For Injured People
A telehealth medication review lets you talk through your medicines with a pharmacist by phone or video, without visiting a pharmacy. Here is who qualifies and how to arrange one.
The question comes up constantly: do I have to go to my pharmacy for a medication review, or can I do it online? The honest answer is that you have more remote options than most people realise, and if your medicines relate to an injury claim, the whole thing can happen from your couch.
What is a telehealth medication review?
It is the same clinical service as a face to face review, delivered down a phone line or video call. A pharmacist goes through every medicine you take, asks how you actually use them, checks for interactions, duplications, and side effects, and writes recommendations to your doctor. The location changes; the rigour should not. The RACGP has published guidance for practices on undertaking medication reviews by telehealth, which tells you how mainstream the format has become.
Which government funded reviews can happen by telehealth?
The Pharmacy Programs Administrator rules allow a MedsCheck, Diabetes MedsCheck, Home Medicines Review, or Residential Medication Management Review to be undertaken by video or teleconference where the patient qualifies under the relevant program rules. Those telehealth arrangements were introduced on 21/04/2020 and remote delivery has stayed part of the landscape since, including hmr telehealth follow up interviews after an initial review.
The practical point: eligibility and referral rules still apply. An HMR still starts with a referral from your GP or an eligible specialist, and a MedsCheck is still a community pharmacy service at its core. If getting to the pharmacy or being home for a visit is the barrier, ask your GP or pharmacist what can be done remotely under the current rules rather than assuming the answer is no.
Do you still need to visit a pharmacy?
Only for some pathways. Here is the picture:
| Review type | Default setting | Remote option |
|---|---|---|
| MedsCheck | In the pharmacy, face to face | By video or teleconference in defined circumstances |
| Home Medicines Review | Your home | Telehealth available under program rules, including follow ups |
| Insurer funded claim review | Phone interview | Remote by design, anywhere in Australia |
So an online medication review is not a workaround; for claim related reviews it is the standard model.
Telehealth medication reviews on insurance claims
If your medicines relate to a workers compensation or CTP claim, the insurer can fund an independent review, and the claimant interview is routinely a phone medication review. There is a good reason for this design: the pharmacist already has the dispensing history and claim records, so the call focuses on what only you can tell them, such as how the medicines make you feel, what you actually take versus what is prescribed, and what is getting in the way of recovery.
It also means geography is irrelevant. An injured worker in Longreach gets the same review as one in Parramatta, on the same timeline, with no travel and no cost. If that sounds useful, ask your case manager whether the claim can fund an independent review.
Before the call: put every medicine on the table in front of you, including over the counter products and supplements. The pharmacist can only review what they know about, and the kitchen drawer stash counts.
What you need for the call
- A phone, or a device with a camera and internet if it is a pharmacist video consultation.
- Your full medication list, or simply the medicines themselves within reach.
- A quiet 30 to 60 minutes without interruptions.
- A support person or interpreter if that helps you communicate; say so when booking.
When face to face is still better
Telehealth is not always the right call. A home visit lets the pharmacist see how medicines are stored, spot doubling up across cupboards, and check devices such as inhalers or dose administration aids in use. If you have trouble hearing on the phone, or your situation involves physical technique with a medicine, say so; a medication review without leaving home is a convenience, not an obligation, and the face to face pathways remain fully available.
Key Takeaways
- Program rules allow MedsCheck, HMR, and RMMR services by video or teleconference in defined circumstances.
- Referral and eligibility rules still apply to the government funded programs, telehealth or not.
- Insurer funded reviews on workers compensation and CTP claims are done by phone as the standard model, Australia wide.
- A phone is enough for most reviews; video needs only a common device with a camera.
- Face to face remains better when storage, technique, or devices need to be physically checked.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to go to a pharmacy for a medication review?
Not always. A MedsCheck happens in a pharmacy, but a Home Medicines Review happens in your home, and program rules allow reviews by video or teleconference in defined circumstances. Insurer funded reviews on claims are routinely done by phone.
Is a phone review as good as a face to face one?
For most people, yes. The pharmacist works from your dispensing history and claim or health records, so the interview quality matters more than the location. Face to face still helps when physical checks matter, such as inspecting how medicines are stored or used.
What technology do I need?
A phone is enough for most reviews. Video calls need a smartphone, tablet, or computer with a camera and internet, but no special software beyond common video apps.
Who pays for a telehealth medication review?
The same funder as the face to face version. Government programs fund eligible HMR and MedsCheck services, and on a workers compensation or CTP claim the insurer pays for the review as a claim cost.
Primary source: Pharmacy Programs Administrator telehealth arrangements for medication management programs, and RACGP guidance on undertaking medication review by telehealth, current at 2026.
