Medicare Care Plans:
GP Mental Health Care Plan
The GP Mental Health Care plan is a Medicare-funded support to help people with their mental health.
What is it?
The is a Medicare service that is available to help patients with mental health issues. These services allow GPs (and other doctors trained in mental health) to create a plan to manage and treat a patient’s mental health, offer ongoing support, and refer them to other services if needed. The aim is to make sure the patient gets the right care for their mental health, with regular reviews to track progress.
Eligibility
Patients are eligible if they meet the following criteria:
have a mental disorder
be likely to benefit from a structured approach to the management of their care needs.
What services are covered?
Patients are eligible for 10 individual services and 10 group services provided by a mental health service provider per calendar year:
Clinical psychologist
Focused psychological strategies (FPS) provided by a registered psychologist, occupational therapist, or social worker
An additional 2 services per calendar year is allowed for the family or carers of the patient.
The therapist must provide a written report to the GP after completing each course of treatment, including assessments, progress made, treatment provided, and recommendations for ongoing management.
What is the Medicare rebate?
The Medicare rebates below are accurate as of January 2025. You will need to check with potential therapy clinics if their therapists have a Medicare provider number. If so, they should be able to process the relevant Medicare item numbers for the GP Management Plan
Eligible professionals with mental health skills training (eg. Clinical psychologist) = $122.25
Eligible professionals without mental health skills training = $65.35
If you have further questions about the GP Mental Health Care Plan, please speak with your local GP.
Useful Links
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