What We Do
Medicare & Mental Health Descriptions
Better Access to Mental Health Care
The Better Access to Mental Health Care initiative introduced new mental health Medicare items on 1 November 2006. These items enable people with a diagnosed mental disorder to be referred to a mental health service provider, including accredited mental health social workers, by their GP under a GP Mental Health Care Plan assessment and management plan, or on a direct referral from a psychiatrist or pediatrician (for treatment of a child).Accredited mental health social workers are able to provide ‘Focused Psychological Strategies’ to individuals up to a maximum number of 12 sessions per client per calendar year, with a review by the referring doctor required after the initial six sessions. In addition, clients are also eligible for 12 group sessions, where appropriate, in a calendar year.
Chronic Disease Management program (Enhanced Primary Care)
The Medicare Allied Health and Dental Care initiative (previously known as ‘Enhanced Primary Care’) commenced in July 2004 to provide Medicare rebates for allied health services delivered for the management of chronic disease. Accredited mental health social workers are eligible to provide these services under the category ‘mental health worker’.The Medicare items can only be provided to people with chronic conditions and complex care needs who are being managed by a GP. The GP is required to develop a GP Management Plan and a written Team Care Arrangements in conjunction with at least two other allied health professionals and then provide referrals to those allied health services the team believes would most benefit the patient/client. A person with a complex and/or chronic medical illness can claim up to 5 visits (in total) to certain allied health professionals within a calendar year.
Pregnancy Support Counselling
The Pregnancy Support Counselling initiative commenced on 1 November 2006 to assist women who are concerned about a pregnancy. These services can be provided by eligible GPs (including a general practitioner, but not including a specialist or consultant physician), psychologist, social workers and mental health nurses on referral from a GP.Health professionals providing this service under Medicare must have completed mandatory training in non-directive pregnancy support counselling. The criteria for the training, defined by the Government for all professional groups eligible to offer this service, covers non-directive counselling techniques, knowledge and skills in the areas of pregnancy-related concerns, and pregnancy-related information on all options and services available through Government and non-Government agencies. The training is a web-based module that takes approximately 3 hours to complete.
Social Workers are eligible to undertake this training if they are an accredited member of the AASW.
Access to Allied Psychological Services (ATAPS)
ATAPS is part of the Better Outcomes in Mental Health Care (BoiMHC) initiative introduced by the Australian Government in 2001. ATAPS enables GPs to refer their patients to allied health professional who deliver Focused Psychological Strategies. Allied health professional have been defined to include psychologists, social workers, mental health nurses, occupational therapists and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers with specific mental health qualifications.Divisions of General Practice act as the fundholders in this component of the BOiMHC program. The AGPN provides an on-line Network Directory on its website at http://www.agpn.com.au/ which allows searches using maps or a search interface to obtain information on Divisions of General Practice.
Through ATAPS, patients are eligible for a maximum of 12 sessions per calendar year – six time limited session with an option for a further six sessions following a mental health review by the referring GP. Sessions can provide individual and/or group therapy. Group services are separate from individual services and do not count towards the 12 individual allied mental health services in the calendar year.
Patients cannot be referred for treatment through both the Better Access and ATAPS programs at the same time. Treatment through both Better Access and ATAPS may occur within one calendar year, provided the total number of individual or group services under both programs does not exceed the maximum allowable each calendar year (12).