Dear member,
In this update you will find:
- Information about the Federal Government’s Expert Forum on Better Access
- A brief update about the additional 10 sessions
- Answers to common questions about the practical implications of the change (FAQs)
- Information about communicating with your patients
Expert Forum on Better Access
The APS has been appointed to the Federal Government’s Expert Forum on Better Access, ensuring we can continue our advocacy around access and affordability for you and your patients.
On 30 January 2023 we will take part in the Mental Health Equity and Access Forum with Federal Health Minister the Hon Mark Butler MP and the Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, the Hon Emma McBride MP.
We will be joined by other key stakeholders from the mental health sector.
Update about the additional 10 sessions
We are taking a measured and deliberate approach to seeking a reversal on the Federal Government’s decision regarding the 10 additional Medicare sessions.
The APS regularly engages with Federal Government, the Department of Health and various other departments, ministers and members of the opposition, and our handling of this matter is no different.
It is important that we consider this issue, which we understand is very important to our members and your patients, whilst considering the bigger picture of the Better Access review.
We will continue to keep you updated in the new year.
In the meantime, I send you and your families all my very best wishes for the holiday period and the new year.
Dr Catriona Davis-McCabe FAPS GAICD
President
.............................
FAQs
We have worked with the Department of Health (DoH) to provide clarification and answers to some of your common questions about referrals and item numbers.
Here is the latest information:
· Where patients have a referral for the additional 10 sessions and have not used any, or all, sessions before 31 December 2022, they can use that referral to access unused sessions in 2023 without returning to their referring practitioner. Sessions accessed in 2023 will count towards their maximum session allocation for that year. This aligns with current arrangements for the rollover of Better Access sessions across calendar years.
· Consistent with long-standing Better Access arrangements, patients can access up to six sessions in a course of treatment. Patients using a referral for the additional 10 sessions will therefore be able to access up to six sessions in 2023 (depending on how many unused sessions remain on the referral in the new year) before returning to their referring practitioner. For clarity, sessions delivered under the referral prior to 1 January 2023 will not count towards the session cap for the following calendar year.
· While the MBS item numbers for the additional 10 sessions cease 31 December 2022, providers continue to have access to a suite of MBS items to deliver sessions. These MBS items existed prior to the pandemic and continue to be available. In addition, a number of video and phone MBS items to deliver Better Access sessions were made permanently available on 1 January 2022. Providers can claim the MBS item that matches the service delivered, and where they satisfy all associated claiming requirements.
· The additional 10 session MBS item numbers (the temporary COVID items) will not be available after 31 December 2022.
If psychologists are continuing to deliver services under a referral for the additional 10 sessions from 1 January 2023, they should claim the MBS items that have always been available for Better Access (or the telehealth/phone equivalents where relevant).
· Sessions accessed in 2023 will use the original ‘initial’ Better Access item numbers (e.g. the '80xxx' or '91xxx' items) and will count towards their maximum session allocation for that year. This aligns with current arrangements for the rollover of Better Access sessions across calendar years.
Your community
You may be asked about this issue by peers, patients, referrers, and others in your community. We encourage you to speak about the issue and your concerns giving examples whenever possible. This is a community problem so there may need to be a community to support a reversal or creation of exemptions. What began as a COVID-19 measure is now a highly valued treatment option being used by a small number of people who need the additional services.
The APS will continue to advocate for improved access and affordability, including for our most vulnerable and marginalised people, to ensure evidence-based care is available to all Australians. We have had more than 350 media mentions on this issue alone, reaching a cumulative potential audience of more than 20 million people.
APS activity
We wrote to members earlier this week with a summary of APS advocacy activity and next steps. To read this information, please visit the APS website.