Below is a concise, practical set of telehealth practice guidelines tailored for clinicians practising in Australia, with the most important legal/registry and government sources cited. I’ve organised this as: (A) core principles and rules, (B) pre-consultation checklist, (C) during-consultation checklist, (D) post-consultation / documentation, and (E) special topics (prescribing, emergencies, cultural safety, billing). Where a statement is regulatory or time-sensitive I’ve cited the primary Australian guidance.

A. Core principles and regulatory overview (high‑level)

• Telehealth is an alternative mode of delivering care — it does not replace face‑to‑face care when that is clinically required. Use telehealth only when clinically appropriate. (Health.gov.au)
• Practitioners must meet the same professional standards, codes of conduct and scope of practice when delivering virtual care as for in‑person care. Follow your National Board / AHPRA guidance. (ahpra.gov.au)
• Obtain informed consent for virtual care, including the medium (video/phone), limits of that modality, privacy/risk, and alternatives. Document that consent. (ahpra.gov.au)
• Consider jurisdictional, privacy and data‑security obligations (Privacy Act, local health records rules, My Health Record when used) — choose platforms and workflows that meet privacy/security expectations. (Health.gov.au)

B. Pre‑consultation checklist (before the appointment)

• Assess appropriateness: verify that the clinical question can be safely managed without a face‑to‑face physical exam. If not, arrange in‑person review. (ahpra.gov.au)
• Identity and location: confirm patient identity and current location (state/territory) — important for legal/regulatory and emergency reasons. Record patient’s contact details and physical location at time of consult. (ahpra.gov.au)
• Consent: explain the telehealth process, limits (e.g., technology failure, inability to do full physical exam), privacy risks, and alternatives; obtain and record consent (verbal consent is acceptable if documented). (ahpra.gov.au)
• Technology check: ensure the chosen platform supports sufficiently good audiovisual quality, is secure (end‑to‑end encryption where available), and that both clinician and patient have contingency contact details (phone) if video fails. (Health.gov.au)
• Accessibility / equity: screen for barriers (language, hearing/vision, cognitive impairment, limited device/internet access) and organise interpreters or alternative arrangements where needed. (ahpra.gov.au)

C. During the consultation

• Professional standards: introduce yourself (name, role, registration details if requested), confirm identity/location again, and explain how you will manage privacy/confidentiality. Maintain same standard of care as in‑person practice. (ahpra.gov.au)
• Clinical assessment: use history, inspection via video when feasible, structured questions and guided patient self‑examination where appropriate. Be conservative where uncertainty affects safety — consider in‑person review or arrange tests. (ahpra.gov.au)
• Safety/contingency: if at any point a safe assessment cannot be made (e.g., poor audio or clinical red flags), pause the telehealth consult and arrange immediate in‑person care or emergency transfer as indicated. Record attempted mitigations. (ahpra.gov.au)
• Use of assistants: if a chaperone, carer or assistant is present with the patient, document their identity and role and obtain patient permission. (ahpra.gov.au)

D. Documentation and records (after the consultation)

• Document the consultation in the same medical record used for in‑person care: include modality (video/phone), patient location at time of consult, identity checks, consent, clinical findings, clinical reasoning, advice given, follow‑up plan, referrals, prescriptions and any limitations of the telehealth assessment. (ahpra.gov.au)
• Share relevant records/referrals with other treating practitioners, and upload to My Health Record when clinically appropriate and permitted. Ensure secure transmission and obtain consent for sharing where required. (Health.gov.au)

E. Special topics and common regulatory issues

• Prescribing: only prescribe when you have sufficient information to do so safely. Be cautious about prescribing from online questionnaires without a real‑time clinical assessment. Follow AHPRA/National Board guidance; inappropriate prescribing via remote-only pathways has attracted regulatory attention. Document rationale and monitoring arrangements. (ahpra.gov.au)
• Emergency situations: confirm the patient’s location at the start of the consult and have a documented plan to escalate to local emergency services if needed (know local emergency numbers). If the patient is in a different state/territory, ensure you know how to access local services. (ahpra.gov.au)
• Cultural safety and vulnerable groups: tailor consent, communication and follow‑up for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients and others experiencing disadvantage; use culturally appropriate services and interpreters. Consider equity of access for rural/remote patients. (Health.gov.au)
• Privacy and platform selection: prefer clinically proven telehealth platforms that meet Australian privacy/security expectations; avoid public social media apps that lack adequate safeguarding for clinical data. Document platform choice and storage arrangements. (Health.gov.au)
• Medicare / MBS billing and eligibility: there are specific MBS rules about which telehealth items are available and eligibility criteria (for example, rules about prior face‑to‑face consultations for some GP telehealth items). Check the Department of Health MBS pages for the current list of supported telehealth items and eligibility before billing. These rules have changed since the pandemic and continue to be updated. (Health.gov.au)

Key Australian sources to rely on (authoritative)

• Australian Government Department of Health — Telehealth overview and MBS telehealth arrangements (ongoing telehealth after COVID expansions). (Dept Health telehealth page). (Health.gov.au)
• AHPRA / National Boards — “Information for people about virtual care” and specific Board guidance and codes of conduct for virtual care / telehealth (including Guidelines: Telehealth consultations with patients, effective Sept 1, 2023). Always follow your profession’s National Board guidance. (ahpra.gov.au)

Practical clinician checklist (one‑page summary)

• Before: confirm appropriateness; check identity & location; obtain & document consent; test technology; arrange interpreter if needed. (ahpra.gov.au)
• During: confirm identity & location; introduce yourself/registration; take a full history; do video inspection/self‑exam where possible; act on red flags (stop and escalate). (ahpra.gov.au)
• After: document modality, consent, limitations, clinical findings, plan, prescriptions/referrals; arrange follow‑up; securely store/share records. (ahpra.gov.au)

Important caveats and next steps

• Regulations, MBS item rules and telehealth funding/eligibility are periodically updated. If you intend to bill Medicare or rely on specific MBS telehealth items, check the Department of Health / MBS listings at the time of the consultation. (Health.gov.au)
• If you want, I can: (a) produce a printable clinic telehealth policy tailored to your profession (GP, specialist, allied health, psychology, nursing), (b) draft a patient consent script/handout, or (c) fetch the current MBS telehealth item numbers and exact eligibility wording for Medicare billing today. Tell me which you prefer and I’ll prepare it with the relevant citations.

Sources

• Australian Government Department of Health — Telehealth (overview and ongoing MBS arrangements). (Health.gov.au)
• AHPRA — Information for people about virtual care; resources and Board codes/telehealth guidance (including Telehealth consultations guidance effective 1 Sept 2023). (ahpra.gov.au)
• News reporting and regulator activity on telehealth prescribing concerns (context on regulatory enforcement). (theguardian.com)

If you want a tailored one‑page clinic policy, a patient handout/consent form, or a checklist formatted for printing, tell me which profession (e.g., GP, psychiatrist, psychologist, physiotherapist) and I’ll draft it and include the exact legal citations and suggested wording.