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![\"GP](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/attachment.aspx.jpeg\")
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\n The \u2018Telehealth on Demand\u2019 service has been put on ice after backlash from GPs that it has the potential to take care away from a patient\u2019s usual GP.
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\n News<\/p>\n
\n Five months after it was launched to address the \u2018challenge of timely access\u2019, the pilot has been suspended following GP concerns.
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\n The \u2018Telehealth on Demand\u2019 service has been put on ice after backlash from GPs that it has the potential to take care away from a patient\u2019s usual GP.
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newsGP weekly poll
\n HotDoc\u2019s \u2018Telehealth on Demand\u2019 pilot program, which aimed to help \u2018address the growing challenge of timely access to primary care\u2019, has been suspended just five months after its launch.
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\nIt follows criticism from GPs that the service was fragmenting care and weakening GP\u2013patient relationships.
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\n\u2018What\u2019s clear is that we got this wrong,\u2019 said HotDoc CEO Dr Ben Hurst in a statement<\/a>.
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\n\u2018We\u2019ve heard your feedback loud and clear: this booking flow felt like it could compromise the trusted relationships you have built with your patients.
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\n\u2018That was never our intention, and we\u2019ve taken some immediate actions based on this.\u2019
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\nThe pilot program offered patients a platform to book \u2018low complexity\u2019 appointments without nominating a specific GP, only a practice, and was designed to test whether these available appointments could be opened for patients who would otherwise struggle to make a timely appointment, while also \u2018helping GPs fill their books\u2019.
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\nThese patients received the option of booking with a GP at the practice or a telehealth doctor listed as \u2018not your regular care team\u2019.
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\nThe telehealth doctor was one of 50 GPs participating in the pilot who had open appointments in the next two hours.
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\nHotDoc claimed the service would not replace a patient\u2019s regular GP, with patients asked to return to their regular GP for follow up and ongoing care.
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\nHowever, these \u2018significant\u2019 updates to booking flow were made before the company instigated broader consultation with stakeholders.
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\nNow, the RACGP is calling for broader consultation with primary care providers before a telehealth platform implements further changes that can impact practices.
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\nRACGP President Dr Michael Wright welcomes the opportunity to allow for further consultation with GPs and practices.
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\n\u2018It\u2019s really important that technology supports continuity of care and access to high-quality, comprehensive general practice services,\u2019 he told newsGP.
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\n\u2018If digital tools fragment care, GPs will rapidly lose trust.
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\n\u2018The strong feedback from GPs shows that HotDoc is on notice that it needs to consult broadly before making changes that impact practices and their business models.\u2019
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\nFollowing the telehealth pilot being put on hold from 11 July, a consultation process\u00a0has been launched with stakeholders and the wider industry to \u2018revisit how this booking flow fits into the practice and patient experience\u2019.
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\nAccording to a 2024 HotDoc patient survey<\/a>, one in four patients use online-only healthcare providers, while many more delay or skip care altogether. It also found more than five million GP appointments go unfilled each year.
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\nDr Hurst has now acknowledged and apologised that the pilot needed further input from HotDoc\u2019s wider customer base.
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\n\u2018That was an oversight, he said. \u2018I should have done better to ensure more proactive communication.\u2019
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\nGPs can join the pilot\u2019s consultation process via the\u00a0online submission form<\/a>. HotDoc has also launched a changelog<\/a> which will include regular updates and actions.
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\nLog in below to join the conversation.
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\n<\/p>\n
\n continuity of care<\/a> GP\u2013patient relationship<\/a> HotDoc<\/a> telehealth<\/a> virtual healthcare<\/a>
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\n How often do you use conversational AI tools, such as ChatGPT, Gemini, or Copilot, within your general practice?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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