FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Yes. There are some circumstances where a consultation may not be appropriate at that time or for specific issues.

This includes when:

• telehealth isn't suitable and you need a face-to-face assessment

• the timing isn't right—for example, before acute treatment is finished or if you need urgent assessment

• what you're seeking falls outside our scope of practice

• the consultation itself is suitable, but particular concerns are better addressed through face-to-face care with your GP or treating team

Our consultations are designed for people in the post-treatment phase of curative-intent care for solid organ cancers. This means consultations are not appropriate for people with metastatic cancer or those who have had treatment for a haematological malignancy (such as leukaemia, lymphoma, or myeloma).

Having other chronic health conditions doesn't prevent a consultation. Your overall health context—including conditions like diabetes, heart disease, or autoimmune disorders—is relevant to understanding your recovery and tailoring advice appropriately. However, our consultations remain focused on recovery after cancer treatment and how this relates to your broader wellbeing. Active management of other medical conditions remains with your GP or treating specialists.

In most cases, whether consultation with us is the right fit for you is clear from the information provided before booking. Occasionally, it becomes apparent during a consultation. If so, we'll discuss this openly and guide you on next steps.

We focus on the period after acute treatment—such as surgery, radiotherapy, and intravenous chemotherapy has been completed. During active treatment, your treating clinicians, including your medical oncologist, surgeon, and radiation oncologist, are best placed to monitor side effects, adjust treatment, and arrange urgent assessment if needed.

A consultation with us aims to help you understand your recovery, address longer-term impacts of treatment, and develop a plan for your next stage of health. This type of work is most effective once the immediate demands of acute treatment have settled.

The acute phase of treatment means you're still having intravenous chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or surgery, or these are still to come. You can also confirm your eligibility directly when arranging your appointment.

This is often an ideal time for a consultation.

Many people reach this stage after completing intravenous chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy, but continue on longer-term or adjuvant treatments while adjusting to recovery and ongoing side effects.

Common examples include:

• Breast cancer: people with ER-positive disease on endocrine therapy (with or without CDK4/6 inhibitors such as ribociclib (Kisqali) or abemaciclib (Verzenio)), those completing HER2-directed therapy (such as trastuzumab (Herceptin) or T- DM1 (Kadcyla)), or those receiving adjuvant immunotherapy (pembrolizumab (Keytruda) for triple-negative disease 

• Colorectal cancer: people who have completed adjuvant chemotherapy and are entering post-treatment follow-up

• Lung cancer: people receiving adjuvant or consolidation immunotherapy after surgery and/or chemotherapy

• Prostate cancer: people on longer-term androgen deprivation therapy (such as LHRH therapy)

This phase often brings persistent symptoms, uncertainty about recovery, and questions about longer-term health and prevention. A structured, specialist-led consultation can be particularly helpful during this time, alongside your routine follow-up care. 

Absolutely. Consultations can be valuable at different points in your recovery journey, typically within the first five years after completing acute treatment such as surgery, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy.

Many people seek consultation several years after treatment when they want to focus on longer-term prevention strategies or address persistent concerns that haven't fully resolved. Common reasons include managing ongoing treatment effects, optimising health behaviours, or simply feeling ready to invest in this aspect of recovery after the demands of treatment and early recovery have settled.

If you're uncertain whether a consultation would be helpful for you at this stage, we're happy to discuss this when you request an appointment.

Yes. A valid referral is required to consult with us as these are medical consultations with a specialist physician. 

A referral provides important clinical information about your diagnosis, treatment history, and current care. This ensures key details are available before your appointment, so we can focus more of the consultation on discussion and tailored advice.

A valid referral is also necessary if you wish to claim a Medicare rebate for the consultation. GP referrals are usually valid for twelve months from your first appointment (unless marked as indefinite), and specialist referrals are valid for three months. Medicare rebates can only be processed after the appointment.

A referral from your GP is preferred, as specialist referrals have a shorter validity period and may need renewal if you need ongoing consultations. If you don't currently have a regular GP, we recommend establishing care with one, as they play an important role in ongoing coordinated care after cancer treatment.

People who aren't eligible for Medicare can still book a consultation, but Medicare rebates won't apply.

Our Services are only available to Australian residents who are currently in Australia at the time of consultation. If you are temporarily or permanently located outside Australia, we are unable to provide consultations.

If anything is unclear about the referral process, we can clarify this when you book.

Our consultations are privately billed, and full payment is required in advance when confirming your appointment. Consultation fees and applicable Medicare rebate information will be provided when you request an appointment. Payment is made through a secure online link provided when you book. We can't accept cash or cheque payments.

