Below is a practical, Australia‑focused comparison of common telehealth options GPs use (platforms that supply video/phone consult technology and/or marketplace telehealth services). I focus on features that matter to GPs and practices: practice‑management integration, Medicare/billing, pricing, patient experience, clinical safety / continuity, and notable add‑ons. I cite current vendor pages and reputable reporting below — if you want, I can run a short checklist against your practice PMS (Best Practice, MedicalDirector, Zedmed, Genie, etc.) to show which vendors integrate directly.

High‑level summary (quick view)

• HotDoc — practice‑centric patient engagement platform with a telehealth module and an “On Demand” marketplace option. Integrates with many PMSs; subscription model. Good for practices that want to keep continuity of care and centralise bookings/recalls. (practices.HotDoc.com.au)
• Coviu — purpose‑built telehealth video platform that emphasises clinical features (integrated phone, recording, forms, AI scribe options). Clinic and per‑clinician pricing; strong for practices wanting clinical video features and Medicare‑eligible workflow. (Coviu.com)
• Medmate — consumer‑facing telehealth marketplace and pharmacy integration with low fixed consult prices and rapid access (24/7 model). Privately billed, convenient for patients but limited continuity with patient’s usual GP unless practices opt in to data sharing. (Medmate.com.au)
• Healthengine / Doctors On Demand / Phenix partners — booking marketplaces that route patients to telehealth services; pricing varies and many consults are privately billed; useful for extra patient flow but may fragment continuity. Reporting shows Healthengine offers paid video consults via partners. (ausdoc.com.au)

Key comparison points

1. Practice integration & continuity of care

• HotDoc: Built to sit alongside your practice (online bookings, recalls, reminders). Telehealth can be presented as part of the practice offering; notes can be shared back to the patient’s home practice for continuity. Good where continuity and patient record centralisation matter. (practices.HotDoc.com.au)
• Coviu: Integrates with practice workflows (API, PMS integrations available) and supports consultation recording, custom forms and transfers between rooms — strong clinical workflow tools. Good for practices that need advanced telehealth features and want to maintain in‑practice workflows. (Coviu.com)
• Medmate / Healthengine: Marketplace model — patients may book outside your practice, clinicians are part of a network. Good for access and extra capacity, but unless you explicitly integrate record‑sharing, the consult may not automatically flow into the patient’s usual medical record. That can fragment continuity of care. (Medmate.com.au)

2. Medicare billing and eligibility

• Key point (Australian rule): Medicare rebates for GP telehealth generally require an established relationship (the “12‑month rule”) and specific eligibility (rural/remoteness or other rules) — many marketplace consults are privately billed and do not attract a Medicare rebate. If delivering telehealth from your practice to your own patients you can usually bill Medicare when criteria are met. Confirm MBS rules for specific items before claiming. (Medmate.com.au)
• HotDoc and Coviu support workflows for Medicare‑eligible telehealth (they provide practice‑facing tools). Marketplace providers (Medmate, Healthengine partners) commonly operate as private services; Medicare rebates are generally not available there. HotDoc’s “On Demand” product is explicitly privately billed. (support.HotDoc.com.au)

3. Pricing & billing model (typical)

• HotDoc: Subscription fee per practice / per clinician; pricing varies by features and practitioner count. Telehealth features are included in the practice platform/subscription; HotDoc On Demand consults are privately billed to patients (practice can receive revenue). Example: HotDoc lists subscription rates and minimums. (support.HotDoc.com.au)
• Coviu: Per clinician plans (e.g., AU$40–$129+ per clinician per month depending on plan/add‑ons) and clinic plans. Many features (AI scribe, phone integration) may be in higher tiers or add‑ons. (Coviu.com)
• Medmate: Patient‑facing fixed consult fees (examples on site: telehealth consults advertised from ~$19.90–$39.90; scripts and certificates have set prices). GPs working for Medmate are paid by the service; patients pay privately. (Medmate.com.au)
• Healthengine / partner marketplaces: prices vary by partner — some $60+ video consults reported; often privately billed and passed to the telehealth partner. (ausdoc.com.au)

