The average GP practice handles thousands of consent forms, privacy notices, and administrative documents each year. Paper-based processes create bottlenecks: forms need to be printed, patients forget to bring them, staff spend time scanning and filing, and storage cabinets fill up.
Electronic signatures solve these problems while adding features that paper cannot match: timestamped audit trails, encrypted storage, automatic backups, and instant retrieval. For telehealth -- now a permanent fixture in Australian healthcare -- electronic consent is not just convenient, it is necessary.
Per staff member on paperwork
Automatic audit trails and secure storage
Sign before arriving, no clipboard in the waiting room
General treatment consent, surgical consent, anaesthetic consent
APP 5 notification, My Health Record consent
Patient authorisation for bulk billing or direct billing
Consent for remote consultation, recording, and data transmission
Participant information sheets and consent forms
Instructions for future medical treatment (state-specific requirements apply)
Staff employment contracts, locum agreements, consultant engagement
Medical equipment leases, software agreements, pathology contracts
Australia does not have a HIPAA equivalent in the sense of a single, healthcare-specific data protection law. Instead, healthcare data protection comes from multiple overlapping frameworks:
The foundation. The Australian Privacy Principles apply to all organisations with annual turnover over $3 million. However, all health service providers are covered regardless of turnover. Health information is classified as "sensitive information" with additional protections.
NSW (Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002), Victoria (Health Records Act 2001), and the ACT have their own health records legislation with additional requirements beyond the federal Privacy Act. Other states rely on the federal framework.
Governs the national digital health records system. Sets specific requirements for access, consent, and disclosure of records in the My Health Record system. Breaches carry significant penalties.
Confirms that electronic signatures are valid for consent forms and healthcare agreements. Some exceptions apply -- notably, powers of attorney and advance care directives may have state-specific execution requirements.
Telehealth is now a permanent part of Australian healthcare, with Medicare continuing to fund telehealth consultations. For telehealth, electronic consent is not just convenient -- it is often the only practical option.
The typical workflow is straightforward:
Send the consent form to the patient via email before the appointment
The patient reviews and signs electronically on their phone or computer
The signed form appears in your Sign & Go dashboard before the consultation begins
The practitioner can verify consent was obtained and proceed with the telehealth session
Both parties have a signed, timestamped record of the consent
All data stored in Sydney. No cross-border compliance headaches.
AES-256 encryption, role-based access, tamper-proof audit trails.
Patients sign on any device. No account creation required. Works on phones.
Start with our consent form templates or upload your own practice-specific forms.
Patients who have not signed get gentle reminders. No more chasing at reception.
From $29/month for unlimited envelopes. Free tier for small practices.
Important Limitations
Some healthcare documents have specific execution requirements that may not be satisfied by electronic signatures. Advance care directives, enduring powers of attorney for medical decisions, and certain clinical trial documents may require wet-ink signatures and/or specific witnesses depending on your state. Always verify the requirements for each document type with your legal adviser.