A MHTP is a structured plan that helps individuals manage their mental health conditions and access appropriate services. Written by a referring practitioner such as a General Practitioner (GP), psychiatrist or paediatrician, a MHTP must be accompanied by a referral and allows Australian residents who hold a valid Medicare card to access crucial treatment for mental health concerns at a more affordable rate.

Under this scheme individuals diagnosed with a mental health disorder can access up to 10 rebated individual treatment sessions per calendar year. If eligible, you may also be able to access up to 10 rebated group allied mental health services each year. Medicare rebate can be obtained for face-to-face, phone or video sessions.

Your GP will determine your eligibility for this plan. You will need to be eligible for Medicare to access a MHTP.

Accessing a MHTP involves a few key steps.

1. Visit a GP:

   Schedule an appointment with your regular GP or any GP of your choice. If you don't have a regular GP, you can find one in your area.

   When you make the booking with your doctor, inform them that it is to assess eligibility for a MHTP as they may require you to book a long appointment (20 minutes or more).

   Alternatively you can get your MHTP from the comfort of your own home using an online platform that offers bulk billing. Learn more about getting a Mental Health Plan online here.

   Tip: Before you go to your appointment with your doctor, it’s a good idea to write down a list of the things you want support with.

2. Discuss Your Concerns:

   During your appointment, talk openly about your mental health concerns. Be honest about how you've been feeling, any symptoms you've experienced, and any difficulties you may be facing.

3. Assessment:

   Your GP will conduct an initial assessment to understand the nature and severity of your mental health condition. They may ask questions about your symptoms, medical history, and daily functioning. They may also ask you to complete some brief questionnaires that help to assess your mental health concerns.

4. Eligibility for a MHTP:

   If your GP believes that you would benefit from additional mental health support, they will determine if you are eligible for a MHTP.

5. Create a MHTP:

   If you're eligible, your GP will create a MHTP in collaboration with you. This plan outlines your treatment goals, strategies, and the services you'll receive.

6. Discuss Treatment Options:

   Your GP will discuss potential treatment options with you. This might include a combination of medication, counselling, therapy, and lifestyle changes.

7. Referral to Specialists:

   If necessary, your GP may refer you to mental health specialists such as psychologists, psychiatrists, or other mental health professionals.

8. Accessing Services:

   Attend your scheduled appointments with mental health professionals and actively participate in your treatment.

9. Review and Adjustments:

   Periodically, you'll have reviews with your GP to assess your progress. The MHTP can be adjusted if needed.

Once your GP has activated a MHTP for you, it means that you and your GP agree on the type of care you will need to meet your needs and that you agree to seek support. Your next step is to contact the relevant providers included in your plan and book in for your sessions.

To access Medicare rebates for your psychology sessions you'll need to have a valid Medicare card. You'll also need to get a referral letter (in addition to you MHTP) from your GP before you attend your session to access Medicare rebates.

Your GP will either send the referral letter to the psychologist or give it to you to give to the psychologist.

If you have an active MHTP with a valid referral for psychology support and would like to book in with Bloom Health Clinic you can get in contact with us here.

Although a MHTP entitles you to 10 sessions in a calendar year, you will not receive all 10 sessions at once. You will have regular referral check-ins with your GP to top up your plan and check in on your progress. This pathway looks like this:

• Your GP will make a referral for psychological services (for up to a maximum of 6 sessions) for an initial course of treatment. This is referred to as a’ referral block’.

• Nearing completion of the referral block your psychologist will send a brief letter to your GP to share your progress and request additional sessions as needed.

• After completion of the last session in the referral block, you will need to book a session with your GP to review your progress and the letter sent by your psychologist. Please note: You may need to wait a few days after your 6th session for your GP to receive and read this letter from your mental health provider.

• Once approved your GP will issue a referral letter (also known as a re-referral) to your psychologist to provide access to the remaining sessions in your MHTP.

• We recommend discussing your plan with your psychologist as you get started so they can assist you in keeping on track with your plan and re-referrals as needed.

** Please Note: A referral is valid until the referred number of sessions have been completed, regardless of whether a patient chooses to change their mental health provider. In addition, referrals can also span across calendar years.

Bloom Health Clinic can process your Medicare rebates on site following full payment of your session.

Alternatively you can self-claim rebates for your psychology sessions by submitting a claim through Medicare. To submit your claim you'll need your myGov login details, a valid Mental Health Plan & referral letter, and your paid invoice which is emailed to you from Bloom Health Clinic after each psychology session.

TIP: Clients are encouraged to register for the Medicare Safety Net to obtain higher Medicare rebates after the safety net is reached.

If you requier treatment beyond the 10 sessions available to you (per calendar year) under your MHTP, and would like to continue to see your psychologist for the remainder of the calendar year we recommended discussing your eligibility for other Medicare schemes with your GP. You can find more information on other rebate programs in our referrals section.

If you are not eligible to receive any further Medicare funding you are welcome to continue to see your psychologist as a private paying client.

Note: Under your MHTP you will be eligible for a set of 10 rebated sessions in each new calendar year; A MHTP does not expire.

To see your remaining sessions login to your MyGov account and open your Medicare account. Go to “History and statements” and click “Medicare claims history”, and this will show your claims history.

There is a lot of confusion regarding the commencement of a new calendar year and when patients can obtain a re-referral if they have used all 10 sessions from the previous year. Some GPs believe the patient cannot be provided with a new referral in a new calendar year until the first MHTP is a year old. This is incorrect. The patient is entitled to 10 sessions per calendar year and this can be under an existing MHTP.

If your doctor is asking you to wait until the anniversary of your previous year’s MHTP in order to provide a new referral for access to rebated sessions in a new calendar year, show them this link: AMA website: MHCP’s Clarified.

More detailed information for GPs concerning this process is available on Referrals for GP’s page, and on the MBS Online website.