Medicines tests and understanding healthcare

In this collection

• Ask an online GP about your medicines

  Discuss side effects, possible interactions, missed-dose questions and medicine monitoring with a HerDoc GP. Get emergency and poisoning guidance.

• Discuss blood-test results with an online GP

  Discuss blood-test results with a HerDoc GP and understand reference ranges, health context, questions to ask and possible next steps.

• Can an online GP organise common blood tests?

  Ask an online GP about iron, thyroid, vitamin B12 or vitamin D concerns, what information to prepare and whether testing may help.

• Hormone tests for menopause and perimenopause questions

  Learn when hormone tests may or may not be useful and how an online GP may discuss menopause or perimenopause testing questions.

• Specialist referrals from an online GP

  Discuss a specialist referral with a HerDoc GP, what information to prepare, named or general referrals and what happens after the GP assessment.

• Results and follow-up

  Learn how to arrange tests, receive HerDoc result notifications, book a separate review and see whether bulk billing or private fees apply.

• What are Victoria’s Women’s Health Clinics?

  What Victoria’s Women’s Health Clinics offer, who can use them, and how specialist clinic care can fit alongside telehealth and ongoing GP care.

• Why is Levemir insulin being discontinued in Australia?

  Why Levemir is being discontinued in Australia, what December 2026 means for supply and how to plan a supported change with your usual diabetes care team.

• Can a GP diagnose ADHD in NSW now?

  Which NSW GPs can diagnose ADHD under the reforms, how to ask about assessment availability and fees, and what an assessment involves.

• Can I take my repeat prescription to a different pharmacy in NSW?

  Yes. From 5 November 2026, NSW pharmacists can return paper repeats for Schedule 8 and anabolic-androgenic steroidal medicines so you can use another pharmacy. Opioid Treatment Program (OTP) prescriptions are excluded from this change. If your current pharmacy holds your paper repeats, ask the pharmacist whether they can return them and when your next supply is due.

• What do Australia’s proposed telehealth standards mean for patients?

  Australia’s proposed telehealth standards would set clearer expectations for safe virtual care, including whether phone or video is suitable, how results are followed up and who takes over when care moves between clinicians. They are a consultation draft, not new rules already in force. At your next appointment, agree who will follow up your care and how to contact them.

• Does Medicare cover physio and other allied health appointments?

  Yes. Medicare can help pay for physio and other allied health appointments. One way is through a GP chronic condition management plan and referral. Under these arrangements, eligible patients can usually claim up to five individual sessions a calendar year, shared across providers. A gap fee may apply, so check eligibility with your GP and ask the provider about costs. Current Medicare rules.

• Why is it getting more expensive to see a specialist?

  Why specialist fees are rising, how Medicare rebates and gap fees work, and questions to ask before you book.