Some consultations may be eligible for a Medicare rebate. Eligibility depends on Medicare rules and your individual circumstances. In general, a valid referral is required, and the consultation must be conducted over video for a rebate to be claimed. Medicare rebates can only be processed after the consultation and are paid directly to your nominated bank account. Higher rebates may be available if you have reached the Medicare Safety Net threshold (more information about the Medicare Safety Net is available on the Services Australia website).

If you need to cancel or reschedule, please contact us with at least 24 hours' notice.

• More than 24 hours' notice: no fee

• Less than 24 hours' notice: up to 50% of the consultation fee

• Non-attendance: full consultation fee

Medicare rebates don't apply to cancellation fees. Refunds, where relevant, are processed to the original payment method within 3–10 business days. If we need to cancel a consultation—for example, due to technical issues or if telehealth isn't clinically appropriate—a full refund will be provided.

Before your appointment, you'll be asked to complete a detailed online questionnaire on your phone, tablet, or computer. It confirms your demographic and contact details and includes questions about your treating medical practitioners, current health, medications, and lifestyle. You can also identify the issues you'd like to prioritise during the consultation. Providing this information beforehand ensures key details are available so the consultation can focus on discussion and tailored advice.

If there are specific concerns you'd like to cover, noting these in the questionnaire or preparing a short list beforehand can help ensure they're addressed. Depending on the number and complexity of issues raised, not all topics may be covered in one appointment, and a follow-up consultation may be recommended.

The need for follow-up consultations varies depending on individual circumstances and the complexity of issues addressed. Some people benefit from a single consultation, while others may have follow-up appointments to review progress or address evolving concerns. This will be discussed during your consultation.

Telehealth appointments are delivered using a secure video link generated through our clinical software (Xestro EMR) or through Google Meet. When your appointment is confirmed, you'll receive an email with the link. No downloads, accounts, or logins are required—you can join directly from the link.

Initial consultations typically last 45 minutes. Follow-up consultations, where needed, are generally 25 minutes.

Video consultations are considered best practice for clinical care, and a Medicare rebate can only be claimed when video is used. You'll need a device with a working camera and microphone. While a smartphone will work, a tablet or laptop is usually more comfortable for a longer consultation. Please test your internet connection and device setup well in advance, and aim to be ready at least ten minutes before your appointment.

Choose a quiet, private space where the discussion can't be overheard, as this helps maintain your privacy and confidentiality. Before the consultation begins, please set your phone to silent or 'Do Not Disturb' to avoid interruptions.

When you join the video link, you may be placed in a virtual waiting room until the consultation begins. There may be a short wait. We make every effort to run on time; however, we will notify you by SMS if there is a significant delay.

At the start of your telehealth consultation, you'll be asked to confirm your identity for privacy reasons, as well as to provide consent for the consultation, including the use of AI-assisted transcription and note-taking for clinical documentation.

If you experience difficulties joining on the day, please let us know as early as possible.

We generally prefer that you attend consultations on your own, as this helps keep the discussion focused and supports your privacy. 

If it's essential for someone to join, they can sit with you and listen to the discussion. This keeps the session centred on your needs while still allowing them to hear the information. To maintain privacy and confidentiality, we won't facilitate a separate telehealth link. If someone will be with you, please let us know before the appointment.

We use AI-assisted transcription and note-taking technology during consultations to support clinical documentation. The technology transcribes the conversation in real time, converts speech to text, and supports the preparation of structured clinical notes. No audio or video recordings are kept—only the processed clinical notes are retained as part of your medical record. 

Using this technology helps ensure accurate documentation of the discussion and recommendations while allowing more focus on the conversation itself. It can also improve the quality and completeness of the written summary you receive after your appointment.

The technology we use is compliant with the Australian Privacy Principles (APP), and we'll provide further details about the technology and privacy safeguards when you book.

Before any consultation where AI-assisted note-taking will be used, you'll be notified and we'll obtain your consent. You can withdraw your consent at any time during the consultation if needed. If you choose to withdraw your consent during the consultation, AI-assisted transcription and note-taking will be stopped. The consultation will continue as usual, with clinical notes completed using standard documentation processes. 

Our consultations are medical consultations. The advice you receive is evidence-based, tailored to your treatment history and current health, and grounded in specialist clinical experience.

We focus on supportive care and lifestyle medicine interventions after cancer treatment. This means your advice may include symptom-management strategies, behavioural and lifestyle recommendations, and—where appropriate—medications for supportive care. The aim is to help you navigate recovery, persistent side effects, and longer-term health in a structured, medically informed way.

