Better Access to Mental Health item numbers

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Overview

Counselling services in Community Health Services aim to improve wellbeing in the community by offering supportive counselling, therapy, practical support, advocacy and referral and linkage to other services as needed.  These services can be complimented by services funded through the Medicare Benefits Schedule. The mental health MBS items must be coordinated by a GP, consultant psychiatrist or paediatrician and may involve the community health sector in a partnership approach to care.  However they may not suit all clients of community health services with mental health problems, because

• There may be gap fees that restrict access to services if the relevant private provider chooses to charge above the schedule fee
• Access to private practitioners may be limited, particularly in rural and outer urban areas
• The item numbers do not fund non-therapy interventions such as casework, or family therapy sessions where the client is not present

The Better Access to Psychiatrists, Psychologists and General Practitioners item numbers listed in the attachments below are available for people with a 'mental disorder'. Mental disorder is a term used to describe a range of clinically diagnosable disorders that significantly interfere with an individual’s cognitive, emotional or social abilities. This includes people with mental disorders arising from

• phobic disorders
• generalised anxiety disorder
• adjustment disorder
• unexplained somatic complaints
• depression
• sexual disorders
• conduct disorder
• bereavement disorders
• post-traumatic stress disorder
• eating disorders
• panic disorder
• alcohol use disorders
• drug use disorders
• mixed anxiety and depression
• dissociative (conversion) disorder
• neurasthenia
• sleep problems
• hyperkinetic (attention deficit) disorder
• enuresis (non-organic)
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
• and mental disorders not otherwise specified.

Dementia, delirium, tobacco use disorder and mental retardation are not regarded as mental disorders for the purposes of the GP Mental Health Care items.