The Department of health and Aged Care state that a referral should include the following and that referrals with this content will assist in the case of any auditing undertaken:
- the patient’s name, date of birth and address;
- the patient’s symptoms or diagnosis;
- a list of any current medications;
- the number of sessions the patient is being referred for (the ‘course of treatment’);
- a statement about whether the patient has an MHTP or a psychiatrist assessment and management plan; and
- a statement about whether the referral can be used for group therapy or individual therapy.
If a psychologist receives a referral that contains all of the above details, they can be confident that they have enough information to support the provision of service, and are meeting their requirements to do so.
The latest Medicare Benefits Schedule advice around referrals advises that a referral for Better Access services should specify the number of sessions a patient is being referred for. Where a referral is received that does not specify the number of sessions, or specifies a number of sessions above the maximum allowed for a course of treatment or calendar year, the Psychologist can use their clinical judgement to provide services under the referral which is in line with the maximum number of sessions allowed for the course of treatment, and the year.
AskMBS provided the following advice where referrals do not contain the information above:
While we understand that allied health providers do not wish to repeatedly contact the referring practitioner for clarification, under Medicare arrangements, it is up to the provider delivering the service to ensure that they meet all the item requirements prior to claiming a Medicare benefit. The psychologist providing the service must be satisfied that the document received supports the provision of referred services.