Jump straight to a section of our Frequently Asked Questions:
About Ezimed
Why has Ezimed been established?
Ezimed recognises that Australians are having difficulty accessing their general practitioners - either because of where they live or because of their unusual working hours. Ezimed also recognises that many Australians with chronic medical illnesses have good knowledge of their conditions and are fully informed of what tests they need regularly. Ezimed aims to provide these patients with a complementary service to their general practitioners as patients can access Ezimed and order their blood tests or radiology tests at their own convenience, without having to spend excessive waiting times in the waiting rooms of GPs or emergency departments.
Where is Ezimed based?
Ezimed is located in Melbourne, Victoria.
What qualifications do the doctors at Ezimed have?
The doctors working at Ezimed are legally registered medical practitioners with AHPRA or the Medical Board and they come from diverse backgrounds. Many of the doctors have spent many years working in emergency departments of Australian hospitals as specialists, as general practitioners or working in Australian hospital wards.
Is Ezimed compliant with Australian Medical Board regulations?
Ezimed is working within the telehealth guidelines established by AHPRA on 23rd January 2012. AHPRA is the Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Authority. Information regarding the guidelines can be accessed at http://www.medicalboard.gov.au/News/160112-New-Guidelines-Released.aspx
Why are the fees charged by Ezimed non-Medicare rebatable?
Telehealth consultations are not covered by Medicare as they do not have a MBS number. Clients of Ezimed therefore have to pay a private consultation fee for services provided. Clients of Ezimed should however note that these fees are still competitive compared to the out of pocket fees they may incur when they consult their general practitioners privately.
Can Ezimed services be utilized outside of Australia?
Ezimed services are available only to residents of Australia.
What is the difference between the standard and express orders?
Standard orders - your order can take up to 24 hours to be processed and approved before the request is sent to you via your nominated mode of delivery.
Express orders - your order will be processed, approved and sent to you within 2 hours during AEST business hours Monday to Friday 0900-1700hrs. Please note that requests for express orders in this case can only be e-mailed to you.
Is the medical information that I provide to Ezimed secure?
Yes. Medical information provided to Ezimed is stored on secure servers and platforms. Medical information is only accessed by Ezimed's staff.
Is my account with Ezimed secure?
Yes. Your account and personal information with Ezimed is secured by a number of security mechanisms including SSL, HTTPS encryption and a secure hosting platform. Other than you, only staff of Ezimed will be able to access your account.
Why does Ezimed ask for the last 4 digits of my Medicare card?
The last 4 digits of the Medicare card are requested so that Ezimed can verify the identity of the person requesting the test. Only persons aged 16 and over are permitted to use the services of Ezimed. Having a medicare card also ensures that you are an Australian resident.
Why does Ezimed ask for details of my general practitioner or medical clinic that I attend?
Ezimed does not wish to replace your general practitioner but merely act as a complementary service to your GP. Results of your tests will be copied to your general practitioner or medical clinic so that your doctor can be kept informed. If you not wish for your results to be copied to your medical practitioner, you will need to advise Ezimed of this.
Is the mode of delivery secure for the requests?
It should be noted that only requests sent by MMS or by fax will be secure. Your mobile phone will need to be in your possession. If your fax is a personal fax machine and not a company fax machine, then your request should also be secure. Please note that all requests sent by e-mail are not completely secure and will depend on the security of your e-mail provider. The e-mails are encrypted from the Ezimed side. It will also depend on how many other people have access to your personal e-mail.
Why does the request form not match up with the provider I nominated?
It is not possible for Ezimed to have the pathology or radiology requests for all the providers in Australia. It is however understood that most pathology and radiology providers will accept the request forms of each other’s companies. There may be some exceptions to this, especially in regional and rural areas of Australia. If the provider is only willing to accept its own request forms, please call Ezimed and provide us with the name of the pathology or radiology provider. Ezimed will then contact them to obtain a copy of their request forms and then fax the request directly to them (if you are already at the provider’s reception) or e-mail you the order form.
