FAQ

Let’s make sure you’re looking in the right place. In the MediRecords App, go to the Correspondence section (2 icons across & 2 icons down) on the main menu. Here you should see a letter from one of our doctors, you just need to tap to open it. If it’s been 2-3 business days and the letter isn’t showing up, please contact us and we’ll help you out.  

There’s a simple fix for this one. Go into your printer settings and change it from US Letter to A4, then your pathology referral will print neatly on one page. Make sure you sign the Medicare assignment section and you’re ready to take this to the Pathology Collection Centre.   

Your Pathology Referral will be available for download at the completion of the questionnaire and payment. We also email you a copy. If it isn’t in your inbox please check your Junk Mail folder. If all that fails please contact us immediately as something has probably gone wrong, but we’ll get you sorted out!

If either your email address or mobile number has changed since you ordered your Pathology Referral then you will need to contact us so we can update your details.

The form is a PDF (Adobe Acrobat) file. It should open in most PDF readers. If you’re having trouble, head to the Adobe website and download the latest version of Acrobat Reader. Some mobile phones can open and print PDF’s, but it can get tricky, so try using a computer if needed. Please contact us if you get stuck. 

First of all, your email needs to be entered in all lowercase letters. If that’s not the issue, tap the Forgotten Password link on the login page of the MediRecords App and follow the steps to receive a new Token via SMS to your mobile. Once you put in the token, you’ll be able to reset your password and login. If this doesn’t work, please contact us.

That’s ok it happens to the best of us. You’ll need to contact us so we can tell you which email address to use to reset your password.

That’s unusual, but sometimes problems occur with different operating systems so please make sure you’re running the most recent system and if not please do the update and if the issue persists please contact us.

The token we sent you via SMS will only be valid for 18 hours. If it has been more than 18 hours since we sent it, you’ll need to contact us so we can sort out a new one for you. 

If you have already set up the App but you are receiving this message, open the App and select ‘I’m a returning patient’. 

If these options do not help, please contact us as there might be a deeper technical issue. 

We use approved Patient Medical Record (PMR) software, just like your normal GP. Our website uses industry standard encryption including SSL to protect the information you share with us. Your privacy is our utmost priority, and your data is kept safe and confidential with us.  

The questionnaire you’ll answer when ordering your test follows the same guidelines your GP does in order to issue you with a Pathology Referral to get an STI Test. It’s just six very basic questions that help us determine what tests you need, and just by actively pursuing an STI test it will mean you’re tested for the most important ones. 

Our testing process means you can discreetly fill in the answers online instead of face-to-face, you won’t feel embarrassed or judged, and you won’t have through it all again to get your results like when you get tested with the GP. You do it all through the privacy and comfort of your mobile.  

We’re here to eliminate the need to speak to a doctor one-on-one as this is a major reason why people don’t get tested. You will not get a chance to speak to a doctor if you undergo an STI test with us, but we will test you for the STIs you may be most at risk of having. The six basic questions we ask have been designed specifically to ensure you get the tests you need.  

One of the Stigma Health team of Australian doctors will review your results before sending them to your App. If required, a treatment prescription or referral for treatment will be provided. 

Stigma Health uses MediRecords, a secure app to provide your results most confidentially and quickly. Setup and use of the app rely on you having an Australian mobile number. 

Once we have your results, we will either text you an all-clear or ask you to contact us. Don’t panic if we ask you to contact us there are multiple reasons we may need to speak to you. There may be extenuating circumstances when we need to speak to you about your results, but we’ll never contact you out of the blue. 

Firstly it’s important to note that everyone, even your regular GP, is required by law to do this and the information we provide will not be used to identify individuals to the public. Exactly what information has to be provided can vary from State to State, however, in most cases, any positive result will only result in the age and postcode of the patient being reported to the Government. This is purely so that Health Departments can understand the spread of STIs better and develop targeted interventions.

The one exception across the board is HIV, due to the seriousness of it any person who tests positive will be identified to the government, but again this is the case regardless of whether you are tested with us, your GP or through a speciality testing centre.

If the STI is treated with a simple prescription, the Stigma Health doctor will send you an eScript or send the prescription to your local pharmacy.

If the STI treatment incorporates more than a prescription, you will be given an advice letter, referring you locally for treatment. Take this letter along with your results to your doctor. You will receive all in the app. You can download them, send them from there or screenshot them and use that.

If you want to know more about how different STIs are treated you can find this information in our What We Test For section.

