New Better Access item numbers will commence on 1 March 2023 to facilitate family and carer participation in treatment under the Better Access initiative.
The following provides an overview of this new aspect of Better Access. As a Medicare provider, please ensure you are fully aware of the requirements of each item number prior to using.
- This is an extension of Better Access, your client must have a current Better Access MHTP and referral.
- You can use a maximum of two family and carer items in a calendar year.
- These items replace sessions where you would provide individual treatment to the client and Will come off the client’s 10 available sessions for the year.
- You must have a legitimate clinical reason for using these sessions and have this recorded in the client notes – this can be decided by the referrer or the treating psychologist/allied health professional.
- You need the informed consent of the client to use these items and need to have this recorded in your records. There is a notation in the legislation that says the practitioner providing the service must explain the service to the patient, obtain the patient’s consent for the service and make a written record of the consent.
- The client needs to understand that they can withdraw consent at any time.
- The client cannot be in attendance during the session.
- You can provide these sessions in all the formats currently allowed for client sessions i.e., face to face, telehealth or telephone.
- Different item numbers apply for these sessions, and you will need to use the correct item code to process payment for these sessions.
Download the infosheet here.
Download a consolidated Quick Reference Guide for Better Access MBS Item Numbers.