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Medicare Care Plans for Developmental DisordersThe Medicare system now provides limited rebate for allied health assessments and treatments. This process needs to be initiated and coordinated by your General Practitioner. The process is explained at the Medicare website (see sites below). These plans provide some financial support for the assessment and management services provided by our developmental clinical psychologist. The following steps outline the process of obtaining a Care Plan. Step 1. Sort out which assessments you need, and who is going to do these. The health care providers need to be registered with the HIC before you can claim the rebate. Step 2. Make a visit with your GP, and tell the receptionist that the purpose of the visit is to put together a Care Plan. . If the GP completes the process, it allows you to claim back a certain amount (currently $44) per allied health visit, to a maximum fee for 5 visits (currently $220) per year for all the allied health professionals you see. Step 3 (A) . The GP, using Medicare EPC code 721, produces a GP Management Plan (GPMC), which is an overview of the problem and assessment process. Step 3 (B). The GP, using Medicare EPC code 723, produces a GP Team Care Arrangements plan (TCA), which describes in more detail who will be doing what. Step 3 (C). As part of the TCA plan, the GP needs to complete an Allied Health referral form for each of the allied health people that are going to be involved. Step 4. Each Allied Health Professional needs to receive, sign and return the referral form to the GP in order for the GP to claim their professional fee for the Care Plan, and before you can claim your rebate from Medicare after the Allied Health assessment has been completed. Useful Websiteshttp://www.hic.gov.au/providers/incentives_allowances/medicare_initiatives/allied_health.htm.
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