72Focussed psychological strategies

72 Focussed psychological strategies

(1) An item in Group A20 applies only to a service that:

(a) is clinically indicated under the 3 Step Mental Health Process; and

(b) is provided by a medical practitioner:

(i) whose name is entered in the register maintained by the Commission under regulation 3T of the Health Insurance Commission Regulations 1975; and

(ii) who is identified in the register as a practitioner who can provide services to which Group A20 applies; and

(iii) who meets any training and skills requirements, as determined by the General Practice Mental Health Standards Collaboration, for providing services to which Group A20 applies; and

(c) is provided in a general practice that participates in the Practice Incentives Program or is an accredited general practice that is not participating in the Program.

(2) An item in Group A20 does not apply to:

(a) a service that:

(i) is provided to a patient who has already been provided, in the previous 12 months, with 6 other services to which any of the items in that Group applies; and

(ii) is provided before the medical practitioner managing the 3 Step Mental Health Process has conducted a review and has noted in the patient’s records a recommendation that the patient have more than 6 sessions of psychological strategies in 12 months; or

(b) a service that is provided to a patient who has already been provided, in the previous 12 months, with 12 other services to which any of items in that Group applies.

(3) In Group A20, a reference to focussed psychological strategies is a reference to any of the following mental health care management strategies, being a strategy that has been derived from evidence-based psychological therapies:

(a) psycho-education;

(b) cognitive-behavioural therapy that involves cognitive or behavioural interventions;

(c) relaxation strategies;

(d) skills training;

(e) interpersonal therapy.

(4) In this rule:

general practice means a business, consisting of 1 or more medical practitioners, that provides a general practice of medical services.