The short answer is yes you definitely can, but things can get a little bit complicated with the Pathology Testing side of it, depending on where you are from. Different countries have different reciprocal relationships with the Australian Government when it comes to covering medical expenses of citizens whilst in each other’s countries so you may or may not get charged for the Pathology Tests involved in your STI test. If you’re unsure what arrangement your country has with Australia and are concerned about incurring extra fees for Pathology it’s best to contact Medicare or your Embassy here in Australia.

Your Pathology Referral will be available for download upon completion of the questionnaire and payment, we’ll also email you a copy.

That really depends on you! The sooner you can get yourself to a Pathology Centre to get the tests done, the sooner we can get the results to you, but once you have been tested you can expect to wait about 2-3 business days for the results. How long it takes depends on many factors including what we’re testing you for, where you live and how far the collection centre is from the central testing point.

Let’s talk about sex: If you suspect you may have contracted an STI it’s extremely important that you do not engage in any sexual activity, regardless of your relationship status, until you know that you’re safe and not at risk of infecting anyone else.

In Australia, you shouldn’t need an appointment for pathology testing. You can take our referral and walk into any Pathology Collection centre in Australia, public or private. To find your nearest one, just google, ‘pathology near me’. 

There is no preparation required for getting tested. Probably a good idea not to go to the bathroom two minutes before you go in, because in most cases they’ll need a urine sample. Also remember to take your Pathology Referral handy with you, and make sure you’ve signed and dated the Medicare Assignment. If you don’t know what the Medicare Assignment is head to The Process, Step Three, which has a helpful picture! 

Nope you can keep your clothes on for this one (except for when you will most likely have to go to the bathroom and provide a urine sample); there is no reason why you would be asked to undergo a physical exam as part of any of our tests. We’re about eliminating the embarrassment after all.

We’re very sorry to hear that has happened and it shouldn’t have. Please contact us immediately so we can try to figure out what went wrong and resolve the situation for you.  

MediRecords is a complete clinical and practice management solution for health professionals. In addition to their clinical and practice solution, MediRecords offer a secure mobile application for patients. Synchronised with their health providers, patients can use the MediRecords App to view and update their health information, view their results in real time and for secure communication with their doctors and other health professionals. Not to mention the ability to book appointments online, receive and store prescriptions, referrals, pathology requests and more. All information is stored in secure, world-class servers with data encrypted.

Our pathology referral is accepted at every pathology clinic in Australia. Over 10,000 pathology clinics Australia-wide.

You do not need to tell every sexual partner you’ve ever had providing this is not your first STI test. You only need to tell previous partners who may be at risk i.e they came after your last negative STI test. (Just one more reason to get tested regularly!)

It’s awkward we know, but much like we’ve used the beloved qualities of the Internet to make getting tested easier there is also an online solution for telling your past partners. It’s called Let Them Know and through their site, you can notify someone via Email/SMS/Letter either with your name or anonymously. Check them out.

Post-treatment testing isn’t essential, if you now have symptoms you should present yourself to a doctor asap.

The doctor will advise about the duration of the STI treatment, and how long to abstain from sex for.

For chlamydia for example, the medication is very effective. It usually works within 7 days, however your results could still show up positive for 21 days in total. So follow-up testing isn’t recommended or essential especially that quick.

Window periods for STI’s refers to the time between risk and infection. For Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea it can take up to 21 days for infection to show up in results. For Syphilis and HIV it can take 90 days!

The frequency of your testing is really down to you, understanding your sexual health. If you think you should get tested, you should. You should get an STI test every time you change sexual partner. If you’re in a relationship or not currently sexually active you should still get tested.

If you are under 29 you should be tested annually, if you are single try biannually, and if you are sex-positive and possibly at higher risk, get tested every three months as this covers your window periods.

The law dictates this one and the law says that all health records must be kept for seven years from the date a person accesses health services, so just like your GP, any hospital (public or private) that you visit or any other medical service we will hang onto your results for seven years, but rest assured they are kept securely.

At Stigma Health our charge is $36.99 for Australians under 21 and $46.99 for a Pathology Referral. In most cases that’s all you’ll have to pay as your pathology tests will be bulk billed through Medicare, you should ask a the pathology centre ahead of providing the tests and confirm they bulk bill. If you’re not an Australian resident eligible for Medicare you may be liable for pathology testing expenses if Australia doesn’t have a reciprocal arrangement with your country, contact Medicare or your embassy if unsure.

Like most services over the Internet, we accept only credit card payment including Apple Pay and Google Pay.

We use Stripe to process our payments, one of the most trusted and popular companies out there delivering bulletproof online security – managed and monitored by real people – and backed by robust PCI DSS compliance.

