16 May 2025This month, award-winning telehealth provider Emergency Consult is proud to celebrate its 5th anniversary of offering rapid and reliable on-demand virtual medical care to the people of New Zealand.
This milestone solidifies the company’s position as a leader in virtual healthcare, with unmatched emergency medicine expertise and 24-hour availability across the country.
Over the past 5 years, Emergency Consult has seen and treated almost 50,000 patients online.
Founded with the vision of delivering rapid remote medical response to the general public, Emergency Consult has evolved to become a trusted partner for both everyday Kiwis and healthcare professionals. With no other telehealth service in New Zealand offering emergency medicine expertise care around the clock, Emergency Consult is called upon by ambulance services, emergency departments, aged residential care providers, and acute care clinics nationwide.
Co-Founder Jenni Falconer reflected on the company’s growth, noting the challenges and triumphs faced over the past five years. “When we first launched Emergency Consult, our goal was simple—to provide accessible healthcare whenever and wherever it was needed. But, as they say, simplicity is the greatest sophistication! And, over the years, we’ve expanded our role significantly, not only serving end-users but also collaborating with healthcare providers to ease pressure on downstream health services and provide much-needed specialist support.”
She continued, “The resilience and agility our team has shown to meet the ever-changing demands of the healthcare sector, especially during the uncertainties of the pandemic, have been key to our success. Our commitment to providing high-quality, 24/7 remote medical consultations is now embedded in the fabric of New Zealand’s health system, and Emergency Consult is proud to be leading in a new era of hybrid healthcare.”
Hybrid healthcare – as Falconer calls it – is a combination of virtual and in-person care. The concept recognises that not all consultations are appropriate for telehealth but that telehealth is powerful tool for seeing and treating time-sensitive but non-critical cases efficiently for optimal patient-outcomes and convenience.
Emergency Consult provides New Zealanders with easy access to a team of experienced emergency medicine doctors, supported by expert triage nurses, who see and treat patients on-demand via web-based video chat.
Uniquely, the service requires no apps, downloads, bookings, nor enrolment—as the company’s mantra is to make healthcare as easy as possible for anyone, anytime, from anywhere. Theirs is a platform designed to offer patients a convenient and safe alternative while reducing the strain on traditional healthcare facilities.
Incumbent CEO, Johnny Louie, said “As we acknowledge this milestone, I really want to thank our staff—and all the people who have contributed to Emergency Consult over the years. We are grateful to have had employees, and many great clinicians, see the vision and help make it happen—and now we’re entering another exciting phase of evolution and improvement.
“Emergency Consult has entered a strategic alignment with Stellar Secure Business Platforms,” Mr Louie explained, “We’ve married the clinical and technological strengths of these two New Zealand owned and operated businesses and, while patients and clients will see no change on the surface, work is underway behind the scenes to further enhance the digital capability of Emergency Consult.”
“We’re proud to be contributing to the future of healthcare in New Zealand and look forward to the next five years of delivering easy, accessible care to even more Kiwis” he said.
As Emergency Consult marks this milestone, the company remains steadfast in its commitment to innovation and expanding access to healthcare for all New Zealanders. The company's pioneering role in telehealth has changed the landscape of medical care, and with continued growth, Emergency Consult is poised to remain at the forefront of virtual health services in the years to come.