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A Mental Health Treatment Plan is the document an Australian GP or prescribed medical practitioner prepares under Better Access to assess a diagnosed mental disorder and support Medicare-rebated psychology sessions. A separate signed and dated referral, not the plan, authorises those sessions. GPs prepare both; the psychologist holds the referral and reports back after each course. Most plan-and-referral pairs run 600 to 1,200 words.
A GP or prescribed medical practitioner; psychiatrists and paediatricians refer through their own pathway
The patient, the referred psychologist or allied mental health professional, the practice, and Medicare auditors
600 to 1,200 words across plan and referral · 25 to 45 minutes by hand (clinical team estimate)
Structured plan plus separate referral letter (also called MHTP, mental health care plan, GP mental health treatment plan)
When a patient with a diagnosed mental disorder needs Medicare-rebated psychological treatment, then at reviews and each new course
Medicare payer policy sets the required elements; no template, named tool, or plan format is mandated anywhere
A Mental Health Treatment Plan (MHTP) is the structured document a GP or prescribed medical practitioner prepares to assess and manage a patient with a clinically diagnosed mental disorder under Better Access, the Medicare initiative that commenced on 1 November 2006. Preparation is billed under MBS items 2700, 2701, 2715, or 2717 (the higher-fee pair belongs to GPs with recognised mental health skills training), with video equivalents in the 92112 to 92123 range. You will also hear it called a mental health care plan, a GP MHTP, or informally "the 2700." The widely used templates come from the General Practice Mental Health Standards Collaboration (GPMHSC), established in 2002 and part of Better Access since 2006, and its guidance is blunt about their status: it is "not mandatory to use any particular form", and it is not necessary to complete every field.
The distinction this page exists to make: the plan and the referral are two separate documents, and clinicians conflate them constantly. MBS explanatory note MN.6.3 states that "a Mental Health Treatment Plan is not considered a referral." The plan documents the assessment and the shared roadmap; only the written, signed, and dated referral authorises Medicare-rebated psychology sessions, and the psychologist must hold that referral at the first consultation. Almost everything else clinicians treat as mandatory sits a rung lower: the required elements are Medicare payer policy set out in explanatory notes, while the template, the K10 specifically, and the patient signature block are convention. For the clinician-authored planning document used in US practice, see the treatment plan page; this page covers the Australian pathway pair.
Both sides of the referral use this documentation. On the referring side, a GP or prescribed medical practitioner at the patient's MyMedicare-registered practice, or the patient's usual medical practitioner, prepares the plan, issues the referral, and reviews progress through time-tiered attendance items; psychiatrists and paediatricians run a parallel pathway through the Psychiatrist Assessment and Management Plan (item 291, with a written report back to the GP within two weeks) or direct referral. On the receiving side, eligible clinical psychologists deliver psychological therapy, while eligible registered psychologists, mental health occupational therapists, and accredited mental health social workers deliver focussed psychological strategies; their documentation duties are holding the referral and writing the end-of-course report. Keep the neighbours straight: the psychologist's own goal-and-intervention document is a treatment plan, each session generates a progress note, and the scheduled re-check of goals is a treatment plan review. None of those replace the MHTP or the referral.
Patient details and recorded agreement. Explain the service, record the patient's agreement to proceed, and note that a copy of the plan was offered to the patient (and carer where appropriate) before the item is claimed; a copy also goes in the record. These are claim conditions in note AN.0.56, not courtesies. Pitfall: billing the preparation item before the copy is offered or with no recorded agreement; the signature block on the GPMHSC template is convention, the recorded agreement is not.
Assessment with an outcome tool. Administer an outcome measurement tool as part of the assessment unless it is clinically inappropriate, and record the score. The K10 and DASS 21 are the named examples; the choice of evidence-based tool is the practitioner's. The same tool is re-administered at review, so pick one you can repeat. Pitfall: skipping the tool without documenting why it was clinically inappropriate; the myth that no outcome measure is required reads the current note backwards.
Diagnosis and formulation. A formulation of the mental disorder including a provisional or formal diagnosis, with the presenting history that supports it. The optional IAR-DST can inform the level-of-care decision. Pitfall: a symptom list with no formulation or diagnosis recorded; the item requires one, even provisional.
