How to choose telehealth software: a practical checklist

Choosing telehealth software comes down to six things: can the patient join easily, is the data private and appropriately hosted, is it reliable, what does it cost, does it fit the software you already run, and can you get help when something breaks. Get those right and the rest is detail.

Here’s a practical checklist you can take into a trial or a sales call.

1. The patient join experience

This is the single biggest predictor of whether telehealth works day to day. The most common failure mode isn’t clinical — it’s the patient who can’t get into the call. Every download, login and password is another place the consult can fall over, especially for older or less tech-confident patients.

Ask:

• How does the patient actually join — a texted link, an emailed link, or an app install?
• Do they need to create an account or remember a password? (Ideally no.)
• Can they join from any modern phone, tablet or computer browser?
• Is there a device-check page so they can test camera and microphone before the appointment?

The lower the friction on the patient’s side, the fewer late starts and no-shows you’ll have.

2. Privacy and Australian hosting

You’re carrying health information, which the Australian Privacy Principles treat as sensitive and expect you to protect with reasonable steps (OAIC). That makes privacy a selection criterion, not an afterthought.

Ask:

• Are calls encrypted? For 1:1 video, end-to-end encryption is the strongest answer.
• Is anything recorded by default, and if so, where is it stored and who can access it?
• Where is the data hosted? There’s no law requiring Australian hosting, but disclosing personal information overseas carries extra obligations, and many practices prefer their data to stay onshore (OAIC). If a platform hosts offshore, know that before you sign up. There’s more in our guide to data residency in Australia.
• Are clinician accounts verified (for example, checked against the Ahpra register)?

The Australian Digital Health Agency has published guidance on using online conferencing tools securely for healthcare — worth a read if you’re weighing a general-purpose app against a purpose-built one (Australian Digital Health Agency).

Don’t trade privacy for convenience or price. Where the data lives, whether calls are recorded, and how patients are protected are the questions that are hardest to fix after you’ve committed.

3. Reliability and call quality

A platform that drops calls costs you clinical time and patient confidence. You can’t fully test this from a brochure, so trial it under realistic conditions.

Ask:

• Does it work in the browser, or does it depend on an app that must stay updated?
• How does it behave on a patient’s mobile data rather than home wi-fi?
• Is there a clear fallback if the video fails mid-consult (for example, switching to phone)?
• Run a few real consults across different devices before you decide.

The RACGP’s telehealth video consultations guide is a useful reference for setting up reliable video consulting in general practice (RACGP).

4. Price and what’s actually included

Pricing models vary — per clinician per month, per consult, freemium tiers, or genuinely free. The headline number is only part of the story.

Ask:

• Is it per clinician, per consult, or a flat cost? How does it scale as you add clinicians?
• What’s included at each tier, and what costs extra (recording, SMS, group calls, integrations)?
• Is there a genuine free option, and what are its limits?

Because pricing changes, don’t rely on figures you read in a blog — check each platform’s current pricing on its own site before you compare. What matters is total cost for the way you actually consult.

5. Fit with your practice management software

Most practices don’t want telehealth software to replace their booking, notes and billing — they want it to sit alongside them. The cleaner that fit, the less double-handling you’ll do.

Ask:

• Does it integrate with your practice management system, or simply run beside it?
• Where do the clinical notes end up — in the telehealth tool, or in your existing records?
• If it doesn’t integrate, is the manual workflow (copying a link, marking attendance) genuinely quick?

Both approaches can work. An all-in-one suite bundles scheduling and payments; a focused tool leaves those to the software you already trust. Neither is “right” — it depends on your practice.

6. Support and who’s behind it

When something breaks 10 minutes before a consult, you want help.

Ask:

• Is support Australian-based and available in your hours?
• Who builds and runs the platform, and are they accountable in Australia?
• How are outages and issues communicated?

Putting the checklist together

Here’s the short version to keep beside you:

Criterion	The question that matters most
Patient join	Can a first-timer join in one tap, no app, no account?
Privacy & hosting	Encrypted, recorded or not, and where does the data live?
Reliability	Does it hold up on a patient’s mobile data, in the browser?
Price	What’s the real total cost for how you consult?
PMS fit	Does it pair cleanly with your existing software?
Support	Is help available, Australian, and accountable?

The honest way to compare specific platforms is side by side, including where each one wins. We’ve written fair comparisons of MedCall vs Coviu, MedCall vs doxy.me and MedCall vs GP Consults — Coviu and GP Consults are stronger if you need an all-in-one paid suite, while doxy.me is a widely used global option.

Where MedCall lands on the checklist

MedCall is built to score well on the first three points and be honest about the rest: patients join by a texted link with no app or account, calls are end-to-end encrypted and never recorded, and everything is Australian-hosted with Ahpra-registered accounts. It’s one plan — $15 per doctor per month including GST — with a 1-month free trial. What it doesn’t do is scheduling or payments — it pairs with your existing practice software rather than replacing it. If that focus matches how you work, it’s a strong fit; if you need the full suite, one of the paid platforms will serve you better.

The bottom line

Score any platform against the six criteria — patient join, privacy and hosting, reliability, price, PMS fit, and support — and weight them for how you actually practise. Trial it with real consults, check current pricing directly, and don’t compromise on privacy to save a click. Do that and you’ll pick a tool you’re still happy with in a year. For the security fundamentals, the OAIC’s guide to securing personal information is the place to start.