Better Access item numbers, explained
Better Access item numbers are the Medicare Benefits Schedule items that fund mental health care under the Better Access initiative. GPs prepare Mental Health Treatment Plans under items 2700, 2701, 2715 and 2717. Clinical psychologists claim items in the 80000 series and registered psychologists claim the 80100 series. Patients can receive up to 10 individual and 10 group sessions each calendar year.
Medicare Benefits Schedule, items 80000 to 80170 (MBS Online)
Health Insurance (General Medical Services Table) Regulations
MBS Online, Changes to the Better Access initiative from 1 November 2025
Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, Better Access initiative
GP and referral items
A Better Access referral starts with a GP Mental Health Treatment Plan. Items 2700 and 2701 are for GPs who have not completed mental health skills training, and items 2715 and 2717 are for GPs who have, with the pairs split by consultation length. Since 1 November 2025 the dedicated plan review item 2712 and the mental health consultation item 2713 have been removed, and GPs bill reviews using the time-tiered general attendance items. Plans, referrals and reviews must now come from the patient's MyMedicare registered practice or their usual medical practitioner. Psychiatrists and paediatricians can also refer.
Psychologist items
Clinical psychologists with Psychology Board endorsement provide psychological therapy under items 80000 to 80020. Item 80000 covers a session of at least 30 minutes and item 80010 covers at least 50 minutes, with 80005 and 80015 for services away from consulting rooms and 80020 for group therapy. Registered psychologists provide focussed psychological strategies under items 80100 to 80120, with 80110 the standard 50 minute session. Occupational therapists and social workers have their own items in the 80125 to 80170 range. Telehealth versions of these items are permanent, but the patient generally needs an established clinical relationship with the provider.
Session limits and courses of treatment
Medicare pays for up to 10 individual and 10 group services per calendar year across all Better Access providers. A referral covers a course of treatment, and the first course is capped at 6 sessions. At the end of each course the psychologist sends a written report to the referrer, and the GP reviews the plan before referring for the remaining sessions. Unused sessions on a referral carry over into the next calendar year, but each session counts against the cap for the year in which it is delivered. A new plan is not needed every year unless the GP decides one is clinically required.
Fees and rebates
Each item has a schedule fee and Medicare pays 85 percent of it as the rebate. In the current schedule, item 80010 has a fee of $175.30 and a benefit of $149.05, while item 80110 has a fee of $119.45 and a benefit of $101.55. Psychologists set their own fees, so the patient pays any gap unless the service is bulk billed. Gap payments count towards the Extended Medicare Safety Net. Fees are indexed each year, usually on 1 July, so check MBS Online for the current amounts before publishing a fee schedule.
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