Goals, treatment, and patient actions. Treatment options discussed, goals agreed with the patient, patient actions, and the education you provided, all recorded in writing in the plan. Pitfall: goal text identical from patient to patient; non-individualised plans are the recurring theme of Professional Services Review findings on these items.
Crisis and relapse planning. Create a plan for crisis intervention and/or relapse prevention, plus the referrals, supports, review, and follow-up you arranged. A structured relapse prevention plan can sit behind this section. Pitfall: the heading left blank or marked N/A with no reasoning while the rest of the template is complete.
The referral, a separate document. In writing, signed and dated by the referrer (electronic signature is fine), containing the patient's name, date of birth, and address; symptoms or diagnosis; a list of current medications; the number of services this course; and a statement that an MHTP or PAMP has been prepared. The plan can travel with it only where appropriate and with the patient's agreement. Pitfall: sending the plan and calling it the referral; MN.6.3 says it is not one, and the psychologist cannot process rebates against it.
The report back. At the end of the initial course, the treating psychologist or allied mental health professional writes to the referrer: assessments carried out, treatment provided, and recommendations on future management. This report is what the GP weighs before referring a subsequent course. Pitfall: no written report on file at course completion; the obligation belongs to the treating clinician, not the GP.
GP MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT PLAN (Better Access) Patient: [initials] DOB: Plan date: Referrer: GP / PMP at MyMedicare-registered practice or usual practitioner [ ] Agreement to proceed recorded: [ ] Copy offered to patient: [ ] Outcome tool + score (or why clinically inappropriate): Formulation / diagnosis (provisional or formal): Presenting issues and relevant history: Goals agreed with the patient: Treatment, patient actions, education provided: Crisis intervention / relapse prevention plan: Referrals, supports, review and follow-up arranged: GP/PMP name and signature: Date: REFERRAL (separate document; the plan is not a referral) Patient name / DOB / address: Symptoms or diagnosis: Current medications: Number of services this course: [initial course maximum 6] MHTP or PAMP prepared: [ ] Plan attached with patient agreement: [ ] Referrer signature (electronic accepted): Date: END-OF-COURSE REPORT (treating clinician to referrer) Assessments carried out: Treatment provided: Recommendations on future management:
Free to use and share, no signup. The PDF includes a one-page cheat sheet with section-by-section pitfalls and a pre-sign checklist; the DOCX is the blank template, ready to adapt.
Scenario: adult patient with generalised anxiety disorder, plan and referral prepared by the regular GP, initial course of six sessions with a registered psychologist. All details are fictional.
GP Mental Health Treatment Plan. Patient: J.M., 34 · Plan date: 15/07/2026 · Referrer: Dr A.P., the patient's usual medical practitioner (MyMedicare-registered practice)
Agreement and copy: Service explained; J.M.'s agreement to proceed recorded. Copy of the completed plan offered and accepted; copy filed in the practice record.
Assessment: Six months of persistent worry, initial insomnia, muscle tension, and irritability, worse with workload; no prior mental health treatment. K10 administered today: 27 (high distress). Alcohol 2 to 4 drinks weekly; no other substances. No current thoughts of self-harm or harm to others; protective factors include stable housing and a supportive partner.
Formulation and diagnosis: Generalised anxiety disorder (formal diagnosis). Longstanding worry style with recent occupational stressors; physical review and thyroid screen arranged to exclude contributors.
Goals agreed with J.M.: (1) reduce K10 from 27 to below 20 by plan review; (2) return to full work duties without midweek absences; (3) restore sleep to 6.5 hours or more most nights. Patient actions: daily 20-minute walk, caffeine after midday ceased, worry-time exercise as taught. Education: anxiety cycle and treatment options discussed; written psychoeducation provided.
Crisis and relapse arrangements: No current risk identified. Early warning signs agreed (two consecutive nights of minimal sleep, missed work days); J.M. will contact the practice or the after-hours GP service if they appear. Follow-up: referral below; plan review at this practice in approximately 10 weeks; the K10 will be re-administered at review.
