For the first time Australians can now log into a telehealth service that meets their physical and mental health needs, with leading provider Hola Health launching clinical psychology appointments and bulk billed Mental Health Treatment Plan (MHTP) assessments.
Launching the services to mark World Mental Health Day, the two new offerings are in addition to Hola Health's existing, highly convenient and accessible online GP and prescription services.
Hola Health Co-Founder Lenin Rajendran said the new services offerings mark a significant expansion of the company's commitment to addressing the growing health needs of Australians – meaning people now had a 'one-stop-shop' to meet their mental and physical health needs.
"We know that face-to-face psychological services are getting harder to access," said Rajendran.
"More than a quarter of our population live rurally. But with the large majority of mental health professionals being city-based, the system is unfairly skewed against Australians living in country regions.
"Last year the Australian Psychological Society reported that one in four psychologists were unable to take on new clients, leaving long waiting times between patients seeing their GP and accessing the treatment they need.
"Research also shows that almost 40 percent of those who needed to see a health professional for mental health reasons delayed treatment or did not seek help due to time or cost.
"With a mission built around accessibility, it just didn't sit well with us to know that so many Australians are excluded from the mental health support they so urgently need."
Since launching in 2022, Hola Health has been at the forefront of accessible and affordable healthcare, providing telehealth services within 15 minutes of a patient request 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Rajendran said he was thrilled this approach, which allows Hola Health to unlock an otherwise constrained supply of medical professionals by allowing them to be anywhere in Australia at any time, is now being applied to mental health services.
"This removes the barrier to timely access because people can book our services 24 hours a day, seven days a week," he said. "It minimises the cost barrier because of Hola Health's low-cost or no (out of pocket) cost services. And it eliminates the sometimes-significant travel costs associated with attending an appointment in person. "The expansions of MHTP and Clinical Psychologist appointments is evidence of Hola Health's commitment to Australia: no matter your location, schedule, or accessibility needs you should have access to quality healthcare. So much of our lives are lived outside of regular business hours and our health services should reflect that," Rajendran added.
The MHTP appointments will be offered at 100 percent bulk billed and 50 minute Clinical Psychology appointments charged only for the Medicare gap of $102.65. Hola Health is the only Australian telehealth provider that exclusively offers Clinical Psychologists, ensuring patients always get the very best care and advice.
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