Medicare

The logo of Medicare.

Psych Point can provide psychologist services to clients with a referral by a referring practitioner, such as a General Practitioner (GP), Psychiatrist, or Paediatrician. This is through the Medicare Better Access to Mental Healthcare scheme (Better Access).

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

Medicare Safety Net and Extended Medicare Safety Net

Example 1 A client reaches their Medicare Safety Net, and the rebate for a 50-minute video conference session increases from $137.05 (85% of the Medicare scheduled fee) to $161.20 (100% of the Medicare scheduled fee).

Example 2 A client with a $300 charge who has reached the Extended Safety Net receives a $240 rebate (80% of the charge), which is beyond the Medicare scheduled fee.

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

Frequently Asked Medicare Questions

“What if my referral for Better Access sessions is to a different allied mental health professional.”

This does not matter. A referral under the Better Access scheme can be used for any eligible allied mental health professional. This is different to how this works under Medicare for other types of practitioners, such as a referral to a specialist medical doctor. This is a little-known difference between the two that can assist in not needing to seek a new referral should you choose to see a different eligible allied mental health professional under the Better Access scheme.

“You said I can have 10 individual and 10 group sessions per calendar year, but my referring doctor said they could only allocate up to 6.”

Sessions are allocated in blocks of up to 6 sessions. Once that allocation has been completed, your clinician should write a progress report to your referring doctor. The referring doctor may then choose to allocate more sessions in a Mental Health Treatment Plan review. The maximum that can be allocated in one block is 6 sessions.

“Do you need a copy of my MHTP as well as a referral?”

No. We only need your referral. Yet it may be beneficial for your allied mental health professional to have a copy of the Mental Health Treatment Plan. Your referring practitioner may choose to provide it to your allied mental health practitioner with your informed consent, or they may choose not to.

“I have used half my sessions on my MHTP. Can I use those sessions next calendar year?”

Yes, but you can only undertake 10 individual sessions and 10 group sessions per calendar year. While you can use the remaining allocation on your MHTP before going back to your referring doctor for a review, it will still count toward the allocation of whatever calendar year you undertook the sessions.