From day one, we have always tried to ensure that no one would be turned away because they did not have the money needed for our services. The Cairnmillar Trust Fund continues to subsidise those people unable to afford our services thanks to the donations of many individuals, organisations and philanthropic trusts over many years.

The thoughtfulness and generosity of our donors and benefactors continues. Today is no different. Every day of every year we assist people on low incomes and those in financial difficulty who are in need of our services.

Medicare Rebates

All the registered psychologists at Cairnmillar have been endorsed by Medicare Australia to provide treatment for mental health problems. This service provides considerable assistance to people living with mental health problems, allowing them greater access to psychologists and providing more affordable mental healthcare. Medicare rebates are also available for consultations with specialist clinical psychologists, who are experts in the assessment and treatment of mental disorders.

To claim the Medicare Rebate for individual or group sessions conducted by a registered psychologist you will either need:

1. A Mental Health Care Plan (MHCP) from your GP to see a psychologist. A MHCP is required before any rebated sessions for psychology are available.
To obtain a MHCP you will need to make a long appointment with your GP to discuss the issues you have been facing and to complete the paperwork required. Your GP will then raise a MHCP with Medicare. At that point you will be eligible for up to 10 psychology sessions per calendar year. Please note, after six sessions have been used, we require a new letter of referral from your GP stating the additional requested number of sessions (usually another 6 sessions) which will be prompted with a letter from the psychologist including a review of progress. Your GP does not need to provide you with a new MHCP review for each referral. Current Covid-19 plans for treatment are allowing for an additional 10 sessions to be requested on top of the initial 10 sessions granted per year. This will be discussed with you and you will need to return to your GP to apply for this COVID-19 allowance.

To find out more please visit the APS Medicare Rebate page here.

For GP’s, the following link may also be helpful, here. 

OR

2. A referral from either a psychiatrist or paediatrician (for child referrals) made out to the psychologist.
These referrals last for one year at a time and do not require a MHCP to be completed by the GP. A referral from either a psychiatrist or paediatrician allows for access to the medicare rebates available and for up to 10 sessions to be claimed in a calendar year.

PLEASE FAX OR EMAIL YOUR REFERRAL AND MHCP TO OUR CLINIC PRIOR TO YOUR APPOINTMENT ON:

FAX: 03 9804 3333

EMAIL: [email protected]

Or call us on 1800 391 393 for more information or assistance.

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Health Fund Rebates

If you belong to a private health fund, you may be able to claim a rebate for psychological services. The exact amount of the rebate will depend upon your level of cover, and the rebate varies between health funds. It is best to check with your fund for an exact per session rebate figure.

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Recommended Fees

Clinic Fees:

Fees vary according to the psychologist and are payable at the time of consultation.
Medicare rebates of $87.45 and $128.40 apply with a doctor’s referral.

Community Clinic Fees:

Individual sessions – Free

Couples and Families - $40 per hour with a Health Care Card

Cognitive assessments – $220 inc GST

Vocational assessment – $110 inc GST

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Appointment Confirmation and Cancellation Policy

Cairnmillar is committed to assisting clients to attend their therapy, and as such sends out reminder SMS text messages to clients’ mobile phones 48 hours prior to scheduled appointments.

Cancellations made with 24 hours notice, will incur no cancellation fee. Cancellations made with less than 24 hours’ notice, will incur a cancellation fee charged to the client’s credit card.

Non-attendance on the day of the appointment will incur a cancellation fee of 100% of the session fee charged to the client’s credit card. The cancellation fee can only be waived in extenuating circumstances. Whilst administrative staff action invoices for any cancellation fees, they are not able to discuss any waiver of fees. Any waiver for fees will be the decision of the Director of Clinical Services.

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