INFORMATION FOR REFERRING DOCTORS
Mental Health Plan Referrals - Bulk Billed Service
To access a bulk billed service, a current and complete Mental Health Plan along with a referral letter is necessary for your patients under Medicare.
Referring patients for psychological services – What GPs should know
It is a mandatory requirement and best practice for GPs to provide a referral letter when directing a patient to psychological services. Please note that a GP MHTP alone does not qualify as a referral, and therefore is insufficient for the psychologist to deliver the required services.
According to advice from Medicare Australia, the legislation does not necessitate that a referral be specifically addressed to a named health professional. If the referral is directed to one provider, the patient is free to consult another practitioner in the same discipline, as long as they can deliver the same psychological services.
For more details on the communication requirements between referrers and providers of mental health services, refer to the GPMHSC Practice Guide: Communication between medical and mental health professionals.
Calendar year claiming limits for mental health services
In a calendar year, your patient can access psychological therapy and FPS services up to a combined limit of:
- 10 individual services
- 10 group services.
A calendar year spans from 1 January to 31 December.
We determine the yearly claiming limit based on the date of service, not the date of referral. Once a patient reaches their service limit, you can continue treatment, but they will not be eligible for Medicare benefits for your services.
(Ref: https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/better-access-initiative-supporting-mental-health-care)
Services I Am Unable To Offer
Emergent and crisis referrals – We cannot provide emergent and crisis interventions and do not offer the required 24-hour crisis intervention for the appropriate and responsible treatment of these patients.
Such patients should be referred to the Townsville University Hospital, Acute Care Team, or other emergency crisis services.
Significant psychiatric referrals – I lack the capacity to effectively or responsibly manage such cases, and they should be referred to the appropriate agencies.
Assessments and reports for Parole, Court, Sex Offender treatment, etc. – These services are not covered under Medicare, and as a bulk billing practice, we do not provide them under any circumstances.
Medico-legal and Insurance Claim referrals – We are unable to offer these services under Medicare, and as a bulk billing practice, we do not provide them either.
National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) Assessments – Assessments for NDIA eligibility, capacity assessments, and positive behaviour support plans are not covered by Medicare and require specialized instruments. While we may contribute to these assessments or provide conjoint treatment, we cannot conduct them.
**** Cases that fit the above criteria, or do not align with our current scope of service, will be referred back to the referring GP ****
Clients' Responsibility To Make Initial Contact
PLEASE NOTE: It is the responsibility of referred clients to make initial contact to arrange their appointments.
For confidentiality and privacy reasons, we will NEVER initiate contact with referred clients. Please ensure that any patient you refer understands that they MUST make the first contact for an appointment with our service.