Fees
Fees Update from 1 July 2024
Fees were reviewed in June, and from 1 July 2024 (as I write this) both Medicare and NDIA slightly increased their rebates for Psychology services. Therefore I am providing all new clients with the following fee / payment conditions update:
- $222.99 per standard 50-min session for all new clients (Medicare and private paying) and current and new NDIS funded clients.
- Payments will be managed automatically for all new clients via the credit card details you saved to Halaxy. Payments will be processed at the time of your appointment, and for eligible MHCP clients, your rebate will be processed automatically once your payment has cleared.
- All new Self- and Plan-Managed clients will need to be reimbursed by the NDIA. I will email paid invoices to clients for lodgement with the NDIA / Plan Managers.
- I am unable to process HICAPS so will email paid invoices to clients for lodgement with health funds.
- All clients can add and maintain their own payment details via Halaxy’s patient portal.
- All processing fees will be absorbed by VCP when they are processed and cleared on the day.
Fees will next be reviewed again, next year, in June 2025. Any changes will be updated on the website with the date from which they will take effect.
A quick guide resource is available here (credit: this resource has been put together by Daniel Jones and links to the MBS and relevant source).
I believe in providing a psychology service that is accessible but need to balance this with the costs of running a Psychology business in Australia. Thus my fees are lower than the recommended APS fee*. While I am always sympathetic to the financial difficulties of clients, it is important that you understand my practice policies. Thus, prior to engaging my services, you will be asked to consent to the costs of services and billing arrangements. Please email or ask prior to your session to discuss my session fees and policies.
As a Registered Psychologist and Clinical Psychology Registrar my services may be claimed under a Medicare Mental Health Care Plan (MHCP/MHTP) for eligible individuals. My fees may also be covered for self-managed and some plan-managed NDIS participants (Item 15_043_0128_1_3).
Please note: I do not provide Bulk Billing services.
* The Australian Psychological Society National Schedule of Recommended Fees 2024-2025 has the standard 50-minute consultation fee at $315. This is a recommendation only.
Medicare (as at 1 July 2024)
Item 91170 (telehealth eg Zoom) and 80110 (in person) are the two MBS items I freuqnetly use. A MHCP allows up to ten planned sessions for an individual in a calendar year, benefit $96.65 for a standard 50-minute psychology session. You will need a GP referral to access these rebates. Services types include psycho-education, CBT, relaxation, skills training, stress management, parent support, interpersonal therapy, narrative therapy and EMDR (Eye-Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing).
Medicare Items for Complex Neurodevelopmental Disorders and eligible disabilities
Individuals under the age of 25-years may be eligible for up to four Medicare rebates, in their lifetime, when referred by a specialist medical practitioner (Paediatrician, Consultant Psychiatrist) for Assessment and Diagnosis. Psychologists use Items 82000, 93032 (telehealth), or 93040 (phone) and must submit a report to the referring practitioner after the assessment. Your referring medical practitioner will then write your treatment and management plan if indicated.
Subsequent treatment services (up to 20 allied health services per person in their lifetime). Psychology items psychologists 82015, 93035, or 93043.
NDIS Participants (as at 1 July 2024)
I deliver services from Queensland, which means the current NDIS Pricing for Psychology services Item 15_001_0118_1_3 (under age 7) and 15_054_0128_1_3 (age 7 or older) is $222.99 per hour (including a 50 minutes session, and 10 minutes for session notes). I am not an NDIA Registered Agent and agency-managed participants cannot be funded via their NDIS package, however may choose to access my services privately.
NDIS Psychology Therapy supports are to facilitate functional improvement, aimed at adjustment, adaption, and building capacity for community participation. I may also provide assessment, planning, and delivery of Disability-Related Health Supports where these supports directly relate to a participant’s significant and permanent functional impairment and assist them to undertake activities of daily living.
Other payment options
You do not need a referral to see a Psychologist and can choose to pay privately.
I set my fees annually and review them quarterly to reflect current costs of business. I will update current clients with any changes to fees wth plenty of notice.
I do not see WorkCover funded clients. I also do not provide Forensic/Legal/Family Court supports, there are many other Psychologists who I can highly recommend for your support needs in these areas.
How do I set my fees?
There are many costs to working as a Psychologist in Australia – besides the costs of rent/rooms, electricity, internet, running a website, secure email etc, there are also the costs of maintaining registration. Psychologists are regulated by AHPRA which set fees to be allowed to work, have mandatory professional indemnity and public liability insurances and continuing professional development requirements. All of these come at a cost. After all of these expenses and outgoings, your session fee also covers the time to plan your treatment and maintain records and notes. All of this time and expense is unseen by the client. After all of this, then the practitioner can pay themselves a wage (which needs to include tax, super, holiday and sick leave etc).
So when the APS recommends a fee of $315 per standard session, it is not $315 that is going to your Psychologist in after-tax wages, most of that is covering expenses.
Therapy session fees
Current rates (as at July 2024) for a standard session of 50-minutes is $222.99.
Fees are reviewed regularly and clients will be provided advance notice of any changes (usually from January and/or July each year).
Please note that late-cancellation and no-show session policies apply to all bookings.
Assessment fees
Assessment fees are generally calculated pro-rata hourly and paid for privately, that is not covered by a Medicare MHCP.
Please note that Assessment fees are set including time spent in assessment appointments with you, online questionnaires, feedback and your written report. Occasionally, there may be instances where additional sessions are needed to complete assessment (for example, clients with complex physical or mental health histories that require more in-depth querying in order to rule-in and rule-out differential diagnoses). Please discuss your assessment needs with Victoria to find out how much your assessment package is likely to be charged.
Group fees
Group sessions fees vary according to group content and number of sessions. Please speak with Victoria to learn more about groups that may be suitable to you. You may be asked to attend an initial session with me to determine group suitability.