Referral

If you are willing to pay the full fee out-of-pocket, or have an NDIS Self-Managed Plan, you do not require a referral from your doctor. 

However, if you have a Medicare Better Access Mental Health Treatment Plan (MHTP) from a GP, paediatrician or psychiatrist, you can claim a Medicare rebate. Email us the GP letter before the  first session.

Ensure the GP referral letter has the following information: 

• client's name, date of birth, address
• reason for referral
• number of psychological sessions the referral is for
• the referring doctor's Medicare Provider Number
• the referring doctor's signature

With a referral from your doctor, you can claim Medicare Mental Health Treatment Plan (MHTP)  rebates on appointments for psychological interventions if you have "an assessed mental disorder" that your doctor is managing. "An assessed mental disorder" includes mood and anxiety disorders such as depression, generalised anxiety, social anxiety, panic disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. 

The MHTP allows you to claim rebates for up to 10 sessions in a calendar year. A review by the referring doctor is required after the first 6 sessions to obtain the additional 4 sessions. Effective from 1 July 2024, the Medicare rebate will be $96.65 per 50-minute session. 

You will need to pay the total amount of the session fee before Medicare claims are lodged through our practice management program (Power Diary) after the session. Please ensure you provide your medicare details on your intake form to process your claim.

Please contact your Private Health fund provider and ask about their coverage of sessions with a psychologist. Kaleidoscope Children's Services does not process Private Health Fund claims. After each session, you can download your receipt that has all the information you need to organise any rebate with your Private Health Fund provider. You are unable to use Medicare and your Private Health insurance for the same session.

If your NDIS plan is self managed, you can claim the services we provide on your NDIS package. You will pay the invoice yourself and then process your claim through the NDIS portal. 

At the intake, your credit card details will be stored securely in your file in our practice management system, Power Diary. Charges will only be made if you attend a session, incur a cancellation fee or another service is provided. You can also choose to make payments via direct bank deposit. 

Kaleidoscope Children's Services has a 48-hour cancellation policy. We email a courtesy reminder prior to appointments and expect clients to remember their appointments and arrive on time.  Please provide at least 48 hours notice to cancel or reschedule your appointment if you are unable to attend. This is to ensure that we have sufficient notice to offer this time to other clients who are in need of support. 

• Appointments that are cancelled with less than 48 hours notice prior to the session incur a cancellation fee of 50% of the session cost. 
• Appointments that are cancelled with less than 24 hours notice prior to the session incur a cancellation fee of 100% of the session cost
• Cancellation fees must be paid before further appointments can be made. 
• Please note that rebates through Medicare or private health insurance are not available for unattended or cancelled appointments. Clients with NDIS funding may be able to claim the cancellation fee.