New items for services in residential aged care facilities

Last updated 5 March 2021

New items from 10 December 2020

On 10 December 2020, new temporary Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) items were introduced to support the mental and physical health of care recipients in residential aged care facilities (RACFs) who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This measure is an outcome of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety and will be available until 30 June 2022.

There are new items for the preparation and review of mental health treatment plans for people in RACFs. Eligibility requirements for the Better Access to Psychiatrists, Psychologists and General Practitioners through the MBS (Better Access) initiative will be expanded to permit aged care residents to access up to 20 individual psychological services where their GP or psychiatrist determines they would clinically benefit from additional mental health support.

Additionally, there are new items to support the provision of comprehensive care for residents in RACFs, including items for multidisciplinary care plans and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health assessments. These items complement new temporary allied health items for RACFs, which include the provision of five additional physical therapy services and two additional exercise physiology group services for eligible RACF residents.

Flag fall item 90001 has been amended. In addition to existing items 90020, 90035, 90043 and 90051 (professional attendances at a RACF), it now also covers new items 2733, 2735, 93287, 93288, 93400, 93401, 93402, 93403, 93421, 93469 and 93470.

For more information on these changes, click on the links below.

Descriptors and rebates for the new GP items are listed below. There are both face-to-face and telehealth (until 31 March 2021) items available.

Mental health care

Item number

Descriptor

Rebate

93400

Professional attendance by a general practitioner who has not undertaken mental health skills training, for the preparation of a GP mental health treatment plan for a patient (but not as an admitted patient of a hospital) if:

  1. the person is a care recipient in a residential aged care facility; and
  2. the service lasts at least 20 minutes, but less than 40 minutes

$73.95

93401

Professional attendance by a general practitioner who has not undertaken mental health skills training, for the preparation of a GP mental health treatment plan for a patient (but not as an admitted patient of a hospital) if:

  1. the person is a care recipient in a residential aged care facility; and
  2. the service lasts at least 40 minutes

$108.85

93402

Professional attendance, by a general practitioner who has undertaken mental health skills training, for the preparation of a GP mental health treatment plan for a patient (but not as an admitted patient of a hospital) if:

  1. the person is a care recipient in a residential aged care facility; and
  2. the service lasts at least 20 minutes, but less than 40 minutes

$93.90

93403

Professional attendance, by a general practitioner who has undertaken mental health skills training, for the preparation of a GP mental health treatment plan for a patient (but not as an admitted patient of a hospital) if:

  1. the person is a care recipient in a residential aged care facility; and
  2. the service lasts at least 40 minutes

$138.30

93421

Professional attendance by a general practitioner to review a GP mental health treatment plan which the general practitioner, or an associated medical practitioner has prepared, or to review a psychiatrist assessment and management plan (but not as an admitted patient of a hospital) if:

  1. the person is a care recipient in a residential aged care facility; and
  2. one of the following services has been provided to the patient:
    1. a mental health treatment plan under items 93400 to 93411 or 93431 to 93442; or
    2. a psychiatrist assessment and management plan; and
  3. the reviewing practitioner modifies the person’s GP mental health treatment plan or psychiatrist assessment and management plan to record that they recommend the person have an additional number of better access treatment services

$73.95

93404

Telehealth attendance by a general practitioner who has not undertaken mental health skills training, for the preparation of a GP mental health treatment plan for a patient (but not as an admitted patient of a hospital) if:

  1. the person is a care recipient in a residential aged care facility; and
  2. the service lasts at least 20 minutes but less than 40 minutes

$73.95

93405

Telehealth attendance by a general practitioner who has not undertaken mental health skills training, for the preparation of a GP mental health treatment plan for a patient (but not as an admitted patient of a hospital) if:

  1. the person is a care recipient in a residential aged care facility; and
  2. the service lasts at least 40 minutes

$108.85

93406

Telehealth attendance by a general practitioner who has undertaken mental health skills training, for the preparation of a GP mental health treatment plan for a patient (but not as an admitted patient of a hospital) if:

  1. the person is a care recipient in a residential aged care facility; and
  2. the service lasts at least 20 minutes but less than 40 minutes

$93.90

93407

Telehealth attendance by a general practitioner who has undertaken mental health skills training, for the preparation of a GP mental health treatment plan for a patient (but not as an admitted patient of a hospital) if:

  1. the person is a care recipient in a residential aged care facility; and
  2. the service lasts at least 40 minutes

$138.30

93408

Phone attendance by a general practitioner who has not undertaken mental health skills training, for the preparation of a GP mental health treatment plan for a patient (but not as an admitted patient of a hospital) if:

  1. the person is a care recipient in a residential aged care facility; and
  2. the service lasts at least 20 minutes but less than 40 minutes

$73.95

93409

Phone attendance by a general practitioner who has not undertaken mental health skills training, for the preparation of a GP mental health treatment plan for a patient (but not as an admitted patient of a hospital) if:

