Telehealth STI Consult · Phone Consultation with a Specialist GP
FREEbulk-billed with Medicare · Australia-wide
Your STI consult by phone with a Specialist GP, anywhere in Australia. The GP reviews your symptoms, risk and any results, arranges the right tests at any pathology lab, and handles treatment if needed.
Full screen covers chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis, HIV and hepatitis B. Most results come back in 2-3 days by SMS.
Full STI screen: chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis, HIV, hepatitis B
With Medicare, the Specialist GP consult is bulk-billed and pathology tests are covered by Medicare — STI testing is free. Without Medicare, the consult is $59 and additional lab fees may apply — most Private Health Insurers cover the lab tests; check with the lab you attend. If you test positive, the treatment consult is bulk-billed for Medicare card holders or $59 without.
Telehealth STI Consult
This is the Specialist GP phone consult (free with Medicare, $59 without), not the $39 SMS-only test. Book this if you have symptoms, an exposure question, complex sexual-health history, or want to talk it through with a Specialist GP before testing. For straightforward asymptomatic routine screening you can self-direct, the $39 online STI test (SMS pathology referral, no consult) is faster and cheaper.
What is included. A 10 to 20 minute call with a Specialist GP, electronic pathology referral by SMS during or immediately after the call. The $59 fee covers the consult and the referral — you do not pay $39 separately.
When to choose the consult over the SMS-only path. Book the consult (free with Medicare, $59 without) if you have symptoms (discharge, sores, painful urination, abnormal bleeding, rash, pelvic or testicular pain), a known higher-risk exposure where you may also want to discuss HIV PEP or PrEP, uncertainty about what to test for, a complex or recurring presentation, or anxiety about whether testing is the right next step. If you feel well, know what you want, and are confident on timing, the SMS-only path is fine.
How the consult decides what to test. The Specialist GP follows current Australian STI Management Guidelines and tailors the panel to your situation. Routine MSM screening uses an extended panel (urine plus throat and rectal swabs for chlamydia and gonorrhoea, plus blood for HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis B). Heterosexual screening uses the 5-infection screen (urine plus the same blood tests). Chemsex history adds hepatitis C where injecting use is part of the picture. Symptomatic presentations get a panel matched to the symptom pattern. UTI testing and treatment can be arranged on the same call if painful urination might be a UTI rather than an STI.
If you have symptoms. The Specialist GP works through likely causes and arranges targeted testing. Discharge points to chlamydia, gonorrhoea, trichomonas, BV, thrush, or Mgen. Sores or ulcers raise herpes, syphilis, and non-infective causes. Pelvic or testicular pain is assessed for pelvic inflammatory disease or epididymo-orchitis — both need treatment alongside testing. Rash with systemic symptoms can suggest secondary syphilis or acute HIV. Visible lesions and complex pelvic pain may need in-person follow-up; the Specialist GP arranges the right pathway on the call.
Timing matters after a possible exposure. Each infection has a window period before testing reliably detects it: chlamydia and gonorrhoea about 2 weeks, syphilis 3 to 6 weeks, HIV 4 to 6 weeks on the standard blood test, and hepatitis B from 6 to 12 weeks. For higher-risk exposures the standard approach is a baseline test now plus a repeat at the right wait time. For HIV exposure within the last 72 hours, the discussion shifts to emergency PEP — book that consult instead of routine testing.
Worried-well and tailored pathways. Many people book this consult not because of a specific exposure but for reassurance — after reading about an infection, after a partner discloses prior STI history, or after a non-risky encounter that has become anxiety-driving. The consult is structured around this: focused history, reassurance based on actual exposure risk, and often a shorter test panel than expected. For transgender and gender-diverse patients, testing is anatomically appropriate (urine, throat, rectal, vaginal, or frontal swabs as relevant) with no assumptions made on stated gender.
Same-day phone consults. Most consults are available within an hour or two of booking in business hours, with after-hours and weekend slots through the booking system. The pathology referral lands by SMS during or right after the call, and you can attend any Australian pathology lab the same day. Mention urgency at booking if symptoms are time-sensitive.
Cost and privacy. The $59 fee covers the consult plus the referral. Pathology tests are covered by Medicare and most Private Health Insurers; without Medicare, additional lab fees may apply — check with the lab you attend. Your consult and any tests are confidential — we do not notify your regular GP, employer, school, or insurer by default. Notifiable infections are reported anonymously to state Departments of Health for surveillance only.
Frequently asked questions
The consult (free with Medicare, $59 without) covers a focused sexual-health history, symptom interpretation, decision on which infections to test for and which sample sites, wait-time guidance, the pathology referral itself (sent during the call), and what happens next. The pathology referral is included — you don't pay $39 separately. See the Telehealth STI/STD Testing section above for full detail.
Book the consult (free with Medicare, $59 without) if you have symptoms, a recent high-risk exposure, uncertainty about what to test for, complex presentation, or you want to discuss PrEP/PEP/DoxyPEP. The $39 SMS referral is enough if you feel well, know what you need, and are confident on timing. See When this is the right service above.
The Specialist GP applies current Australian STI Management Guidelines tailored to your situation — routine screening, symptomatic presentation, post-exposure, pregnancy, or specialised pathways each have different test panels. See How the Specialist GP decides what to test above for the full breakdown.
The Specialist GP works through likely causes for your specific symptom — discharge, sores or ulcers, pelvic or testicular pain, rash with systemic symptoms — and arranges targeted testing. Some presentations need in-person follow-up; the GP arranges the right pathway. See If you have symptoms above for detail.
Each infection has a wait time: chlamydia and gonorrhoea at 2 weeks; HIV reliably detects at 4 weeks, conclusively at 6 weeks; syphilis at 3 to 6 weeks; hepatitis B at 6 to 12 weeks. For HIV exposure within 72 hours, book emergency PEP instead. See When to test after a possible exposure above.
Yes — this is a common and legitimate reason to book. The consult is structured around reassurance based on actual exposure risk and the right (often shorter) test panel. Many worried-well patients leave the consult reassured without needing the full panel. See Worried-well consults above.
Book the consult now to plan the testing schedule, even though the actual tests will not happen immediately because of wait times. The Specialist GP works through the timeline with you: a baseline test now to establish a known starting point, a repeat at 2 weeks for chlamydia and gonorrhoea, and a repeat at 6 weeks for HIV and syphilis (the conclusive timepoints). If the exposure was high-risk for HIV (specifically: condomless anal sex with a partner of unknown HIV status), book emergency PEP instead — the 72-hour window for PEP matters more than testing logistics.
Yes. The consult adapts to your situation. Chemsex history gets extended STI screening including throat and rectal sites plus hep C testing if injecting risk applies, plus PrEP and DoxyPEP discussion. Transgender and gender-diverse patients get anatomically-appropriate testing with no assumptions based on stated gender. See Specialised pathways above.
Same-day consults are usually available, often within an hour or two of booking during business hours. The consult itself runs for 10 to 20 minutes. The pathology referral is sent by SMS during or immediately after the call. See How fast the consult happens above.
