I WILL PSYCHOLOGY

• All consultations are scheduled as a 50-minute appointment.
• The costs per consultation is $250
• If you have a GP referral and Mental Health Care Plan you will receive a Medicare rebate of $96.65 for each attended session.
• Consultations for clients referred under WorkCover Queensland, will be charged according to the approved rates.

• No, however, you can obtain a referral and a Mental Health Care Plan from your GP or Psychiatrist. This will allow you to get a rebate from Medicare that will reduce the cost of your sessions.

• If you have a GP referral and mental health care plan, the out of pocket expense for a fifty-minutes consultation is $153.35 (With a fee of $250, you will receive a Medicare rebate of $96.65 for each attended session, in this example the gap fee will be $153.35).

• Ten medicare rebates are claimable each calendar year. Alternatively you may use your private health fund or pay privately.

• Currently, Medicare provides rebates for 10 individual Psychological Consultations per Calander year (January to December)

• To qualify for such rebates, you would require a valid referral from your GP or Psychiatrist, as well as a valid (active) Mental Health Treatment Plan (MHTP)

• The MHTP is created and registered with Medicare by your treating GP or Psychiatrist

• The MHTP needs to be reviewed if there is a change in your mental health status OR if 12 months have passed since your last review. Kindly refer to your GP regarding more information on any Reviews of your MHTP

• The Referral

  Each eligible person is currently entitled to a Medicare Rebate for up to but not exceeding 10 psychology consultations per year.

  There are 2 standard referrals:

  - The 1st referral is normally for 6 sessions

  - The 2nd referral is normally for 4 sessions

  Each referral expires after a 12-month period.

  These referrals allow you to access therapy sessions from your MHTP. Without a referral from your doctor for these therapy sessions, your MHTP will be 'mostly' inactive or asleep. In other words, to keep your MHTP active and working for you, you need a valid and current Referral. Without it, you will not be able to legally claim for your rebates.

• What makes a Referral valid?

  Each Referral from your doctor will need to contain the below information:

  
  - Date of Referral

  
  - Client's full name

  
  - Client's date of birth - Diagnosis

  
  - Number of sessions required

  
  - Stating that the referral is under a mental health care plan / an eating disorder plan - The GP's name and signature - The GP's provider number

• You do not need a Review to gain your Referral for your extra 4 sessions. However, you do need a Referral Letter for each course of sessions

• Please note that your GP may need a longer session than the standard GP session times to register a MHTP, a MHTP Review and to provide you with a referral. Kindly mention that when booking in with your GP

Your GP determines the number of sessions in the letter sent to the mental health professional. The maximum limit is 6 visits in the first referral, an additional 4 visits after one mental health review.  Usually this means that there are up to 10 sessions in the calendar year, if the GP recommends this is required for the condition being treated.

No referral is needed if you are using private health insurance or paying yourself.  Many clients engage in treatment without a referral.

• If you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment, please provide at least 48 hours' notice
• If you cancel or fail to attend your appointment, fees will apply unless there are extenuating circumstances.

​Cancellation Policy

• If cancelled with 48 hours or more notice: $0 fee

• If cancelled between 48 hours and 24 hours notice: 50% of fee applicable

• Cancelled with less than 24 hours notice: 100% of the fee applicable.

• Non-attendance without notice: 100% of the fee applicable.

No, you can only get rebates when you have a valid MHTP, which is only registered for Individual Psychological Treatments.