Referral for Better Access psychological treatment. To: Harbourside Psychology (registered psychologist) · Dated and signed electronically: Dr A.P., 15/07/2026
Patient: J.M., DOB 03/02/1992, 14 Example St, [suburb]. Symptoms and diagnosis: generalised anxiety disorder as formulated in today's Mental Health Treatment Plan. Current medications: nil regular. Referred for: 6 individual focussed psychological strategies sessions (initial course). A Mental Health Treatment Plan has been prepared and is held at this practice; a copy is attached with the patient's agreement.
End-of-course report (psychologist to GP, excerpt). 25/09/2026
Sessions 1 to 6 completed. Assessments: K10 at intake 26, at session 6 it is 19. Treatment: focussed psychological strategies (CBT: cognitive restructuring, graded worry exposure, sleep hygiene). Recommendations: gains are consolidating but incomplete; a subsequent course of 4 sessions this calendar year is recommended, then review against plan goals at the practice.
This sample is fictional and for educational purposes. It does not describe a real patient.
Writing these after every session? BastionGPT drafts complete notes from bullets, dictation, or a transcript.
Generate a note from bulletsThe record side is where audits live. The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing runs regular post-payment auditing of these items, and note AN.0.78 expects adequate and contemporaneous records naming the date, time, and who attended; only details recorded at the time count toward a time-tiered attendance. The plan must sit in the practice record with the offered-copy step documented. On the receiving side, the psychologist must hold the referral at the first consultation and retain it for 2 years from the first service, write the end-of-course report, and keep the whole record on the ordinary clinical clock: 7 years from the last entry in Australia, or until age 25 for clients who were minors. Between courses, the working documents are the session progress notes and the outcome measure review note tracking the same tool the plan named.
The payer mechanics changed on 1 November 2025 and plenty of circulating guidance predates them. Plan preparation, review, and referral now belong to a GP or PMP at the patient's MyMedicare-registered practice or the patient's usual medical practitioner, and the dedicated review items are gone: reviews run through time-tiered general attendance items, no more than once in 3 months and not within 4 weeks of a plan claim, with most patients needing no more than 2 review attendances a year. Telehealth preparation requires a face-to-face service with the practitioner or practice in the prior 12 months, and a previous video or phone consultation does not count (note AN.1.1). Session arithmetic: 10 individual and 10 group services per calendar year, an initial course of at most 6, unused referred sessions rolling over but counting against the new year, and an eating disorder plan blocks a new or reviewed MHTP for 12 months absent exceptional circumstances.
Keep the strength of each rule straight, because the format is a convention and the content is the requirement. Law sits in the Health Insurance Act instruments and privacy statutes; payer policy is the explanatory-note element lists that decide whether the benefit is payable; convention is the template itself, the K10 specifically, and the signature block. What no rule requires: a particular form, a minimum plan length, an annual plan remake, or sending the plan (rather than the referral) to the psychologist.
The Department undertakes regular post-payment auditing of Better Access claims, and Australia's Professional Services Review has repeatedly made findings of inappropriate practice around the plan items where records were not individualised for the patient. The system also leaks patients: in the Better Access evaluation analysis by Tapp and colleagues (ANZJP, 2026), 58.8% of people referred in 2021 went on to any treatment session, down from 66.9% in 2018, with a median 22-day wait to the first session, so documentation that stalls a rebate has a real clinical cost. The BastionGPT Clinical Advisory Board sees the same errors most often in Better Access reviews:
| Aspect | United States | Canada | Australia |
|---|---|---|---|
| Status | No legal force; the nearest analogue is the payer-convention treatment plan that supports medical necessity | No national equivalent; psychology access runs through provincial programs, employer benefits, and private pay | Payer gateway: the plan plus a compliant referral decide whether Medicare rebates psychology sessions |
| Terminology | Treatment plan, individualized treatment plan (ITP), plan of care | Care plan, service plan; physician referral letters are common but gate nothing federally | Mental Health Treatment Plan (MHTP), mental health care plan, Better Access referral, Psychiatrist Assessment and Management Plan (PAMP) |
| What changes | No session cap tied to a physician gateway document; payer contracts and state rules shape plan content and review | Provincial and college expectations shape planning documents; referral requirements vary by program and insurer | Referrer must be the MyMedicare practice or usual practitioner; 10 individual plus 10 group sessions per calendar year, initial course capped at 6; written report back to the referrer |
| Retention | Part of the chart; state law governs | CMPA recommends at least 10 years from last entry, 16 years in British Columbia, longer for minors | Whole record 7 years since last entry, until age 25 for clients under 18; the psychologist keeps the referral itself at least 2 years |
An MHTP has no effect outside Australia: it cannot generate a US or Canadian payer entitlement, and a US or Canadian clinician meets one only as inbound context for an Australian client. What all three systems share is the logic underneath: an assessed need, an individualised plan, and documentation that lets a payer trace the thread.
