at my clinic, with high blood pressure, depression or other on-going condition, have not seen me or anyone else at the clinic "in-person" for the previous six months, and request 'repeat prescriptions' through the telephone or other messaging. For anyone with a chronic ongoing condition, there are multiple physical checks (like the blood pressure! weight/height. sometimes vaccination. mental state examination) which need to be done or checked on a six-to-twelve monthly basis and which either cannot be done over the telephone or are difficult to do, at least in a typical urban practice. After all, most patients with chronic ongoing conditions are also at higher risk of other chronic conditions (e.g. high blood pressure -> other heart/brain risk factors also need to be considered and assessed at least yearly).
Now, it is possible to do more on the telephone or similar if one knows the patient very well and/or has the full history (including recent investigation, notes from other doctors and health care providers etc.) available. But for telehealth and 'after-hours' health providers who don't know you well and don't have - or have the time to go through - the past medical records extensively, then it is entirely and 100% reasonable for those providers to provide a 'short script', and request the patient to see their regular clinician within the next one to two months.
(btw - the clinic I work at is bulk-billing for 80+% of its patient population, so for most there is no money cost to see the clinicians 'in-person'. Sadly, I do know that the current Medicare rebates are very inadequate for sustaining a mostly-bulk-billed model)
Hi David,
I couldn't find the word "emergency" anywhere on the Hola site, other than "if you have an emergency don't use us."
I believe that if an online medical facility has a fixed policy of no repeat prescriptions, or a bricks and mortar facility has conditions such as not on first visit, they should make such a policy very clear before a booking is committed to. (I am of course referring to non-divertable medications without significant known issues….it's ironic that the online doctor I dealt with specifically told me how safe each of the medications I requested actually were)
I note that you wouldn't give a repeat prescription for blood pressure to a patient who has been using the same medication without issue for over 10 years on their first visit to your clinic. If I had travelled a long way to visit you, I'd be very frustrated if I didn't know this first)
There are many regional australians like myself that find it difficult to get local medical care. The apparent shortage of doctors means that my regional medical centre struggles to get permanent doctors, and patients (including myself) are often turned away purely on the grounds of "not taking on any more patients."
Online medical services are the obvious solution for routine medical matters such as ongoing scrips for long term stable medical conditions. You may believe I'm naive for expecting repeats…. I believe I'm rightly frustrated for paying for the service and not getting repeats.
@rooster7777: Thanks @rooster7777, I sympathise with the situation in regional and rural Australia (having worked there for many years, continuing to do locum work there and also in low-resource countries elsewhere in the world).
There is no question that the various forms of remote/telehealth have a role to play in providing care in under-resourced settings, such as regional and rural Australia.
The question is whether all such telehealth services are equipped or designed to provide long-term ongoing care, and carrying the responsibility for ongoing care.
I do typically prescribe repeat prescriptions to patients on their first consult with myself or the clinic. My first consult with the patient is half-an-hour long, in person and so I am well-placed to assess the situation and expect to be able to provide ongoing care (if that is appropriate, within my scope of expertise etc. etc.)
Not all telehealth, or even 'in-person' after-hours services are equipped - or even intended! - to provide ongoing care and monitoring which prescribing a repeat prescription implies. Writing a prescription for six months implies being there to provide (and bear some responsibility for) whatever ongoing care is required for the next six months, including checking the blood pressure, checking the cholesterol, assessing mental health, providing advice and referring for cancer screening, taking communications from the specialists/hospital clinic/emergency department regarding the same condition, assessing other cardiovascular risk factors etc. etc.. Not just 'being there', but having the systems which allow monitoring of the chronic condition.
So, I understand your pain and difficulty. A telehealth (or, more likely, telehealth-assisted) health service can be set up to properly manage ongoing chronic conditions. Unfortunately, the economics don't work out for a profit-oriented health service. A clinic which is set up to manage chronic conditions - most GP clinics! - is more expensive to run, and generates less revenue per hour, than a clinic focused on providing medical certificates and one-off healthcare.
Stop the whining would ya. You clearly didn't read the terms and conditions that you had to accept prior to an appointment….
10.3 ….and we do not issue repeat prescriptions….
FFS. Also, it's scripts not scrips.
Hey boofhead….. I note you're suggesting I was at fault for not reading the first 2,255 words of the document to reach the scrip repeats bit….. or the whole 5209 words of the terms and conditions.