My pathology / radiology provider is refusing the request form for other companies. They only want their forms to be used.
Please contact Ezimed and provide us with the name and fax of the pathology or radiology provider. Ezimed will then contact them to obtain a copy of their request forms and then either fax the request directly to them (if you are already at the provider’s reception) or e-mail you the order form.
Can Ezimed assist me in getting the tests the same day?
Ezimed does not have any influence over pathology and radiology providers. We cannot ask providers to provide you with the test same day. It is understood that with pathology tests, often these can be done either same day or next day. With x-rays, sometimes it can be done same day. However, with other tests such as ultrasound or CT scans, clients or patients will often have to make an appointment booking; this may take several days.
Is my credit card information secure with Ezimed?
Credit card information is not stored by Ezimed. Payment details are conducted by Paypal and other third party financial providers.
What type of payments are accepted by Ezimed?
Payments can only be made by credit cards or debit cards. No cash payments or cheques will be accepted by Ezimed.
Will there be refunds for incorrect test orders?
Clients will need to contact Ezimed to discuss refunds. Where clients have requested the wrong pathology test or the wrong radiology test, a refund is at the discretion of Ezimed. It should be noted that with every submission of an order, that clients are asked to check the order carefully before confirming the order.
What happens if my request is rejected or denied by Ezimed?
Your credit card payment is refunded if your test is not approved by Ezimed. You will be sent an e-mail or SMS to inform you that your test order has been rejected.
How can I contact Ezimed?
Ezimed can be contacted by clicking on the "Contact" link at the top of your screen.
Pathology
Why are there only limited pathology tests?
Ezimed believes that only common pathology tests should be ordered by clients. Certain blood tests should only be ordered in hospital or in emergency situations eg troponin for chest pain. Ezimed aims to be responsible with pathology test ordering therefore obscure or uncommon tests are not on the list of blood tests. We do not wish for clients to be ordering unusual blood tests such as lead levels, copper levels, etc. Some blood tests are very expensive and therefore not included. For other blood tests, patients need to have counselling prior to the test so that they understand the implications of the test results eg blood tests for HIV, Hepatitis B and C.
Are there limitations to how many times a pathology test can be performed?
With common tests such as FBE, electrolytes and liver function tests, there is no capped number of tests that can be done in 1 year. However, with other tests such as lipid or cholesterol studies, only a limited number will be bulk billed by Medicare in one year. With other tests such as HbA1c, clients will need to have pre-existing diabetes before the test will be covered by Medicare. Please note that Ezimed will be monitoring how often clients have certain pathology tests. If clients are considered to be having certain tests too often, they will be contacted by Ezimed and advised that future orders will be refused or rejected.
Why can I only order 3 pathology tests at any time?
Ezimed aims to be a responsible provider of medical services. We do not wish for clients to order large numbers of tests and therefore have Medicare pay for large numbers of tests.
Is it possible for a test not on the pathology list to be ordered?
Doctors of Ezimed will consider all requests carefully. Where a client provides sufficient medical reason for a particular test, that request may be approved.
Radiology
Why are the radiological tests mainly x-rays, CT scans and ultrasounds?
These are the more common tests that are usually needed by clients or patients.
Why are only certain x-rays permitted?
Certain regions of the body are more complex than others. The wrist is a complex region because there are so many bones. Therefore a clinical examination by a medical practitioner is recommended before an x-ray is ordered.
Is there any radiation involved with x-rays, CT scans and ultrasound scans?
X-rays only have very small doses of radiation - about 10mSv. Ultrasound scans do not have any radiation and therefore safe in pregnancy. CT scans have higher doses of radiation.
Why are only certain ultrasounds and CT scans permitted?
Ezimed only permits certain ultrasounds and CT scans as it believes that some clients or patients should be clinically assessed by their medical practitioner before an ultrasound or CT scan is ordered.
Are there any dangers with having CT scans performed?
