For Medicare rebates I require a written referral from a medical practitioner.
Referrals for ongoing care I prefer to work in a 'shared care' framework in partnership with GPs and allied health clinicians. I will keep the referrer updated of clinical developments, and I value your contact by phone, mail or email to inform me of any urgent concerns or treatment changes.
Referrals for assessment only If you would like a one-off assessment only, please mention in your referral that you would like an assessment under Medicare item 291. It would be useful to include in your referral what specific questions you would like me to address. I will see the patient, and parents or carers if appropriate, for an in-depth consultation and I will send you a detailed report of my assessment and opinion within one week. A copy of the report will go to the patient's current psychologist if appropriate.
Referrals for psychotherapy I am able to offer medium term or long term psychotherapy to a small number of patients. Medicare items 300 to 308 allow a psychiatrist to provide up to 50 sessions per year.
Referrals for family work When treating children and adolescents it is often essential to work with parents to address unhelpful cycles of interaction within the family which may be contributing to the problem. It is also often important to address parental stress or mental illness . With this in mind in some cases I may advise referral not only of the young person but also of one or both parents, as this allows me to work with the parents without the child present, if necessary.
Fees The 'gap fees', or out-of-pocket expense for the patient after medicare rebate, are as follows:
Initial assessment $185
Initial assessment (Item 291, see above) $60
Standard one hour appointment $95
Reduced rate one hour appointment (e.g for weekly individual psychotherapy) $50
Standard half hour appointment $65
Additional fees may be charged for assessment materials, repeat prescriptions without an appointment, and reports, e.g. to schools or government agencies.
Medico-legal reports I take referrals from Solicitors to do assessments and write forensic psychiatric reports for the Court.
Children's Court: The assessment of fitness for trial, soundness of mind and 'doli incapax' in adolescent criminal cases.
Family Court: assessment of parents' and children's mental health with regard to access, residence and shared care arrangements.