Decisions about cancer surveillance, investigations, or changes to anti-cancer treatment remain with your GP and treating oncology team. Our advice is intended to complement their care.

We can discuss strategies to support your recovery as it relates to work capacity and function, but we do not provide medical certificates or reports for work, insurance, or other administrative purposes. Your GP and/or treating cancer specialists, who manage your ongoing care, are best placed to provide these.

Yes. When clinically appropriate, we may prescribe medications to support symptom management or recovery after cancer treatment.

Our prescribing is limited to supportive care. We do not prescribe controlled or dependence-forming medications (including opioids, benzodiazepines, stimulants, hypnotics, or Schedule 8 drugs), and we do not prescribe GLP-1 medications (e.g. Ozempic, Wegovy or Mounjaro). If a medication falls outside this scope or requires in-person assessment, you'll be advised to discuss it with your GP or treating team.

Our consultations focus on understanding your recovery after treatment, clarifying priorities, and providing evidence-based advice for your next stage of health. We generally evaluate these through clinical history, discussion, and review of tests or scans you've already had—new diagnostic testing isn't usually required.

Investigation of new or concerning symptoms, or arranging surveillance imaging, is best coordinated by your GP or treating oncology team so these assessments fit within your established follow-up plan. In selected situations, specific diagnostic testing may help inform longer-term health planning or symptom management. When relevant, we'll discuss this and may recommend it for consideration by your GP or treating clinicians.

We can discuss genetic testing results in the context of your recovery and longer-term health planning, but formal genetic counselling and interpretation of complex results is best coordinated through specialist genetic counselling services. We can guide you on next steps if needed.

Where appropriate, we may recommend consideration of referral to allied health practitioners or other specialists to support specific aspects of your recovery. This might include physiotherapy, exercise physiology, dietetics, psychology, or other services relevant to your needs.

We generally do not provide direct referrals, as coordination with allied health is most effective when arranged through your GP, who can ensure services fit within your overall care plan and advise on Medicare entitlements where applicable. We're happy to discuss which services might be helpful and can communicate these recommendations to your GP in our correspondence.

Our consultations focus on recovery after cancer treatment, longer-term health, and preventive care.

If new or concerning symptoms come up during a consultation, we'll consider them carefully and in context. If symptoms suggest you need prompt investigation or face-to-face assessment, we'll advise you to contact your GP or treating team, or to seek urgent care if appropriate. Our consultations aren't a replacement for urgent or emergency medical assessment. The focus is on reviewing your recovery after treatment, clarifying priorities, and providing structured, evidence-based guidance for your next stage of health and wellbeing.

Yes. After the consultation, you'll receive a written summary outlining the key issues discussed and the recommendations made. This supports clarity, reinforces next steps, and makes it easier to revisit the advice provided.

We also send correspondence to your GP and, where appropriate, relevant members of your treating team. This helps ensure your care remains coordinated and that all clinicians involved have access to the same information. If you have any concerns about information being shared with your treating clinicians, please let us know.

Yes. As part of good clinical handover and coordinated care, we routinely send written correspondence to your GP and to relevant members of your treating team—such as your medical oncologist, radiation oncologist, or surgeon—where appropriate. This helps ensure your treating clinicians have shared and accurate information to guide your care.

For consultations claimed under Medicare specialist attendance items, providing written correspondence to the referring practitioner is also a Medicare requirement. If you have any concerns about information being shared with your treating team, please let us know. We'll take your preferences into consideration and manage communication accordingly.

If you change GPs or move interstate, please let us know so we can update your records and ensure your new treating team receives relevant correspondence.

Our consultations are scheduled appointments rather than ongoing day-to-day management. If straightforward administrative or clarification questions arise between consultations, you can contact us using the secure communication channels we provide. We will respond within 2-3 business days where appropriate.

For medical concerns or questions that require detailed discussion or assessment, we recommend booking a follow-up consultation or contacting your GP or treating team, who are best placed to provide timely ongoing care. If you develop symptoms requiring immediate attention, contact your GP, attend your nearest emergency department, or call 000.

If technical issues occur during your appointment, we'll take reasonable steps to resolve them. This may include troubleshooting on the spot or rescheduling the consultation if the problem can't be resolved quickly.

If it becomes clear that telehealth isn't suitable for your situation, we'll discuss this and suggest alternative options so you can access the care you need.

We don't provide urgent or emergency care. If you develop symptoms that require immediate attention, please contact your GP, attend your nearest emergency department, or call 000.