Clients need to be aware that there is more radiation involved with CT scans than with x-rays. Some CT scans of the chest and abdomen also require injection of intravenous and oral contrast. The intravenous contrast can affect the kidneys and cause a deterioration in renal function. People who have diabetes and are taking metformin need to inform the radiographers of this. People with chronic kidney disease also need to know their renal function before they have injection of intravenous contrast. In some cases, patients simply need to drink more fluids before their CT scans.
Why does Ezimed only offer a couple of different MRIs?
Ezimed aims to practise responsible medicine and endeavours to ensure that not too many expensive tests such as MRIs are ordered. Furthermore, with MRIs, there are comprehensive checklists that have to be completed before an MRI can be completed. Ezimed believes that most clients or patients should be clinically assessed by their medical practitioner before having an MRI.
Your Results
Will I receive the results for my pathology and radiology tests?
Results will only be sent to you if you inform Ezimed by e-mail or by SMS after you have had the test performed. You will also need to provide or confirm with Ezimed the name of your pathology or radiology provider that you attended. Ezimed will then be able to contact your provider for the results. The Ezimed website has now been updated so that clients will need to go to Ezimed website and click on "test notification" link to notify Ezimed doctors that the test has been completed.
Results may take up to a week depending on the pathology or radiology provider. Pathology will usually take 1-2 days. Radiology results can take longer depending on the radiology provider, how many radiologists they have, how long the report takes to be typed and validated thereafter by the radiologist.
Ezimed will only notify you by phone in the event of a life threatening result from your tests. Results will be sent to you by your nominated mode of delivery. As with question 10 regarding the delivery of requests, you need to be aware regarding the pros and cons of having results sent to you by MMS, fax or e-mail and consider privacy and safety issues in regards to your results.
Can I discuss my results with the doctors at Ezimed?
Clients or patients are able to have a telephone consultation with doctors at Ezimed about their results. This will need to be pre-booked with Ezimed. An appointment date and time with an Ezimed doctor will be provided to the client if the client e-mails "enquiries [at] ezimed.com.au". The client will need to provide a contact phone number. The client should be aware that telephone consultations will be recorded for the purposes of quality and record keeping. There will be a standard fee for a telephone consultation up to 15 minutes.
Clients are strongly encouraged to consult their own general practitioners about their test results.
Repeat Prescriptions:
Why does Ezimed only offer “repeat prescriptions?
Ezimed believes in responsible prescribing of medications. Ezimed is concerned that some clients or patients may develop severe allergic reactions or anaphylaxis to new medications that they are commenced on - such as antibiotics or powerful painkillers. Ezimed will therefore only prescribe medications to patients that they have previously been on. Patients will need to be able to provide evidence that they have taken the medications before. Evidence can be in the form of a previous script for the medication or a doctor’s letter for the patient listing the patient’s medications.
Why doesn’t Ezimed prescribe powerful painkillers or analgesics such as morphine or endone?
It is the policy of Ezimed to not prescribe drugs of dependence to clients or patients. Ezimed also believes that if clients need these powerful medications, they should be clinically assessed by their medical practitioners before the medications are prescribed.
Why is there a limit of 3 medications per order?
Ezimed aims to practise responsible medicine and it does not wish for clients or patients to be on excessive medications. Ezimed is concerned about the potential for drug interactions and also the dangers of polypharmacy.
How can I get my repeat prescriptions?
Your prescription can be either delivered to your home address or nominated pharmacy. It can also be faxed to your nominated pharmacy. You will however need to provide Ezimed with the address and fax number of your nominated pharmacy. You should however contact your pharmacy to ensure they have received the prescription order before going to pick up the medications.
Does Ezimed monitor the medications that I have been prescribed?
Ezimed will monitor the medication orders carefully. If Ezimed observes that you are applying for scripts sooner than when your medication courses are to be completed, it may reject your next order. There may be some exceptions to this eg the client is going on a long overseas holiday or cruise and needs repeat supplies of the same medication. Ezimed will more likely approve the orders if the medications are for chronic diseases such as hypertension or heart disease.