Telehealth · Australia-wide
Telehealth Dietitian
Online video appointments with Accredited Practising Dietitians, anywhere in Australia. Medicare, private health and NDIS funding apply exactly as they do in person.
How a telehealth dietitian appointment works
Very little of a dietitian appointment needs you to be in the room. There is no physical examination in standard dietetics practice. What there is: a conversation about your health, what you actually eat and when, what has been tried before, and what you want to be different. Then a plan, and then review.
- Book online through our booking page, or contact us if you have questions first.
- Get a link by email before the appointment. There is nothing to install; a phone, tablet or computer with a camera is enough.
- Talk it through. A first appointment usually runs 45 to 60 minutes. Reviews are shorter. If the connection drops, we finish by phone.
- Receive your plan by email afterwards, along with any resources, so you are not relying on notes scribbled during the call.
What telehealth does better than a consulting room
For dietetics, video is not a compromise. In several ways it works better than the room.
- We can see the actual food. You can walk to the pantry and turn a packet around. Reading a label together beats trying to remember a brand name.
- We see the real kitchen. Advice that assumes an oven, a chest freezer or a lot of bench space is no use if you have none of those.
- Everyone can attend. Two parents in different places, a partner, a carer or a support worker can join the same call.
- Reviews actually happen. Much of the value in dietetics comes from the follow-up appointments, and those are the ones people cancel when they involve travel and parking.
- It fits around work. Shift workers, FIFO and DIDO rosters, school runs and long drives in regional NSW all make a 45-minute video call easier than a half-day trip.
Medicare, private health and NDIS
Telehealth dietetics is rebated on the same basis as an in-person appointment. This is a common misconception, and the answer is simply yes.
With a GP Chronic Condition Management Plan, Medicare item 10954 currently attracts a rebate of $63.40 per session, for up to five allied health sessions per calendar year across all providers, with a minimum session length of 20 minutes. Eating disorder plans allow considerably more. Our Medicare Eligibility Checker walks through the common pathways in about a minute.
Most private health funds with extras cover pay a rebate for dietetics. NDIS participants with a self-managed or plan-managed plan can use plan funding; see our NDIS dietitian page.
What we help with online
We are a small practice with deliberate depth rather than a long list. Telehealth is what lets that depth reach people who are nowhere near Newcastle.
Eating disorders in children, adolescents and young people · women’s health, including PCOS, endometriosis and menopause and perimenopause · fertility and preconception · short pregnancy consults for morning sickness, reflux, constipation and UTI prevention · mental health and nutrition · medical nutrition therapy · NDIS nutrition support · clinical supervision for dietitians.
Telehealth across regional NSW
Many of our telehealth clients live in the Hunter and further afield, where seeing an Accredited Practising Dietitian in person can mean a long drive or a long wait. Video removes both. We have written specifically for the areas we see most often:
Newcastle & Lake Macquarie · Central Coast · Maitland · Cessnock · Singleton · Muswellbrook · Port Stephens · Taree · Port Macquarie · Dubbo & Western NSW.
In person: our rooms are at 18 Wilsons Road, Mount Hutton NSW 2290, near Charlestown. We do not run satellite clinics, so outside Newcastle and Lake Macquarie, telehealth is how we will see you.
When telehealth is not the right choice, and you need a GP
We would rather say this up front than have you find out three appointments in.
Telehealth is a poor fit if you need regular physical monitoring that someone has to perform in person, for example where medical instability means weight and observations need taking by a clinician on a set schedule, as can happen in more acute eating disorder presentations. Where someone is medically unstable, care should sit inside a team that can monitor them properly, starting with their GP. It is also a poor fit if you have no private space to talk, or if the technology makes the appointment stressful rather than useful.
If you are unwell or at immediate risk, call 000 or go to your nearest emergency department.
Common questions
Is a telehealth dietitian as good as seeing one in person?
For most dietetics work, yes. There is no physical examination in a standard appointment, so a video call loses very little, and it gains the ability to see your kitchen, your pantry and the products you actually buy. The exception is where physical monitoring needs to be done in person on a schedule.
Can I claim Medicare for a telehealth dietitian appointment?
Yes, on the same basis as an in-person visit. Under a GP Chronic Condition Management Plan, item 10954 currently rebates $63.40 per session, up to five allied health sessions per calendar year, with a minimum of 20 minutes per session. Eating disorder arrangements allow considerably more.
Do I need a referral to see a dietitian online?
No. You can book directly with an Accredited Practising Dietitian. A referral is only needed if you want to claim a Medicare rebate, in which case your GP prepares the plan first.
Can I use NDIS funding for telehealth?
Yes, if your plan is self-managed or plan-managed. Dietetics is usually funded from Capacity Building: Improved Daily Living, and carers or support workers can join the same call.
What do I need for the appointment?
A phone, tablet or computer with a camera, and somewhere private to talk. We send a link beforehand and there is nothing to install. If the connection drops we finish by phone.
Is my information private?
Yes. Consultations are not recorded, and your records are held confidentially under Australian privacy law like any health service. We correspond with your GP or other practitioners only with your consent.
Ready when you are
Book with Felicity or Tahnia
No referral needed to book. Medicare and private health rebates for eligible clients. See us in Mount Hutton or by telehealth, Australia-wide.
Tahnia Middleton
Accredited Practising Dietitian, Credentialed Eating Disorder Clinician
Book with TahniaNot sure who to see? Call 02 4091 9889 or send us a question.
