HealthLink announces new options following GP feedback

HealthLink has revealed major changes to its fee subscription model, following significant consultation with the RACGP.
 
HealthLink has announced it will create dual products: a paid ‘HealthLink Professional’ service and a free ‘HealthLink Essential’ service.
 
The changes come after the health messaging provider paused its controversial plan to roll out a new paid subscription model last year, following significant concerns from GPs.   
 
In a bid to ‘harmonise our subscription model’, HealthLink originally planned for small practices to pay a new fee of $252 a year, medium-sized practices pay $600, and larger practices pay $1000.
 
This plan was paused just weeks after it was announced following a meeting with the RACGP, with the two parties having met several times since.
 
HealthLink Australia Managing Director Dave Young said he is grateful to the RACGP for engaging so openly with his organisation.
 
‘We accept that our initial proposal missed the mark in key areas, and we’ve listened carefully,’ he said.
 
‘The new model reflects those conversations – preserving choice for practices while allowing us to keep building and improving HealthLink for the future.’
 
As a result, HealthLink has made major changes and announced it will remove its proposed per-doctor billing and confirmed there will be no costs related to volumes of use.
 
Instead, HealthLink will offer the two ‘Essential’ and ‘Professional’ products.
 
HealthLink Essential will provide a basic product and services, with free access to sending and receiving diagnostics and referral information, as well as those being introduced through the HealthLink referral portal, including any government-mandated electronic referral system.
 
Practices can choose to pay $12 per year for an updated contract to provide modern cybersecurity and support commitments, with HealthLink assuring the RACGP this fee will not increase over time.
 
An expanded HealthLink Professional service will also be available for interested practices, offering a separate subscription model for a practice fee of $40 per month, or $480 per year.
 
HealthLink plans to provide an expanded range of services through this version in coming months.
 
RACGP President Dr Michael Wright said he is pleased that HealthLink has engaged so positively with the college and has agreed to offer practices better options.
 
He said that, from the outset, the RACGP asked for a model that was simple, fair and avoided shifting costs onto practices or penalising practices based on volume or usage.
 
‘It’s great that HealthLink has listened to the concerns of GPs and has made these changes – GPs shouldn’t have to bear the costs of carrying digital transformation,’ Dr Wright told newsGP.
 
‘Many GPs were particularly concerned about hospital services and government agencies mandating the use of HealthLink and that the cost of using this service was going to be shifted onto GPs and practices when our financial viability is already struggling.   
 
‘This dual offering by HealthLink provides practices with options.
 
‘The important thing is that GPs and practices will have choice, and no practice will get switched off from the current system.’
 
HealthLink will offer to provide its Professional service to all practices at no cost until January next year.
 
In January 2026, practices can either continue with ‘Professional’ or scale back to ‘Essential’ with no switching cost.
 
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