FEES AND REBATES
REFERRALS
You do not require a referral to access our services, though most clients are referred by their GP, psychiatrist or pediatrician.
We require all clients with eating disorders to maintain regular contact with their GP, psychiatrist or paediatrician for medical monitoring due to the inherent medical risks associated with an eating disorder. With your permission, we will also regularly communicate with your medical team to optimise your care.
REBATES
Medicare Rebates
Medicare rebates are payable if you have been referred by your GP, Psychiatrist or Paediatrician with a Mental Health Care Plan, Chronic Disease Management/Enhanced Primary Care Plan or Eating Disorder Treatment Plan.
There are several paths by which you may be referred to our service and receive a rebate from Medicare to offset the cost of your treatment. Please note that we are a private billing service and there is a gap between the cost of an appointment and the rebate offered by Medicare.
Rebates are also payable for up to ten group sessions in a calendar year, in addition to individual appointments.
No rebates are available for appointments with provisionally registered psychologists or Counsellors.
1) Better Access Initiative
You will obtain a rebate towards the cost of mental health care from our psychologists if you have a letter of referral from a psychiatrist or paediatrician, or if your GP has referred you using a Mental Health Care Plan.
Medicare rebates are paid towards the cost of up to ten appointments in a calendar year.
Rebates are also payable for up to ten group sessions in a calendar year, in addition to individual appointments.
You will need to see your GP for a Mental Health Care Plan before your appointment at the Swan Centre – Medicare does not pay rebates for appointments completed before a mental health care plan is activated. After you have completed the first 6 sessions of this plan, you will then need to see your GP for a review and re-referral to access further Medicare rebated sessions.
2) Eating Disorder Plan (EDP)
These plans were introduced in November 2019 to recognise that eating disorders are complex difficulties and clients typically require more sessions to make significant progress towards recovery. An EDP allows an individual to claim a Medicare rebate towards the cost of 20 dietetic treatment sessions and up to 40 psychological treatment sessions over a 12-month period.
Your GP can develop an EDP if you have anorexia nervosa, or if you have another eating disorder (bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder or OSFED) and meet specific criteria. Further information about EDPs, including an EDP template, can be found here. For tips on managing your EDP, please click here.
For further information please refer to the Australian Psychological Society website or call Medicare on 132 011.
Private Health Insurance
You do not need a referral if you plan to claim appointment costs from your private health insurance.
The rebate provided by your health fund will vary depending on your fund and level of cover. Your health fund will be able to advise you of the rebate payable. You cannot use your private health fund rebate to simultaneously ‘top up’ the rebate from Medicare.
FEES
Payment is required on the day of your session.
All of our clinicians are registered Medicare providers, and where applicable, we are also able to process Medicare Rebates at the time of payment (with the exception of Provisional Psychologists and Counsellors who do not attract a rebate).
Telehealth appointments are charged at the same rate as face-to-face appointments.
At the Swan Centre, we endeavour to provide quality, specialised services to clients at a reasonable cost.
Our current fees (as of February 1st, 2023) are as follows:
Clinical Psychologist
- $335.00 per assessment appointment*
- $270.00-$310.00 per appointment
Psychologist/Clinical Psychology Registrar
- $225.00 per appointment
Provisional Psychologist
- $60.00-$130.00 per appointment
No rebate available
Accredited Practising Dietitian
- $225.00-$230.00 per initial appointment*
- $185.00-$190.00 per subsequent appointment*
Counsellor
- $130.00 per appointment*
No rebate available
Occupational Therapist
- $210.00 per appointment*
Psychiatrist
- $405 per initial appointment
- $530 for EDP reviews*
- $175.00-$230.00 per subsequent appointment**
*Typical appointments run for 50-60 minutes.
**Excluding EDP reviews
Cancellation Policy
When appointments are booked, our clinicians reserve the whole hour especially for you.
We understand that sometimes you may be unable to attend an appointment because of sudden illness or an unexpected personal emergency. If this happens to you, please contact us as soon as possible to ensure a cancellation fee is not unfairly applied.
We require at least 48 hours notice to reschedule or cancel a session to prevent you from incurring a cancellation fee.
This policy is in place to allow us to offer the allocated time to another client who is in need of an appointment.
Cancellation Fee
50% of the full fee of your appointment will be charged in instances in which less than 48 hours notice of a cancellation is given.
If a pre-booked session is unattended after 20 minutes, it will be assumed that the session is cancelled/will be unattended, and the full fee for your appointment will be charged.
