‘Ridiculous’: 10-minute appointment costs Aussie ‘exorbitant’ fee of $670
An Aussie woman has claimed she was charged “exorbitant” fees from a healthcare provider and outlined the difficulty complaining to regulators.
An Australian who was slapped with a $670 fee for an alleged 10-minute appointment, described the charges as “disturbing” while exposing the crippling costs of private mental health services.
She’s also raised concerns about regulatory oversight of telehealth services and the difficulty of making complaints when clinic registration, patients and the service are spread across Australia.
Tamara* sought an ADHD diagnosis earlier this year after watching videos on TikTok and realising many of the symptoms sounded familiar.
She found it hard to find an available psychiatrist in regional Victoria with most having shut their books to new patients or having long waitlists.
She turned to a national telehealth service called HelloDoc, who have denied the allegations against them. Tamara was charged $750 for an initial appointment, leaving her $495 out of pocket after the Medicare rebate.
The second diagnostic appointment was scheduled for at least 45 minutes. It cost $910 with a rebate meaning Tamara was out of pocket by $465.
But she claims her ADHD diagnosis was delivered in about 20 minutes in that appointment.
“I was diagnosed in a very short period of time, for a much longer appointment claimed,” Tamara alleged to news.com.au.
“There is no way the assessment was 45 minutes or more … I was really shocked at that and now having been rediagnosed with a local psychiatrist, who actually asked me personal questions in great detail – there is a huge difference in what occurred during each assessment.”
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Questions raised over fees charged
Tamara was then required to book in a follow-up appointment six weeks later.
“At that time, the HelloDoc staff informed me that the cost was $670 for that appointment,” she said.
“And I baulked and I went, ‘oh my God, why? Like this is just to check the medication is working. I don’t understand why it’s so expensive?’ And they demanded a $200 down payment on the spot in order to reserve the booking.”
A Medicare rebate for the appointment meant she was $539 out of pocket.
Tamara claimed the appointment lasted just 10 minutes but the item was billed as video attendance for at least 30 minutes.
The 42-year-old was advised she needed to be under the care of the psychiatric service for six months.
She saw her GP, who is not associated with HelloDoc, and advised her to request a transfer of care.
But when Tamara rang up to make the transfer, she claims HelloDoc said it couldn’t be done without paying $500 for another appointment, which she labelled as “ridiculous”.
“They didn’t give me any option,” she said. “In my emails, it escalated as I said I need to speak to someone because it’s not fair to charge somebody $500 for something they’ve asked for in a previous appointment and been unreasonably denied.”
Tamara was told in an email from HelloDoc “that all clinical discussions, including those related to medications, treatment decisions, or transfer of care, must occur in a scheduled appointment”.
“This is a standard and non-negotiable requirement that aligns with the psychiatrist’s duty of care, as well as strict medicolegal obligations governed by regulatory authorities,” the email read.
Tamara had spent $1500 out of pocket already with HelloDoc.
‘Nothing disclosed’
During further phone discussions, Tamara claims she told HelloDoc it should be “ashamed” at the way it was treating vulnerable patients during a cost-of-living crisis.
In emails seen by news.com.au, the service later said it needed to address the ongoing nature of communication from Tamara with HelloDoc staff.
“Threats, intimidation, and abusive language directed at our team are entirely unacceptable. We operate under a zero-tolerance policy for abusive or aggressive behaviour toward staff,” it read.
“Should this behaviour continue, we reserve the right to terminate services without further notice, and report the matter to appropriate authorities, including regulatory and legal bodies.”
But Tamara denied that she was ever abusive, threatening or intimidating.
“It’s disturbing treatment from a service that is supposed to be providing health services to vulnerable people, particularly psychiatric services. It’s completely out of line because you can’t assume that somebody is coming from a place of full condition and strength,” she said.
She said she believes the response was “dismissive behaviour” that deflects from their “price gouging”.
The real estate professional is now locked in a dispute over her medical records.
“I think if people were aware of the significant cost of their follow-up appointments and medication management that they wouldn’t pursue their services in the first place and on their website there’s absolutely nothing disclosed at all,” she said.
Telehealth psychiatry services have exploded in popularity with almost 79,000 offered in the 2024/25 financial year – up almost 5000 compared to the previous year, Medicare records show.
So far this financial year there have been 21,884 telehealth services offered for psychiatry.
Meanwhile, Tamara said psychiatry fees should be transparent given the “ADHD crisis” where getting a timely diagnosis is difficult.
