Patient eligibility
MHTP services under the Better Access initiative are available to eligible:
- patients in the community
- private in-patients, including residents of a Residential Aged Care Facility (RACF) being discharged from hospital.
Eligible patients can claim a Medicare benefit for up to 10 individual and 10 group therapy mental health treatment services each calendar year if they have a MHTP and a valid referral.
To be eligible, a patient must:
- have a clinically diagnosed mental disorder
- require a moderate level of support
- be likely to benefit from a structured approach to the management of their care needs
- see their usual medical practitioner or a GP or PMP at the general practice they are enrolled in for MyMedicare
A patient’s treatment may also include either or all:
- GP chronic condition management plan (GPCCMP)
- Eating Disorder Treatment and Management Plan (EDTMP)
- Mental Health Case Conferences (MHCC).
All require involvement of a multidisciplinary team.
Learn more on how to provide care plans and case conferences.
You can use the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) items online checker in HPOS to confirm patient and claim eligibility. Learn about the relevant MBS item descriptions, fact sheets and explanatory notes on the MBS Online website.