In the aftermath of COVID-19, telehealth has established itself as a lasting component of healthcare delivery. However, various medical boards and institutions stress the importance of balancing easy access with high-quality care.

Between March 2020 and July 2022, Australia saw a dramatic increase in telehealth services, with 118.2 million sessions conducted. This development has been invaluable for those in remote areas, individuals with mobility issues, those needing specialized services, or those with busy schedules.

Despite the clear benefits, the rise of telehealth brings concerns regarding the continuity and quality of care. General practitioners have noted the emergence of single-issue telehealth providers, which focus on specific areas like smoking cessation, weight loss, medical certificates, or medicinal cannabis.

These medical boards and institutions emphasize the need for online services to comply with established quality and standards frameworks. Many such services are operated by doctors who are not specialized as GPs, turning them into business ventures rather than genuine healthcare providers. This trend, often described as the "wild west," is driven by business motives rather than healthcare innovation and patient care.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced a rapid expansion of telehealth, resulting in 118.2 million services provided to 18 million patients by over 95,000 practitioners. As of January 2022, expanded telehealth services became a permanent part of Medicare, allowing a wide range of providers—including GPs, specialists, allied health professionals, mental health practitioners, and nurse practitioners—to offer telehealth consultations.

This integration of telehealth has changed how patients seek treatment, with issue-specific websites gaining popularity. A notable concern is the online availability of prescription-only nicotine products, prompting the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) to investigate several websites. Recent legislative changes now require prescriptions for all nicotine vape purchases, often facilitated through telehealth consultations.

Similarly, telehealth platforms are prescribing semaglutide (Ozempic) despite its global shortage and warnings from the TGA against initiating new patients on this medication. These narrowly focused telehealth providers face criticism for prioritizing product sales over comprehensive healthcare, offering limited options and subpar medical care.

However, some single-issue services have been praised, particularly those providing access to pregnancy terminations for women who previously faced barriers to timely care. These medical boards and institutions emphasize that telehealth must prioritize health-driven approaches, ensuring patients can make informed choices about the services they use.

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, nearly 90% of Australians attended at least one Medicare-subsidized GP consultation between 2015–16 and 2019–20. This figure dipped to 85% in 2020–21 due to COVID-19 restrictions but increased again with streamlined telehealth appointments.

These medical boards and institutions advocate for telehealth services to be consistently delivered by trained medical professionals. As patient interest in telehealth grows, there is a call to expand available offerings. Recently, an independent MP proposed changes to allow voluntary assisted dying consultations via telehealth, a proposal set to be debated in Federal Parliament.

Despite the strong support for telehealth, there are concerns about its impact on continuity of care. GPs highlight the importance of advising patients on the appropriateness of certain treatments and the potential risks of medication interactions. The expectation for specific outcomes or "shopping around" for desired results can be frustrating for GPs, emphasizing the need for patient safety and informed consent in telehealth consultations.

General practice remains the ideal setting for shared decision-making and personalized healthcare, considering patients' medical history, social context, comorbidities, and current medications. Comprehensive care involves more than just prescribing products; it includes follow-up opportunities and non-drug components to treatment plans, aspects often missing in online "tick-box" consultations.