{"id":504941,"date":"2026-02-26T08:33:16","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T08:33:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/504941\/"},"modified":"2026-02-26T08:33:16","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T08:33:16","slug":"concerns-over-medicare-changes-restricting-rural-mental-health-treatment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/504941\/","title":{"rendered":"Concerns over Medicare changes restricting rural mental health treatment"},"content":{"rendered":"

When the COVID pandemic began, Sarah*, a country Victorian vet, urgently needed mental health support.<\/p>\n

Her demanding job led her to seek help for depression and burnout.<\/p>\n

“There was a combination of some underlying depression as well, and in the last few years I’ve just, every now and then, intermittently just reached out to a psychologist \u2026 for support”, she said.<\/p>\n

At the time, Sarah took advantage of an option to see a GP via a video consultation, to obtain a Mental Health Treatment Plan, which in turn referred her to an online psychological service.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Medicare now requires a patient see a GP in person at least once in the past 12 months. (Pexels<\/a>: Alex Green<\/a> \/ License<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Since November, Medicare now requires patients to see a GP in person at least once in the previous 12 months in order to access telehealth mental health care.<\/p>\n

Sarah said this was challenging for her, but she had concerns about what this change meant for others in rural Victoria.<\/p>\n

“If someone’s feeling really vulnerable or if they’re quite antisocial, the last thing they really want to do is go into a GP office or reception where there’s other people in town that they probably don’t want to see,” she said.Changes are distressing for patients<\/p>\n

Clinical Psychologist Olivia Clayton, director of an online practice supporting rural and remote Australians, says the change has disrupted longstanding care.<\/p>\n

Some of her clients have been consulting the same GP via video for years for treatment plans, medication reviews, and referrals.<\/p>\n

“It is particularly difficult given that our GPs work closely within the same team as their psychologist, providing a level of coordinated, high-quality care that patients greatly value,” she said.\"Olivia<\/p>\n

Olivia Clayton says the Medicare change is distressing for regional patients. (ABC News: Philippe Perez)<\/p>\n

Ms Clayton said the rule disproportionately affected rural patients, who often faced six-to-eight-week waits, travel long distances, and had privacy concerns in small towns.<\/p>\n

Access to GPs with mental health training can also be limited locally.<\/p>\n

Laura Carter, a mental-health-trained GP also based in Mansfield, Victoria, consults in person and via telehealth with patients nationwide, including some whose nearest GP is hundreds of kilometres away.<\/p>\n

She said continuity of care, not physical proximity, determined quality.<\/p>\n

“When you’ve seen someone over multiple video consultations, you can conduct very thorough mental health assessments,” Dr Carter said.<\/p>\n

“If a physical examination is required, that can be arranged locally. But video consultation is entirely appropriate for developing treatment plans, monitoring medications, and providing referrals.”<\/p>\n

\"Laura<\/p>\n

Laura Carter says high-quality mental health care can be undertaken over video. (ABC News: Philippe Perez)<\/p>\n

Telehealth essential for disaster recovery<\/p>\n

Australian Association of Psychologists executive director Tegan Carrison said she was “deeply concerned” about what the rule change meant for regional communities.<\/p>\n

“Access to things like telehealth for referrals from GPs is absolutely an essential part of meeting community health needs,” she said.<\/p>\n

ABS data shows more than a quarter of mental health patients used telehealth at least once in the last financial year.<\/p>\n

Ms Carrison said this spoke to the need to provide mental health services across a range of regions affected by disasters.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Tegan Carrison says accessing telehealth is essential for regional communities. (Supplied: Australian Association of Psychologists)<\/p>\n

“We’ve had floods and bushfires, and our communities are facing a plethora of natural disasters, and we know from the evidence that natural disasters lead to poorer mental health and an increased need for psychological support,” Ms Carrison said.<\/p>\n

More news from Regional VictoriaChange to support continuity of care<\/p>\n

A Telehealth Post-Implementation Review has found the best evidence for telehealth is when it is part of ongoing care for familiar patients with diagnosed conditions.<\/p>\n

The report recommended telehealth be available for the creation of mental health care plans without the need for an in-person GP visit.<\/p>\n

It also noted that even if telehealth could increase patients’ access, “there were perceived risks of both lower quality of care and lower value services when telehealth was not used optimally.”<\/p>\n

Ms Clayton has asked the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing to reinstate the exemption for rural and remote patients accessing a mental-health-trained GP.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

The Better Access initiative changes include a requirement to see a GP in person to access telehealth. (AAP: Tracey Nearmy)<\/p>\n

A government spokesperson told the ABC $8 million in the Health Disability and Ageing portfolio was being invested to expand free mental health care and would establish more places to access free public mental healthcare.<\/p>\n

“These changes [in November] align the preparation of Mental Health Treatment Plan telehealth items with face-to-face services to support continuity of care, enhance access equity, and better integrate mental and physical health services,” the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n

“There are some exemptions to the established clinical relationship rule, which allows patients to access telehealth services without a prior face-to-face visit.”<\/p>\n

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