Your personality seems a strange combination of whining/ insulting, and autistic interest in comprehensive reading of complex documents. Do you collect barcodes as well? I mean, I've got nothing wrong with such an interest, but it's not generally a sign of worldliness.
I read all contracts I sign, and don't sign blank documents etc…. but if you're suggesting that any person using the internet scrutinises the terms and conditions of everything that crosses their path….. I'd disagree.
and FFS…. I may as well poke the rabid dog…. scrips…scrips…scrips
Yet you found the time now to review the terms and conditions and couldn't see if you were in error before wasting more time sending them emails.
@MS Paint: Hey boofhead….there is consumer law about plain readable terms and conditions! Stop looping with your barcodes and review that!!
I didn't "review" the 5209 words…. you did that. I simply went to where you directed.
just before you leave my attention forever…. let's have another good rabid snarl! scrips scrips scrips
@MS Paint: Thanks… I find that starting a reply without insults can make a constructive conversation… unfortunately your opening comment "Stop the whining would ya" wasn't a lead in to a friendly conversation.
Just a hint…. but now I'm really finished.
@rooster7777: Hey Boof head, next use CTRL-F and search for terms.
We’ve had to sift through your 2000 word dribble.
I used this service once when I needed a GP on the weekend. Very disinterested man on the call was giving wrong advice, luckily because I had this problem before I pressed him for the proper prescription.
I would use this service for any real medical advice.
would not use this service?
Correct, thanks for noticing
13SICK is bulk-billed if you have a medicare card
The level of some doctors these days…
You can get stat dec without leaving your house through myGov app
*conditions apply
None.
If you are sick, first thing to do is to seek medical attention from a doctor. The people that presented this kind of certificate are in fact not sick, the only thing they want is the certificate.
A knife can just be a knife. It is the intention behind the person using it that makes it good, evil or neutral. A service can just be a service, if it works for you, keep using it. If not, don't have to go back. So many high horses.
Great, what type of deal can I get if I want 3,515 days off work?
At least from where I work online MCs are on watchlist now because too many people abusing it. Practically buying day offs. Some even do that for weeks in a row.
I just personally can't apprehend this as a uni tutor/lecturer - A student pays tuition to study, then also pays online MC to not study. WHY?
I just personally can't apprehend this as a uni tutor/lecturer - A student pays tuition to study, then also pays online MC to not study. WHY?
I suppose to probably use the MC for their job that has sick leave whilst studying and also as evidence for a future special consideration request. Maybe to retain Austudy payment via Centrelink. These come to mind anyway.
Fair Work would be interested in your employer's views. Most jobs you only get 10 sick days per year, so taking weeks off in a row would only occur if the employee was taking leave without pay, or has banked up a lot of sick leave over the years - and in my opinion, deserving of having weeks off
They're students not employees. Probably I should have made it clear in the first place. Cheers
Most tutors will only see their students once a week.
Hopefully your lectures are clearer than your posts.
Hi everybody !
Not a deal, morally questionable
It really isn't.
To each their own 😀
Yep very unethical pricing
I'm not sure why, but something makes so many people sick on the Monday between the weekend and Melbourne cup day (public holiday) on Tuesday.
And they all will have a medical certificate from Hola, free wages plus discounted certificate, double win!
I know everyone is not as privileged - but I personally would not work in a place where just me saying "I'm sick, I'm going to be off until I'm better" is not enough. Unless It's like more than a week off or something.
This $h1tt is bonkers, its like I'm a kid needing a note from mum. -》I'm already sick, now I have to Pay to get a note on top of it 🤯
If my word means nothing to my employer - I'm packing .
I hate these
Hot take - you should be able to use personal leave for any reason as part of your entitlements without “proof”.
Clearly you’re not a business owner.
All right, I'll bite. What does being a business owner have to do with staff using leave they're entitled to?
Your employees are just going to pay $30 for a certificate and use the leave for what they want anyway. At this point, why have such an unnecessary barrier?
NO this shouldnt be monitised, when someone gets sick they go and see doctor and the cert shoulb be free !!!
Because they knew the cheaters are going to pay, it’s still a small amount compared to what they are getting back. That’s why they charge more for multiple day certificate.
Good luck finding a bulk billing GP these days
Usually most employers would need a medical certificate, if a sickee is before or after a public holiday.
Most GPs don't bulk bill since COVID, so you'd end up paying more at the GP, or lining up for hours in a germ-infested waiting room