Her new psychiatry service charges $200 for medication management, she added.
A HelloDoc spokesperson told news.com.au that due to strict obligations around patient confidentiality, the telepsychiatry service was unable to comment on individual cases.
“We reject the characterisation of the claims raised. They are selective, lack critical context, and do not reflect the reality of our services or our commitment to safe, accessible care,” they added.
Regulatory minefield
Tamara said she had submitted formal complaints with South Australia’s Health Complaints Commission, the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).
“That’s been an absolute minefield as well because HelloDoc’s clinic is registered in South Australia. I live in Victoria and the (service was provided) in Queensland. Where do you complain to for price gouging?” she said.
“I can’t complain to the Victorian Health Care Complaints. They rejected it and referred it to South Australia. And then the South Australian body rejected it and referred it to Queensland.
“It’s infuriating. But I mean at what point do you just give it up? I think that’s what they rely on.”
Reasons to take time assessing
Australian Society of Psychiatrists chief executive Dr Pramudie Gunaratne said diagnosing ADHD was complex and appropriate time was needed, with a diagnosis suitable either in person or via telehealth.
“So what (the patient) reports is really important, but also we’re looking at how people say things and what they don’t say,” Dr Gunaratne explained.
“And as psychiatrists, you know, we’re trained to consider people’s body language, their expressions, their tone of voice, and all of those things are essential with any mental health assessment.”
There are many conditions that can mimic ADHD or can magnify the symptoms so it was especially important to be thorough, she added.
“For example, we know that ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition. So we know that there are also much higher rates of things like autism spectrum disorder, OCD, ticks, and so a good ADHD assessment will screen for all of these things,” she said.
“We also know that inattention, which is a major feature of ADHD, can be caused by a range of other things as well, like depression, anxiety, trauma. These things can all affect concentration and memory, so you really have to screen for all of those comorbidities as well. And if you do a (quick) assessment, it’s not really going to help the person that’s in front of you, and it can also be dangerous to do that.”
ADHD medications can be life-changing, but there are also dangers if used incorrectly, she added.
“They can affect your heart health, they can increase the risks of psychosis if they are not carefully prescribed and monitored,” she said.
From her own clinical practice, Dr Gunaratne said a psychiatrist would need at least one to two hours to perform a proper assessment for someone with ADHD and patients would require close monitoring when initially starting medication.
Some states including NSW made changes so GPs can diagnose and medicate for ADHD earlier this year but this does not exist in Victoria. Tamara wants to see this measure implemented everywhere in Australia.
“This has been financially and emotionally draining, particularly as someone living with ADHD and trying to seek responsible care,” she added.
Dr Gunaratne said there was a place for GPs to be a part of helping patients with ADHD but there needs to be systems built so it’s safe including good training, oversight, supervision and escalation pathways.
“If cases are complex or if things are going wrong, there’s a pathway for GPs to be able to work with specialists to be able manage that,” she added.
The complaints process
Tamara hasn’t had much luck with regulators, she said.
Queensland’s Office of the Health Ombudsman (OHO) spokesperson said it was prevented from providing detailed or identifiable information about individual complaints, practitioners, healthcare organisations, or investigations due to privacy and confidentiality.
“The OHO may undertake systemic investigations to determine if there are issues relating to the operation of a system, process or practice rather than the individual actions of a person or practitioner that may impact on the provision or quality of health services,” they said.
A HelloDoc spokesperson added it is a long-established telepsychiatry service that has been delivering mental health care across Australia for many years.
“We support many thousands of patients annually through a large team of experienced psychiatrists,” they said,
“We are committed to the highest standards of clinical care, transparency, and ethical practice. Our systems and policies are continually reviewed to ensure they reflect best practice and the evolving needs of our patients.”
An Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) spokesperson said it manages complaints and concerns raised about the health, performance and behaviour of individual health practitioners, except in New South Wales and Queensland.
“In Queensland, all complaints and concerns are directed to the Office of the Health Ombudsman (OHO), which shares this information with AHPRA and the National Boards,” they said.
“Each notification or concern raised is reviewed by the OHO and AHPRA at the same time and a joint decision is made on which organisation will manage the matter,” they said.
The federal department of health declined to comment about the regulatory minefield patient’s face.
*Name has been changed
News.com.au is looking into telehealth services around Australia. Do you have an experience to share? Contact sarah.sharples@news.com.au
Originally published as ‘Ridiculous’: 10-minute appointment costs Aussie ‘exorbitant’ fee of $670
