The federal government is expanding telehealth services for all Australians during the COVID-19 health emergency.

Port Macquarie GP Super Clinic director/principal Dr Warwick Yonge, as an "at risk practitioner", is providing patient consultations via telehealth from home self-isolation.

Telehealth consultations are delivered by video technology or phone.

Dr Yonge said while the experience was unusual, very clear safety planning was in place.

The patients' reactions have been positive.

Dr Yonge said telehealth allowed some degree of chronic disease management and even some acute disease management to continue without patients worrying about the risk of getting COVID-19.

"It also frees the doctors, nurses and staff up from worrying about getting COVID-19 and take it home to their families and loved ones," he said.

Dr Yonge said telehealth was a reasonable compromise in an environment where nothing was perfect.

Video technology allows patients to show the doctor their swollen leg or rash, for example.

The doctor can take a patient history, order tests, see test results and prescribe medication.

But doctors can't examine a patient using the telehealth system, or do procedures like biopsies.

"In normal circumstances, the risk of not examining a patient would be unacceptable," Dr Yonge said.

"In the current crisis, the risk/benefit is in favour of telehealth.

"If a patient must be examined then other arrangements can be made - for instance in the clinic or the emergency department where staff may wear personal protection equipment."

The federal government has expanded telehealth to enable all vulnerable GPs and other vulnerable health professionals authorised to use telehealth item numbers to provide telehealth for all patient consultations.

More changes are on the way.

The federal government will provide $669 million to expand Medicare-subsidised telehealth services for all Australians, with extra incentives to GPs and other health practitioners also delivered.

Patients will be able to access support in their own home using their telephone, or video conferencing features like FaceTime.

They can to connect with GP services, mental health treatment, chronic disease management, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health assessments, services to people with eating disorders, pregnancy support counselling, services to patients in aged care facilities, children with autism, after-hours consultations and nurse practitioners.

Face-to-face consultations will still be needed where telehealth is not appropriate.

Dr Yonge said reducing the number of patients in medical centres was a COVID-19 risk reduction measure.

He urged people to follow official advice to protect themselves and others from the virus.

"This is very serious. It's really important to follow all of the directions about social distancing, hand washing, staying at home, doing everything to slow down or stop the spread of the virus so the numbers of people that require ventilation or respiratory support don't overwhelm the available services," Dr Yonge said.

"If services become overwhelmed then doctors and nurses in hospitals will have to make some terrible decisions. This is has been happening in Northern Italy."

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