A specialist referral letter:

• makes you eligibility for certain Medicare rebates (if you have a valid Medicare card), so a specialist visit will usually cost you less out of pocket.
• provides key information about your health to the specialist
• gives the specialist details of your regular GP, which makes sure your important health information is stored in one place.

Getting a repeat specialist referral letters – most specialists in Australia require their patients to provide a new referral letter from a GP every 12 months, when their previous one expires. This makes the patient eligible for certain Medicare rebates. If you do not have an up-to-date referral letter when you see your specialist, the specialist appointment may cost you more.

To get a repeat specialist referral letter, go to the Qoctor specialist referrals page, and select “repeat specialist referral”. Getting a repeat specialist referral letter via Qoctor costs $22.99. You will need to answer a few online questions relating to your health. The doctor will go through this information and will complete the referral letter (subject to assessment). It will usually take less than an hour or so to receive your letter, during business hours (8am-9pm AEST). If you need it faster (for example, if you are already at your specialist waiting room), just use the live chat on the homepage of the website, and the customer service team will be able to get it done for you more quickly. To get a repeat referral letter from Qoctor, start here.

To get a specialist referral letter, go to the Qoctor specialist referrals page, and select the type of letter you need. A repeat referral letter via Qoctor costs $22.99. You will need to answer a few online questions relating to your health. The doctor will go through this information and will complete the referral letter (subject to assessment). It will usually take less than an hour or so to receive your letter, during business hours (8am-9pm AEST). If you need it faster (for example, if you are already at your specialist waiting room), just use the live chat on the homepage of the website, and the customer service team will be able to get it done for you more quickly. To get a repeat referral letter from Qoctor, get started here.

Why do patients need a referral letter to see a specialist?

A referral letter:

• provides eligibility for certain Medicare rebates, so the visit will usually cost you less out of pocket.
• provides key information about your health to the specialist
• allows the specialist to correspond to your GP, which makes sure your important health information is stored in one place.

Getting a repeat specialist referral letters – most specialists in Australia require their patients to provide a new referral letter from a GP every 12 months, when their previous one expires. This makes the patient eligible for certain Medicare rebates. If you do not have an up-to-date referral letter when you see your specialist, the specialist appointment may cost you more.

New referral letter – A new referral letter allows you to see a new specialist for the first time. By bringing a referral letter to your specialist appointment, it allows eligibility for certain Medicare rebates and the consultation may cost you less. A new referral letter costs $22.99. You will need to answer a few online questions relating to your health. The doctor will go through this information and will complete the referral letter (subject to assessment). It will usually take 1-2 hours to receive your letter, during business hours (8am-9pm AEST). If you need it faster (for example, you are already at your specialist waiting room!), just hop on the live chat on the homepage of the website, and the customer service team may be able to get it done for you more quickly. Get started here.

Please nte Qoctor provides new referrals only for a specific range of issues which include:

• referral to a dermatologist for assessment/management of acne
• referral to a sleep physician for assessment/management of sleep apnoea
• referral to a urologist for a vasectomy
• referral to a gynaecologist for insertion of an IUD
• referral to an eye specialist for laser eye surgery

“Change of specialist” referral letter – For a “change of specialist” letter, you must already have in your possession a valid referral letter that is less than one year old. This is a service you may find useful if you decide to see a different specialist than the one first suggested by your GP. This situation can arise if a specialist’s waiting list turns out to be too long, and you want to try someone with a shorter wait time. You must take BOTH referral letters to your appointment- the original one and the change of specialist letter provided by Qoctor. The cost of a change of specialist referral letter is $22.99. You will need to answer a few online questions relating to your health. The doctor will go through this information and will complete the referral letter (subject to assessment). It will usually take 1-2 hours to receive your letter, during business hours (8am-9pm AEST). If you need it faster (for example, you are already at your specialist waiting room!), just hop on the live chat on the homepage of the website, and the customer service team may be able to get it done for you more quickly. Get started here.

Once you have completed the online assessment for your specialist referral, and made payment, the doctor will review your request. This process often takes a matter of minutes, but it can take an hour or two at busy times (or till the next morning if you make the request outside business hours- i.e. later than 9pm). If they have all the information they need, the doctor will then issue the referral letter- you will be notified via email that you can now download it.

If you are already waiting at your specialist’s office, and need your letter in a hurry-  just let our customer service team know via live chat (located on our home page)- they’ll prioritise your letter, and have it sent through to your email, so you can download it from your account as soon as possible.

Yes. In Australia, Medicare card-holders can generally claim a Medicare rebate when they see a specialist doctor, once they have a valid specialist referral letter written by a GP. A valid specialist referral is less than 12 months old, and states the name of the specialist you wish to attend, as well as relevant health information.

The consultation fee to get a specialist referral letter online from Qoctor is $22.99. As Qoctor is a private telehealth service, there is no Medicare rebate for this online doctor fee. However, as noted above, the specialist referral letter will allow you to claim a Medicare rebate when you proceed to see the specialist.

You will receive your downloadable repeat referral letter very shortly after completing the online assessment and payment. This will be sent to you in the form of an email, or you can just log in to your Qoctor account and find it under your orders ready to download. We do not generally send the letter direct to the specialist- so you’ll need to either print it out and take it with you to your appointment OR email it onwards to your specialist.

The process may take slightly longer at busy times. If you place an order outside business hours- i.e. later than 9pm, it may not be completed till the following morning.  If you require the letter urgently, our customer service team can assist you. Use the live chat option on our home page, which is active throughout the day from 830AM till 9PM. OR send an email to info@qoctor.com.au.

• Provided you are already known to the specialist and the repeat referral is simply to continue follow-up with that specialist, qoctor can refer you to any specialist in Australia