Montu has formed a telehealth sector working group under the chairmanship of former federal health minister Greg Hunt, with a mandate to develop shared principles for high-quality virtual care across Australia.
The group convened for the first time last month and will work toward governance standards and a 10-year roadmap intended to underpin what Montu described as "a safe, inclusive, and sustainable virtual care system".
Telehealth has generally been welcomed in recent years for expanding access to healthcare, though the model has drawn criticism from certain quarters, with health bodies raising concerns about so-called "tick and flick" online prescribing.
The Medical Board of Australia (MBA) took up the issue in 2023, issuing draft guidelines and cautioning against the practice for first-time patients.
That same year, the Australian Medicinal Cannabis Association and Cannabis Clinicians Australia jointly developed a draft code of conduct laying out standards for patient care.
Montu head of government relations Edward Strong said the new group would extend and build on the MBA's existing efforts.
"What the medical board has done is a good first go. It helps, but we think there is more that can be done, to build upon that work," he said.
"It would be inappropriate to pre-empt the group's work. We are part of the group, and facilitating its coming together, but it is a collective piece and we will work together as a sector."
Founding members include Rare Cancers Australia, Members Health Fund Alliance, the Medical Technology Association of Australia, mental health specialist We Lysn, telehealth platform Each, workplace health provider CU Health, and regional and remote area platform Marathon Health. Alcohol and drug policy expert Chris Raine has also joined the group.
Strong said: "Telehealth is no longer a stopgap solution. It's central to how care is delivered across Australia.
"The challenge is not whether it continues, but how we define its quality. That starts with setting shared expectations across the sector."
He continued: "The goal here is not more red tape, it's clarity. When patients log on for a telehealth appointment, they should have the same confidence in the care they're receiving as they would in any consulting room.
"Now, we must match that access with quality, ensuring digital care is not just available, but exceptional."
Montu's telehealth arm, Alternaleaf, has itself faced criticism from parts of the medicinal cannabis industry.
Strong declined to address its own operations directly, though a spokeswoman noted that nearly 250,000 patients have sought treatment through its clinics.
"By that very definition, we are a leader in this sector and so we share in that responsibility to improve it for the future," she said.
Hunt described the initiative as a "vital next step" in telehealth's development since the Covid lockdowns.
"During the pandemic, Australia rapidly expanded access to telehealth, helping millions of people receive care when they needed it most," he said.
"This group's purpose is to ensure telehealth continues to evolve with credibility, clinical integrity and public confidence at its core."
Strong said the working group's first phase will focus on producing two documents: a set of principles for telehealth providers to follow, and a 10-year roadmap outlining what quality virtual care in Australia should look like now and in the years ahead.
"One of the amazing aspects of this group is how collaborative the organisations have been in bringing ideas together," he said. "In the initial stages this was about industry coming together to look at what [it] can do. But further down the track it will be critical to engage more broadly with doctor groups, regulators and the government."
Montu said the working group is scheduled to reconvene mid-year and continue meeting through 2025, with findings to be released publicly following a national engagement process.
The group acknowledged the support and guidance of federal health minister Mark Butler and shadow health minister Anne Ruston, "noting their shared commitment to ensuring telehealth remains a permanent and trusted feature of the Australian health system".
