From 1 November 2022, there will be a revised structure for group therapy Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) items under the Better Access to Psychiatrists, Psychologists and General Practitioners through the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) initiative (Better Access). The new structure includes:

• 16 new MBS items for group therapy sessions lasting at least 90 minutes or 120 minutes;
• Amendments to 8 existing MBS items to reduce the minimum number of patients required to hold a group therapy session from six to four; and
• Allowing all group therapy MBS items to be claimed with only three patients, if four patients were scheduled to attend but one patient does not attend (for example, due to unforeseen circumstances).

These changes were informed by recommendations from the Productivity Commission in its Inquiry into Mental Health and the MBS Review Taskforce. The Medical Services Advisory Committee Executive endorsed these recommendations and changes.

Further information is available in the following fact sheet:

PDF Version Fact sheet for Group Therapy (PDF 167 KB)
Word Version Fact sheet for Group Therapy (Word 123 KB)