4. Patient experience & access

• HotDoc: Patients book via the practice’s HotDoc booking flow — familiar to existing patients and supports recalls, SMS reminders, and integration with in‑practice bookings. Good for current patients and continuity. (practices.HotDoc.com.au)
• Coviu: One‑click join from browser (no download for patients), waiting room messaging and phone fallback options — good for patient usability. (pr.Coviu.com)
• Medmate: Fast access (24/7, low cost, prescriptions by SMS, home delivery via pharmacy partners). Strong for patients needing quick ad‑hoc access or out‑of‑hours care. (Medmate.com.au)

5. Clinical safety, governance & regulatory issues

• All Australian telehealth providers must meet AHPRA/TGA/Privacy obligations; however concerns have been raised in media/regulator actions about some telehealth services that primarily supply scripts for vaping/nicotine products and about fragmentation of care. Practices should ensure a vendor supports secure clinical notes, consent capture, and safe prescribing workflows. If your practice is accountable for patient care, choose a platform that integrates notes into your PMS or allows automatic forwarding. (theguardian.com)

6. Notable clinical features / add‑ons

• Coviu: clinical forms, recording, integrated phone, AI‑scribe options (useful for detailed consult workflows). (Coviu.com)
• HotDoc: appointment fills, recalls, patient messaging, and “On Demand” marketplace to use spare clinical capacity. Good for practice admin efficiency and patient recall workflows. (support.HotDoc.com.au)
• Medmate: eScripts, pharmacy delivery, 24/7 access and low fixed fees — useful for script renewals and acute minor problems. (Medmate.com.au)

Pros & cons — quick bullets

• HotDoc

  • Pros: Strong PMS/booking integration; keeps care with the practice; patient recall/engagement features; can monetise spare capacity with On Demand.
  • Cons: Subscription cost; On Demand consults are privately billed and may require extra admin to manage revenue flows. (practices.HotDoc.com.au)

• Coviu

  • Pros: Designed for clinical video consults, good tools for documentation/forms/recording; flexible clinic plans; good patient join experience.
  • Cons: Adds per‑clinician subscription; may require configuration to integrate with your PMS and billing. (Coviu.com)

• Medmate (marketplace)

  • Pros: Very fast access, low fixed patient fees, eScript + delivery integration, useful out‑of‑hours capacity.
  • Cons: Privately billed; potential continuity issues with patients’ own GPs; some regulatory scrutiny exists for certain telehealth prescribing behaviours in the sector (so choose partners carefully). (Medmate.com.au)

• Healthengine / partner telehealth

  • Pros: Brings additional patient traffic; integration with bookings apps many patients already use.
  • Cons: Consults often privately billed; care may be fragmented unless you have agreed data‑sharing pathways. (ausdoc.com.au)

How to choose for your practice (practical checklist)

• Do you want telehealth to be part of your practice’s integrated offerings (bookings, recalls, shared records)? Choose practice‑centric tools (HotDoc + Coviu or a PMS‑integrated telehealth module).
• Do you need advanced video/clinical features (recording, forms, AI scribe)? Coviu or Coviu‑style clinical platforms suit best.
• Do you want to monetise spare clinician capacity and access new patients quickly? Consider HotDoc On Demand or marketplace partners — but plan for note‑sharing and patient follow up.
• Do you want a low‑cost, fast access option for patients (24/7)? Marketplace services (Medmate) are strong — ensure your practice policy on continuity and patient consent is clear.
• Confirm PMS integration: check your specific PMS (Best Practice, MedicalDirector, Zedmed, Genie) for seamless appointment and clinical note flows; ask vendors for a demo showing end‑to‑end booking → consultation → note → billing workflow.
• Confirm Medicare eligibility: if you intend to claim telehealth MBS items for ongoing patients, confirm the vendor supports the required documentation and workflows and that your consults meet the MBS eligibility criteria. (Medmate.com.au)

If you want next steps

• I can produce a one‑page vendor comparison customised to your practice PMS (e.g., Best Practice / MedicalDirector) showing which vendors integrate directly and sample pricing to your preferred billing model.
• Or I can draft an email/template of questions to send to vendors (integration, data export, Medicare workflows, security, pricing tiers, SLA for uptime) so you can get apples‑to‑apples quotes.

Which of those would you like me to prepare (vendor shortlist, PMS mapping, or vendor question template)?