Unfortunately, when you order an Instant referral, it is just that. The referral itself cannot be cancelled or revoked so I refund is not possible.

If you no longer believe you need to undertake an STI test we recommend you save the referral for a time when you might not be so lucky! Or get tested anyway, it can never hurt to be screened.

Different Pathology providers operate differently so whether or not you are charged for Pathology depends purely on where you go to get tested. The best way to avoid getting charged is to make sure you sign and date the Medicare Assignment before you go, which means you’re asking to be bulk-billed and pass the charges along to Medicare. If you don’t know what/where the Medicare Assignment is then head to The Process, Step Three, which has a picture of your pathology referral with the Medicare Assignment sections outlined in red.

If you aren’t familiar with your nearest Pathology Centre’s procedures we also recommend calling them beforehand and asking if they bulk bill.

If you have any further questions regarding the Pathology side of things you’re welcome to contact us and we’ll do our best to help.

We’re so glad you asked that! Here’s the thing you may never have reason to suspect you have an STI, that is part of the reason they spread so easily. STIs can be asymptomatic (fancy lingo for having no symptoms) for a really long time, some never exhibit symptoms for some people, that’s why it’s better to be safe than sorry and just get the test!

You’ll find a brief overview of the STIs we test for including, what the symptoms are, what it is, how it’s contracted and how you are tested and treated in our What We Test For Section, but it’s important to note that STIs often have no symptoms or the symptoms don’t present for a long time so if you think there’s a chance you’ve been exposed to an STI then you really should just get tested.

IMPORTANT: If you believe you may have been exposed to HIV OR HEPATITIS B in the last 72 hours do not proceed with a normal STI test, visit a doctor, hospital or specialty clinic ASAP so you can receive preventative post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).

If you have reason to believe that you have contracted an STI then you should get tested straight away, but different STIs do have different ‘window periods’ for testing, this is when the STI is most likely to be detected so it’s important to take these into account when getting tested. If you’re tested within the window period for any STI, especially one you think you may have been exposed to, it’s important that you come back or visit a doctor for another test after the window period has passed. You will find the information about window periods for different STIs at the bottom of our Who Can & Should Get Tested section.

IMPORTANT: If you believe you may have been exposed to HIV OR HEPATITIS B in the last 72 hours do not proceed with a normal STI test, visit a doctor, hospital or specialty clinic ASAP so you can receive preventative post-exposure treatment (PEP).

Yes! Absolutely. Some STIs are deceptive and do not always present symptoms or do not present them for a long time that is why it’s so important to get regular tests. Even though you have no symptoms any STI you may have caught is still causing damage to your health. To find out more about whether you should be tested visit our Who Can & Should Get Tested section.

When you order a test with Stigma Health you will be asked six confidential questions, the same ones your GP would ask, our doctors will then recommend what you should be tested for.

The STIs we currently offer testing for are:

• Chlamydia
• Gonorrhoea
• Syphilis
• Hepatitis B
• Hepatitis C
• Hepatitis A
• HIV

No we do not currently test for Herpes 1 or 2 because this is best diagnosed by having a physical sample taken by a doctor. Blood tests are not always reliable when it comes to this particular STI.

You will find a brief overview of some of the symptoms of Herpes in our Who Can & Should Get Tested section if you want further information. If that doesn’t satisfy your needs then head to our Resources section will you find links to various information sites for STIs.

If you believe you may have been exposed to HIV in the last 72 hours stay calm and go straight to your doctor, nearest hospital or specialty clinic where you will be able to receive preventative post-exposure treatment (PEP).

If it has been more than 72 hours you should still get tested ASAP, but keep in mind it can take up to 12 weeks before the antibodies can be detected so you will need to get tested again after 12 weeks if the results come back negative.

You can start the process to get tested with us right now or visit your doctor or a speciality clinic ASAP.

If you are experiencing symptoms of an STI, but your test results from us come back negative it is important you see your GP to determine what the problem might be. Do not ignore symptoms.

Head on over to our Who Can & Should Get Tested Section and find out…

No, having had an STI does not make you more vulnerable to getting them, but having an STI and leaving it untreated can increase the likelihood of you catching other STIs such as HIV, that’s just one more reason why it’s important to get tested regularly!

If you get tested with us then yes you will, that is because we automatically request a HIV test for all of our patients, no matter who you are or how you answer the questions on our questionnaire. Why do we do that? We think HIV is too serious to take risks with and starting treatment as soon as possible is so important that even though it isn’t one of the most common STIs we will test you for it because we believe it’s in your best interest.  We know needles can be unpleasant, but we urge you to be brave!

