Medicare
The Better Access to Mental Health Care initiative introduced new mental health Medicare items on 1 November 2006. These items enable people with diagnosed mental disorders to access services from a range of mental health services providers, including psychologists.
Eligible Clients
Eligible clients can generally receive:
- Up to 12 individual services in a calendar year. A referring doctor will assess the client’s progress after the first six sessions.
- Up to 12 group therapy services in a calendar year where such services are available and seen as appropriate by the referring doctor and the psychologist.
- Clients must be referred by their doctor, psychiatrist or pediatrician. The doctor will need to complete a detailed mental health assessment and prepare a Mental Health Care Plan before referring the client to a psychologist.
- Medicare provider numbers are issued by Medicare Australia to practitioners who are able to provide services for which a Medicare rebate can be claimed.
- Debra Mainwaring is endorsed by Medicare and has been issued with a Medicare provider number