  1. the person is a care recipient in a residential aged care facility; and
  2. the service lasts at least 40 minutes

$108.85

93410

Phone attendance by a general practitioner who has undertaken mental health skills training, for the preparation of a GP mental health treatment plan for a patient (but not as an admitted patient of a hospital) if:

  1. the person is a care recipient in a residential aged care facility; and
  2. the service lasts at least 20 minutes but less than 40 minutes

$93.90

93411

Phone attendance by a general practitioner who has undertaken mental health skills training, for the preparation of a GP mental health treatment plan for a patient (but not as an admitted patient of a hospital) if:

  1. the person is a care recipient in a residential aged care facility; and
  2. the service lasts at least 40 minutes

$138.30

93422

Telehealth attendance by a general practitioner to review a GP mental health treatment plan which the general practitioner, or an associated medical practitioner has prepared, or to review a psychiatrist assessment and management plan (but not as an admitted patient of a hospital) if:

  1. the person is a care recipient in a residential aged care facility; and
  2. one of the following services has been provided to the patient:
    1. a mental health treatment plan under items 93400 to 93411 or 93431 to 93442; or
    2. a psychiatrist assessment and management plan; and
  3. the reviewing practitioner modifies the person’s GP mental health treatment plan or psychiatrist assessment and management plan to record that they recommend the person have an additional number of better access treatment services

$73.95

93423

Phone attendance by a general practitioner to review a GP mental health treatment plan which the general practitioner, or an associated medical practitioner has prepared, or to review a psychiatrist assessment and management plan (but not as an admitted patient of a hospital) if:

  1. the person is a care recipient in a residential aged care facility; and
  2. one of the following services has been provided to the patient:
    1. a mental health treatment plan under items 93400 to 93411 or 93431 to 93442; or
    2. a psychiatrist assessment and management plan; and
  3. the reviewing practitioner modifies the person’s GP mental health treatment plan or psychiatrist assessment and management plan to record that they recommend the person have an additional number of better access treatment services

$73.95

2733

Initial 10 FPS session

Professional attendance by a general practitioner, for the purpose of providing focussed psychological strategies for assessed mental disorders if:

  1. the person is a care recipient in a residential aged care facility (but not as an admitted patient of a hospital); and
  2. the service is clinically indicated under a GP mental health treatment plan or a psychiatrist assessment and management plan; and
  3. the service lasts at least 30 minutes, but less than 40 minutes

$95.65

2735

Initial 10 FPS session

Professional attendance by a general practitioner, for the purpose of providing focussed psychological strategies for assessed mental disorders if:

  1. the person is a care recipient in a residential aged care facility (but not as an admitted patient of a hospital); and
  2. the service is clinically indicated under a GP mental health treatment plan or a psychiatrist assessment and management plan; and
  3. the service lasts at least 40 minutes

$136.85

93287

Additional FPS session

Professional attendance by a general practitioner, for the purpose of providing focussed psychological strategies for assessed mental disorders if:

  1. the person is a care recipient in a residential aged care facility (but not as an admitted patient of a hospital); and
  2.  the service is clinically indicated under a GP mental health treatment plan or a psychiatrist assessment and management plan; and
  3. the service lasts at least 30 minutes, but less than 40 minutes

$95.65

93288

Additional FPS session

Professional attendance by a general practitioner, for the purpose of providing focussed psychological strategies for assessed mental disorders if:

  1. the person is a care recipient in a residential aged care facility (but not as an admitted patient of a hospital); and
  2. the service is clinically indicated under a GP mental health treatment plan or a psychiatrist assessment and management plan; and
  3. the service lasts at least 40 minutes

$136.85

Multidisciplinary care plans / Health assessments

Item number

Descriptor

Rebate

93469

Professional attendance by a general practitioner at a residential aged care facility to contribute to a multidisciplinary care plan, prepared by that facility, or to a review of such a plan prepared by such a facility, if the practitioner performs any of the following as a face-to-face service: 

  1. prepares part of a multidisciplinary care plan and adding a copy of that part of the plan to the person’s medical records; or
  2. preparing amendments to part of a multidisciplinary care plan and adding a copy of the amendments to the person’s medical records;
  3. giving advice to a practitioner who prepares part of a multidisciplinary care plan and recording in writing, on the person’s medical records, any advice provided to the practitioner; or
  4. giving advice to a practitioner who reviews part of a multidisciplinary care plan and recording in writing, on the person’s medical records, any advice provided to the practitioner

not more than once in a 3 month period

$72.60

93470

Professional face-to-face attendance by a general practitioner at a residential aged care facility to perform a health assessment of a person who is:

  1. of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent; and
  2. a care recipient in a residential aged care facility

not more than once in a 9 month period

$218.90

 

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