It definitely could be an STI, but there are lots of other reasons this may occur. It’s a good idea for you to get tested for STIs, regardless of whether you choose to do that through us or not we’d advise you visit a doctor anyway to make sure the cause is determined.

No, when you have a Pap Smear you are not tested for STIs. You either need to ask your doctor to perform an STI test as well or get tested with us now!

Yes, our Pathology Referral will have these tests on it if your answers to the questionnaire warrant these tests. Please ensure you attend a pathology centre that will provide you self-collection swabs.

STI (sexually transmitted infection) is the new term for STDs (sexually transmitted disease). The reason the term was changed is because STIs commonly have no symptoms and are treatable so the term infection suits them much better than disease.

It’s great that you use condoms, but unfortunately that doesn’t mean you’re definitely safe. If the condom is past its expiry date (yes they have one) then it will start to breakdown and can prove ineffective against STIs and preventing pregnancy for that matter! There are other reasons why condoms may not always work for example if you use an oil based lubricant such as Vaseline or massage oils they may cause the latex to disintegrate so whilst using a condom is a very good idea they’re not foolproof and you should still get regular STI tests to be absolutely safe.

Did your partner definitely go and get an STI test after you became committed to each other? Have you actually seen your partner’s verified STI results? If you answered no either of those, then that’s why you should get tested. The second reason why we recommend everyone should get regular STI tests is that even though it is very rare STIs can be transmitted in other ways and hey, it’s better to be safe than sorry right?

Whilst the younger generations are considered the most ‘at risk’ of contracting STIs, the fact is, STIs do not discriminate, they can and do happen to people of all ages from all walks of life so there’s no age at which it’s safe to say you don’t need to get an STI test. Another very good reason to keep getting tested even if you think you’re ‘over the hill’ is that testing rates for STIs were really bad there for a while so if you weren’t screened, don’t know if you were or whether your current partner was then you should definitely get tested! Not convinced, let’s throw some stats around.

Gentlemen, did you know that the rate of Syphilis increased in every age group between 2004-2011? Every age group.¹  

Here’s a little factoid to incentivise you ladies, in 2014 in the 30-39 age slot there was a whopping increase of 65% in Syphilis diagnoses overall and let us tell you that’s not considered the ‘at risk’ age.²

The moral of the story? Get Tested. Be Sure. 

Sources: 

1.Based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data 2. The Kirby Institute. HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmissible infections in Australia Annual Surveillance Report 2015. The Kirby Institute, The University of New South Wales, Sydney NSW 2052

Yes, because even though the vaccination will give most people protection, we don’t all respond to the vaccines and develop immunity. So unless you have been given proof (i.e someone examined your blood) of your immunity you may still be at risk. It’s important to note as well that if you or your partner did not complete the full immunisation schedule you will only have partial immunity.   

Hepatitis B is still a serious issue in the developing and third world, this includes popular cheap tourist destinations in The Pacific and South East Asia (that includes destinations popular with Australian’s including Bali and Thailand) as well as more exotic locations in South America, The Middle East, Africa and the Indian Sub-continent. If you’ve recently visited one of these places and had sex, gotten a tattoo, had a medical procedure or used IV drugs then it’s extremely important you get tested ASAP.

Nope the tests are always negative or positive, but where they can fail to be accurate is if you’re tested within the ‘window period’ for an STI. In this situation, the infection may be ‘missed’ so that’s why it’s important to get tested regularly. If you want more information on ‘Window Periods’ you will find this at the bottom of our Who Can And Should Get Tested section.  

No they are next to never wrong unless you are tested within the ‘window period’ for an STI, then it may be undetectable and your test may come back negative when actually, you have caught a little something. If you want more information on ‘Window Periods’ you will find this at the bottom of our Who Can And Should Get Tested section.  

Your Pathology Referral is valid for 12 months from the date it is issued, but if you’ve come this far we recommend just going and getting tested ASAP. There’s no time like the present.

Online services are not for emergencies. Our online screening service is target at asymptomatic (no symptoms). If you have had a recent risk or exposure, or symptoms, you must present it to a doctor or emergency asap.

IMPORTANT: If you believe you may have been exposed to HIV OR HEPATITIS B in the last 72 hours do not proceed with a normal STI test, visit a doctor, hospital or specialty clinic ASAP so you can receive preventative post-exposure treatment (PEP).

The ‘morning after’ pill is an emergency contractment that can be used within a few days of unprotected sex. It must be taken as soon as possible to prevent unwanted pregnancy, you have 3-5 days after sex, depending on the pill.

You can get it over the counter at your nearest pharmacy without a prescription.