Due to recent changes, you can now access Medicare rebates for Assessments for Complex Neurodevelopmental Disorders. These changes include who can access rebates, how many sessions and which health professionals can provide these. This has helped reduce the financial barrier to accessing assessments. See below for more information:
Who can access Medicare rebates?
Rebates are now available to individuals aged up to 25 years.
How much are the rebates?
For each assessment session with a Psychologist, the rebate is $89.65. To access these rebates, you will need to pay for your session fee upfront and claim the rebate through Medicare. This process usually takes up to three business days.
To learn more about rebates for other allied health professionals, check out this link here.
What can you access with this referral?
The referral allows for up to four assessment sessions per discipline at a time. If additional sessions are required, the referring doctor needs to approve these sessions.
A maximum of 8 assessment sessions can be accessed across a lifetime. This includes all assessment sessions with Psychologists, Occupational Therapists, Speech Pathologists, Audiologists, Optometrists, Orthoptists and Physiotherapists.
What do you need to access these rebates?
A Paediatrician or a Psychiatrist can refer under the Complex Neurodevelopmental Disorder MBS assessment items. This means that you need a letter from either of these health professionals directing a clinician, such as a Psychologist, to conduct their assessment. A GP may make a referral for assessments only when there is a disability present. The list of eligible disabilities can be found here.
Your doctor may make concurrent referrals to multiple practitioners such as a Psychologist and Speech Pathologist. An allied health practitioner, such as a Psychologist, can also make an interdisciplinary referral to, say a Physiotherapist, in consultation with the initial referrer.
What can the assessment report be used for?
The assessment report can be used for assistance with developing a treatment and management plan.
Medicare
Once a diagnosis of a complex neurodevelopmental disorder has been made and a treatment plan is in place, the Paediatrician or Psychiatrist can make a referral for a total of 20 allied health treatment services per lifetime. Each course of treatment can only be a maximum of 10 sessions.
Similar to the assessment, a doctor may make concurrent referrals to multiple practitioners such as a Psychologist and Speech Pathologist.
To be eligible for these treatment sessions, individuals can be up to 25 years old.
Educational Support
For students, this may enable access to greater support or provisions through schools and educational institutions. For example, this include more time or greater rest breaks during examinations.
Financial Support
In some instances, the report may support eligible individuals to seek financial and other support through Centrelink. For example, Centrelink provides Disability Support Pension physical, intellectual or psychiatric condition that is likely to persist for more than 2 years and stops you from working. To learn more, click here.
In other instances, the report may allow for supports through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). The NDIS provides support for those with intellectual, cognitive, physical and psychosocial disability. The supports can range from funding for access to therapies to supported accommodation. To learn more, check out this link here.
To learn more, simply call us on 80917867.