Medicare provides rebates for general and specialist psychology consultations only on referral from your General Practitioner, a private Psychiatrist, or a private Paediatrician. If you have seen a public mental health service and wish to consult a private psychologist under Medicare, you should take any referral letter to your GP first. If wish to consult a private psychologist without Medicare rebates then ignore this page.
To be referred by your GP, she or he must determine that you have a mental health condition that would beneft from brief psychological treatment. You should contact your GP in advance and arrange for a long appointment; often called a 2710 appointment after the medcare item number. This appointment usually takes 30 minutes and involves collecting detailed information on your mental health and history. They are also likely to have you complete a questionnaire that measures your level of distress. Most GPs bulbill this consultation. If you meet the Medicare criteria, they will make a referral to either a specific psychologist or any psychologist. However, you have the right to choose any psychologist who you feel comfortable with.
Please note that if your GP does not bulkbill this interview, you will need to present your claim to Medicare before your first psychology consultation to be granted access to these rebates. If Medicare has not received the 2710 claim, they will not pay your rebate and you will have to pay the whole account.
Your referral will last until December of that year and grants you access to rebates for an initial 6 session of psychology treatment. The psychologist will send you back to your GP for a mental health review (a 2712) and will send a brief report of their assessment, treatments, and your progress. Your GP will want to know if your psychologist has been helpful and will again measure your level of distress. If your GP feels that the psychologist is providing tangible results, they will refer you back and extend your access to another 6 sessions. In extraordinary circumstances they can authorise a third series of 6 sessions. Your access to Medicare rebates is renewed in January of each year.
