Some clients seek partial reimbursement for clinical psychologist fees via Medicare.  You need to have a Medicare Card and a referral from a psychiatrist, or from your medical general practitioner under a “Mental Health Treatment Plan” (MBS item numbers 2715, 2717, 2700 or 2701) www.medicareaustralia.gov.au  .  This enables up to six consultation sessions, after which you will need a reauthorisation by the psychiatrist or the GP under item number 2712.  Once you have a referral, clinical psychologist services from that date forward can be covered.

At Psychology Consultation, when seeking to utilise Medicare, clients pay the full amount at the time of service. You will be provided with an itemised receipt and it is your responsibility to submit for and claim reimbursement directly from Medicare.

Medicare typically rebates $122.15 per consultation hour for services from a clinical psychologist. Effectively, this means that the cost to you is approximately $96.  With a mental health need, clients are typically eligible for up to 10 consultations with a clinical psychologist per calendar year.  After the sixth session psychologists are required to send to the referring psychiatrist or general practitioner a brief letter outlining assessment, treatment and progress.  Typically a general practitioner will see a client for a review (Mental Health Care – 2712) and may authorise a further four consultations.

Alternatively, if you have private health insurance there may be some provision for reimbursement of clinical psychologist services. After paying the full fee at the time of service, you can submit a claim directly to your private health insurance. Consult your insurer to determine what coverage applies.

While Medicare provides some coverage for clinical psychology consultation, in the individual case, consultations beyond that coverage may be involved.