Medicare rebates are available for psychological services that are provided under a Mental Health Care Plan, under the Australian Government’s Better Access to Mental Health Care initiative. This Plan is completed by a General Practitioner (GP) and provides access to Medicare rebates:
Clinical Psychologist
$228.80 Standard consultation $141.85 Medicare Rebate $ 86.95 Gap
General Registered Psychologist
$176.80 Standard consultation $ 96.65 Medicare Rebate $ 80.15 Gap
Medicare will only pay rebates into a Savings or Cheque account. Therefore, in order for your rebate to be claimed, an EFTPOS card / Credit Debit card is required.
Mental Health Care Plan
– You need first visit your GP and explain your mental health concerns to obtain a Mental Health Care Plan and subsequent referral to a psychologist. It is polite to book a longer consultation with your GP so that they have adequate time to develop a care plan with you.
– Please ensure your letter of referral and Mental Health Care Plan has been forwarded to Toowoomba Psychological Services prior to your first consultation with the psychologist.
– If a referral is made by a Psychiatrist or Paediatrician, a referral letter rather than a Mental Health Care Plan is required.
– Patients are required to return to the medical practitioner for a Review of their Mental Health Care Plan after they have accessed the allocated number of sessions.
– The client is responsible for paying any charges in excess of the Medicare benefit for items under this initiative. However, these out-of-pocket costs will count towards the Medicare Safety Net for that client.
– In some instances, a psychologist may choose to bulk bill (i.e., age pensioners, Centrelink benefits recipients), in which case the client will not have to pay any additional fees.