A practical reference for GPs and referring practitioners, covering Mental Health Care Plans, MBS item numbers, session limits, eating disorder plans, and everything you need to refer with confidence.
Key rules and session structures for general practitioners preparing a Mental Health Care Plan.
Key milestones and review requirements for patients accessing Medicare-supported eating disorder treatment.
Valid for 12 months from the development date. Up to 40 sessions per 12-month period.
A GP review is required after the 10th session to continue the plan. This ensures the patient remains clinically appropriate for the program.
A psychiatrist review is required after session 20. This review assesses overall progress and determines whether to continue, modify, or conclude treatment.
A further GP review is required after session 30, confirming ongoing clinical need before the remaining sessions (up to 40) are accessed.
How a typical Medicare psychology patient navigates an initial plan, review, and new calendar year.
Steve visits his GP with symptoms of anxiety. His GP develops a Mental Health Care Plan (item 2715) and refers him to Pre-Emptive Healthcare for up to 6 individual psychology sessions.
Steve attends 6 sessions over approximately 3 months, developing skills in managing his anxiety. He and his psychologist agree that further sessions would be beneficial.
Steve returns to his GP for a review of his MHCP (item 2712). His GP reviews his progress, updates the plan, and provides a new referral for up to 4 additional sessions, bringing his total to 10 for the calendar year.
With the new calendar year, Steve's Medicare entitlement resets. His GP can issue a new MHCP, and Steve can access another 10 rebated sessions in 2025. His referral from 2024 (which is valid for 2 years) remains valid for session continuity but does not carry over session numbers.
Validated screening tools commonly used in primary care to identify and monitor mental health presentations.
The DASS-21 is a 21-item self-report questionnaire widely used to screen for depression, anxiety, and stress. It provides a validated, brief measure suitable for routine use in primary care and can help inform referral decisions. Freely available and quick to administer.
The K10 is a 10-item measure of general psychological distress, widely used in Australian primary care for population screening and monitoring. It assesses the level of non-specific psychological distress over the preceding four weeks and is recommended by Australian treatment guidelines.
Our admin team is happy to assist with referral queries, triage, and clinician matching. We aim to respond to all referral enquiries within one business day.
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