BastionGPT is specifically trained, tuned, and clinically tested on Better Access treatment plans and referrals.
See how clinicians use it day to day on the AI therapy notes page.
Many BastionGPT users report saving more than 90 minutes per day on documentation.
HIPAA-compliant with a signed BAA on every plan. Your data is never used to train models. BastionGPT drafts, you review and sign.
No. The plan (and a psychiatrist's assessment and management plan) does not expire, a new plan is not needed each calendar year, and one should not be written at all absent exceptional circumstances such as a significant change in the patient's mental health. When referred sessions run out, the patient needs a new referral, not a new plan, and a new plan generally should not be prepared within 12 months of the previous one. Annual plan remakes are a billing habit, not a rule.
No, and the distinction decides whether anyone gets paid. MBS note MN.6.3 states that "a Mental Health Treatment Plan is not considered a referral." The referral is a separate written document, signed and dated, carrying the patient's details, symptoms or diagnosis, current medications, the number of services, and a statement that a plan exists. The psychologist must hold it at the first consultation; the plan itself travels only where appropriate and with the patient's agreement.
Up to 10 individual and 10 group mental health treatment services per calendar year. The initial course of treatment is capped at 6 individual services; a subsequent course takes the patient up to the annual 10. Unused referred sessions roll into the new year without a new referral, but they count against that year's cap. The referring practitioner sets the number for each course, and the treating clinician must confirm it with the referrer when it is missing or above the maximum.
Neither, and both myths cost clinicians time. The GPMHSC, which publishes the standard templates, states it is "not mandatory to use any particular form" and that completing every field is unnecessary. What the current MBS note does require is an outcome measurement tool at preparation and again at review, unless clinically inappropriate; the K10 and DASS 21 are named examples and the choice belongs to the clinician. Between plan reviews, track the scores with an outcome measure review note.
A GP or prescribed medical practitioner at the patient's MyMedicare-registered practice, or the patient's usual medical practitioner, meaning the one providing the majority of care across a 12-month window. The dedicated review items are retired: reviews and ongoing mental health consultations now run through time-tiered general attendance items. Telehealth preparation requires a face-to-face service with the practitioner or practice in the prior 12 months, and a previous video or phone appointment does not satisfy that. Psychiatrists and paediatricians still refer directly or through an assessment and management plan.
Three obligations. Hold a compliant referral at the first consultation, because rebates cannot be processed without it; retain that referral for 2 years from the date of the first service; and at the end of the initial course, send the referrer a written report covering assessments carried out, treatment provided, and recommendations on future management. The plan itself is optional on the psychologist's file. Session records remain ordinary progress notes on the usual clinical clock.
Contact the referrer, then bill. The allied health professional must confirm the intended number when the referral omits it or exceeds the course or annual maximum; if the referrer cannot be reached, the clinician may proceed on clinical judgment within the caps. Services Australia's provider enquiry line can confirm a patient's remaining allocation. Billing through a defective referral is the real error, because the repayment risk lands on the treating clinician.
Only as inbound context, for example an Australian client arriving with their records. The MHTP is a Medicare construct with no legal force in the US or Canada, and services delivered outside Australia cannot generate a Better Access rebate. The working analogue in US practice is the payer-facing treatment plan, which shares the medical-necessity logic but gates no access to a provider.
Bring the consult however it exists: dictation, bullets, or the previous plan. BastionGPT drafts the individualised plan, the separate referral with every required element, and the end-of-course report back to the GP, then checks the pieces auditors read first: the recorded agreement, the outcome tool and score, the session arithmetic, and whether the goal text is actually this patient's. BastionGPT is HIPAA-compliant with a signed BAA, and data is never used to train models.
Educational content, not legal or billing advice. Sample notes are fictional. Follow your organization's policies and your board, payer, and jurisdiction requirements.