Fax Referrals and Mental Health Care Plans to (07) 3420 5824.
Vision and M1 Psychology provides a diverse range of Psychological and Counselling Services for doctors and specialists that would like to refer to our clinic.
If you are a GP in our local area you may like to fax the mental healthcare referral letter (under the better access initiative) to (07) 3420 5824.
The Department of Health provides details through this link which explains about referring to psychologists under Medicare. The following information can be found in the article on the Better Access Initiative:
- A maximum limit of 6 sessions permitted in the initial referral (See Step 2 & 3 in the article). Up to 10 in a calendar year. If no number is specified than it is assumed to be a referral for 6 sessions.
- After the first 6 sessions, the GP can consent to a further 4 sessions if needed.
- The GP Medicare item numbers are MBS items 2700, 2701, 2715, 2717; Psychiatry MBS item 291, 104, 109, 293, 370; Paediatrician MBS numbers 104, 109, 110, 133.
- Psychologists do not need the mental health plan, unless the client consents to its release.
- Psychologists require a referral letter like the one you send to a psychiatrist, and Medicare requires that you bill the psychology mental health plan number for your consultation. Please state the number of sessions that you wish us to provide to your client as this is a Medicare requirement.
- Search the MBS online for more information
Please note: Only a few psychologists provide bulk billing from time to time and it depends if the reason for referral is in line with the psychologist’s range of expertise. Call us to ask which psychologists are open to taking bulk billing referrals this week. Please ensure that your client books the appointment as soon as possible as psychologists do not offer this for more than a few weeks at a time. Sometimes psychologists offer bulk billing after returning from extended leave, if the psychologist is new to the practice or if they are increasing their hours. Once the psychologist’s hours are filled the usual fee of $250 – 310 will apply.
We do offer instalments with no deposit, no interest to those eligible.
If you are a Psychiatrist or Medical Specialist you may like to speak to our practice manager Ratna about the process with referrals and who might be best or available. From time to time psychologists may take leave and we try to match the availability of the psychologist to new referrals with special needs or that are related to high-risk events.
We encourage new clients to use our Free Emotional Health Check Up as a way of learning about the clinic, costs and “who” might be best suited for them. This helps with empowering clients with options. We have more than 30 clinicians across Vision and M1 Psychology, so this helps with the process of picking the right person.
We also provide counselling for many other services that are more suited to private health such as couples counselling, career guidance and business coaching.
We hope you enjoy using our 6 Day a week, psychology and counselling centre. Our sister clinic M1 Psychology Loganholme is also open 6 days a week and provides the same level of service.