Funding

There are four different types of Medicare rebates available at Early Start Australia.

If you are not sure which one you are eligible for, speak with your GP, psychiatrist or paediatrician.

More information about each referral type can be found below.

Better Access to Mental Health Care Scheme

Under a Mental Health Care Plan (MHCP) from a GP, paediatrician or psychiatrist, an individual may be eligible for up to 10 rebated individual sessions with a registered psychologist, mental health accredited occupational therapist or mental health accredited social worker in any calendar year.

Mental Health Care Plans support individuals with treatment of significant mental health difficulty, as identified by the referring doctor.

An initial referral may be for up to six sessions.

The referring doctor will then need to provide a review for a further four sessions to attract a rebate.

You will need to provide Early Start Australia with a referral letter before the 7th session for Medicare rebates to apply.

Your Early Start Australia therapist will also write back to the referring doctor at the 10th or final session with an update.

Up to two of the 10 sessions in a calendar year may be for carer and family participation.

Group sessions of 4-10 participants may also attract a rebate, in addition to the individual sessions.

Who can provide this service?

Psychologists (except for provisional psychologists) can work under Mental Health Care Plans.

Some occupational therapists and social workers with additional training and experience may also be accredited to provide Medicare services under MHCPs.

For further information on eligibility, referral validity and calendar year claiming limits, please see here: Allied health referrals for mental health care plans.

Chronic Disease Management Plan Team Care Arrangements

Many Early Start Australia therapists can accept allied health Team Care Arrangement (TCA) referrals.

Under the care of a GP, allied health Team Care Arrangements assist GPs in coordinating care for patients with chronic or terminal medical conditions.

A Team Care Arrangement referral may be for any of the following practitioners at Early Start Australia:

• Aboriginal health workers or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners
• Dietitians
• Mental Health Accredited Social Worker
• Occupational therapists
• Physiotherapists
• Psychologists
• Speech pathologists

TCA referrals will allow you to receive a rebate for individual, in-person sessions (not group), for up to five sessions in any calendar year.

The referring GP will allocate the number of sessions on the referral to each discipline.

For example, the GP may refer between one to five sessions to any discipline and combination of disciplines, up to a maximum of five sessions for the patient in total across a calendar year.

The Early Start Australia therapist will write back to the GP at each of the first and last treatments with an update.

For further information on eligibility and claiming limits, please see here: Allied health referrals for chronic disease health care plans.

Complex Neuro-developmental Disorders and Disabilities

Previously known as the Helping Children with Autism program and the Better Start for children with disabilities initiative, this referral type supports children and young people and young adults up to the age of 25 with assessment and treatment.

This referral type can be made to allied health practitioners from a paediatrician or psychiatrist.

Psychologists, speech pathologists and physiotherapists at Early Start Australia may accept these referrals.

An assessment referral may be made for up to eight sessions in a lifetime.

The initial assessment referral is usually for up to four assessment sessions and may be spread amongst different disciplines.

A patient may be eligible for up to 20 treatment sessions in a lifetime.

A course of treatment is up to 10 sessions maximum.

The allied health practitioner must report back to the referring doctor at the end of a course of treatment (maximum of 10 sessions).

A further referral letter is required before a further course of treatment (up to a maximum of 10 sessions) to be eligible for a Medicare rebate.

For further information on eligible disabilities, please see here:

• Requirements of services for complex neurodevelopmental disorders and eligible disabilities
• Complex neurodevelopmental disorders (such as autism spectrum disorders) MBS flow chart of services
• Eligible disability MBS flow chart of services

Eating Disorder Care Plan

Eating disorder referrals can be made by a general practitioner (GP), paediatrician, or psychiatrist.

Psychologists and dieticians can work under Eating Disorder care plans.

Each referral may allow for up to 10 psychology treatment services and up to 20 dietician services.

Upon re-referral, a patient may be eligible for up to 40 psychology treatment services in a calendar year and up to a maximum of 20 dietician services.

Some occupational therapists and social workers with additional accreditations may be able to accept eating disorder referrals.

The allied health practitioner will report back to the referring doctor after the first and last session in any treatment plan.

Eating Disorder care plans are for patients diagnosed with anorexia nervosa.

For alternate eligibility criteria information please see here: Eligibility of an eating disorder health care plan.