The first step is to visit your General Practitioner (GP), psychiatrist, or paediatrician for a long appointment. In this appointment, you may wish to seek a referral under the Better Access to Mental Healthcare scheme (Better Access, your GP may then provision a Mental Health Treatment Plan (also known as a Mental Health Care Plan1). Mental Health Treatment Plans are support plans for those facing mental health difficulties2. The referring practitioner may ask some questions about your mental health. The referring practitioner may refer you to an allied mental health practitioner such as a psychologist, clinical psychologist, occupational therapist or mental health social worker. The referral can be used to rebate sessions with any allied mental health practitioner that is allowable under Better Access, even if they are not the allied mental health practitioner written on the referral.
In the appointment with the referring doctor, they may ask you to complete a psychometric instrument. Common psychological assessments may include a K10 (a measure of stress) or a DASS, a measure of depression, anxiety and stress traits over the past seven days. Ordinarily, you write your answers rather than having to speak them audibly, which some individuals may find less confronting.
Your referral may entitle you to up to six individual psychology attendance rebates. This can be reviewed by the referring practitioner, and further rebate-eligible attendances can be allocated by the referring practitioner at a later time. The maximum number of individual attendances per calendar year is 10. There are also another 10 attendance rebates for group attendance per calendar year.
Pricing
Medicare
$58.15 / Gap Saver (GS)
$200 upfront then $141.85 rebate
Medicare
$48.15 / Gap Saver Concession (GSC)
$190 upfront then $141.85 rebate
There are some entitlements in which you may be entitled to a higher rebate amount or a higher amount of sessions. For example, in some circumstances, you may be entitled to a higher rebate under the Department of Veterans Affairs under the Better Access to Mental Health scheme. Additionally, if you have an eating disorder, you may be entitled to up to 40 sessions per calendar year rather than the ordinary 10. The Medicare safety net may also have implications for rebated amounts if you have reached your Medicare safety net threshold.
Pricing for Medicare Safety Net (MSN) and Extended Medicare Safety Net (EMSN) clients
Medicare Safety Net (MSN)
$33.15 / Gap Saver (GS)
$200 upfront then $166.85 rebate if MSN has been reached
Medicare Safety Net (MSN)
$23.15 / Gap Saver Concession (GSC)
$190 upfront then $166.85 rebate if MSN has been reached
Extended Medicare Safety Net (EMSN)
No gap if eligible for Gap Saver and EMSN has been reached
You can receive a rebate amount for telephone and video conference attendance under Better Access. Yet, at the time of writing group therapy sessions are not able to be provided by telehealth to those living outside of a rural or remote area.
Telehealth (video-conferencing) is currently allowed in group therapy sessions for those living in a rural or remote area and who are 15 km by road away from their treatment psychologist or clinical psychologist. Telephone appointments (without a video link) are not allowable for appointments under the rural and remote telehealth rules. To qualify under rural and remote rules, you must live in a Monash Model 4-7 area3. Check if you live in one of these areas; you can look up your postcode here. It may also be helpful to ensure that your address is up to date with Medicare to avoid any problems in qualifying should your address not be current on their system. A reminder that individual sessions can be conducted via telehealth regardless of whether a person is from a metropolitan, rural, or remote location.
