What's the difference between NewDoc and Hola Health?
Both services bulk-bill consultations under Medicare, but with different rules and different operating windows. NewDoc bulk-bills every consultation it offers — operating hours generally 8 am to 11 pm most days, with availability varying day to day — at $0 for eligible cardholders, with the eScript, MHTP, and any same-visit referral or certificate included. Hola Health bulk-bills consultations only outside business hours (weekday evenings 6 pm–7:30 am, Saturday afternoons, Sundays, public holidays); during business hours its consultations are private from $39. Both services bulk-bill Mental Health Treatment Plans at any time.
Hola Health also offers per-product pricing during business hours: instant script from $18.90, medical certificate from $14.90, GP referral from $39. For Medicare-eligible patients booking during weekday business hours within NewDoc's operating window, NewDoc is the only one of the two services bulk-billing; outside business hours both services bulk-bill consultations. Hola Health additionally covers late-night and overnight windows that fall outside NewDoc's operating hours.
NewDoc vs Hola Health at a glance
NewDoc and Hola Health are both major Australian telehealth services that bulk-bill under Medicare. The difference is when, and within what operating window. NewDoc bulk-bills every consultation it offers (no surcharge for evening or weekend appointments) within its operating hours, which are generally 8 am to 11 pm most days with day-to-day variation. Hola Health bulk-bills only outside business hours — weekdays 6 pm–7:30 am, Saturdays from 12 pm, and all day Sundays and public holidays — but operates around the clock within those bulk-billing windows. Mental Health Treatment Plans are bulk-billed at any time on both services.
During Hola Health's business-hours private window, its per-product pricing is public: telehealth consult from $39, instant script from $18.90, medical certificate from $14.90, GP referral from $39, chemist delivery from $5.99.
The table below compares the two services across the dimensions that drive cost and experience. Comparison data verified as at 9 May 2026.
| Dimension | NewDoc | Hola Health |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Bulk-billed Medicare consult | Per-product fee + after-hours bulk billing |
| Lowest listed price | $0 (Medicare) | From $14.90 (medical certificate) |
| Bulk-billed? | Yes | After-hours only (and MHTPs always) |
| Doctor type | FRACGP-qualified GPs only | AHPRA-registered doctors |
| Same-day availability | Yes | Yes |
| Mental Health Treatment Plan | Yes (bulk-billed) | Yes (100% bulk-billed) |
| Referrals | Yes (included in consult) | Specialist referral from $39 (separate fee) |
Comparison data verified as at 9 May 2026. Values reflect each provider's lowest publicly listed pricing or stated feature on their own website. Prices and features change — check Hola Health directly for current information before booking. "Bulk-billed" = no out-of-pocket cost for eligible Medicare cardholders.
When NewDoc fits
NewDoc's bulk billing is structurally cheapest for Medicare-eligible patients who need a weekday daytime consultation within NewDoc's operating window, since Hola Health is private-pay during weekday business hours.
Choose NewDoc if any of the following apply:
- You need a weekday daytime consultation within NewDoc's operating hours and want bulk billing — NewDoc bulk-bills during these hours; Hola Health is private-pay during these hours.
- You want a FRACGP-qualified Australian-trained general practitioner specifically.
- You need ongoing chronic-condition care that can't reliably flex into Hola Health's after-hours bulk-billing windows.
- You want one consultation to cover multiple needs (script + referral + certificate + MHTP) at $0.
When Hola Health might fit
Hola Health's after-hours bulk billing and per-product day-time pricing may suit some situations. Choose Hola Health if any of the following apply:
- You need a consultation in late-night, overnight, or otherwise out-of-window hours that fall outside NewDoc's operating hours — Hola Health's after-hours window covers most of the time NewDoc is closed and is bulk-billed.
- You only need a single low-cost product (a $14.90 medical certificate or a $18.90 script during business hours) and prefer to pay per product.
- You need pharmacy delivery — Hola Health publicly lists chemist delivery from $5.99, which NewDoc does not directly offer.
- You are a returning Hola Health user with established continuity and prefer to keep care with the same service.
Worked example: a daytime multi-need visit
Consider a Medicare-eligible patient who needs three things from one weekday daytime visit: an antidepressant repeat, a Mental Health Treatment Plan, and a psychology referral.
- NewDoc: $0 — one bulk-billed consultation covers the script, the MHTP, and the psychology referral.
- Hola Health: the consultation falls in business hours, so consult from $39, plus the MHTP itself (which Hola Health bulk-bills) and any per-product referral fee. The MHTP timing exemption means the MHTP itself is $0 on either service, but the surrounding consultation is private with Hola Health during business hours.
If the same visit happens at 7 pm on a weekday or on a Sunday, the consultation is bulk-billed on both services and the cost gap closes considerably. Mental health telehealth consultations are also exempt from the standard 12-month face-to-face Medicare requirement, so eligibility is broader than for many other consult types.
Verify both before booking
Pricing and features change. Every claim above was verified against each provider's public website as at 9 May 2026. Before you book, confirm current pricing on NewDoc's pricing page and on Hola Health's site. For a wider comparison across all major Australian online doctor services, see our hub comparison.
Last reviewed 10 May 2026. Editorial policy