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Bulk Billed Allied Health: How the 5-Session Pathway Works

Physio, podiatry, dietitians, and ten more professions can be Medicare-rebated under a GP care plan. Check what you could be eligible for and what each session really costs.

How do I get bulk billed allied health in Australia?

Medicare does not cover casual allied health visits. The gateway is a GP chronic condition management plan: for a condition that has lasted, or is expected to last, 6 months or more and comes with complex care needs, your GP can prepare a plan and refer you for up to 5 Medicare-rebated allied health sessions per calendar year, shared across 13 professions including physiotherapy, podiatry, and dietetics, per Services Australia. The rebate is $63.40 per session (from 1 July 2026). Providers who bulk bill accept that as full payment, so the session costs you $0; many charge a gap.

A NewDoc telehealth GP can assess your eligibility and prepare the plan where clinically appropriate. The GP consult is bulk billed: $0 if you are Medicare eligible.

Could you be eligible?

Three questions decide whether the care plan pathway is open to you before any clinical assessment. They take about 20 seconds.

Could you be eligible for a GP care plan?

Three quick answers. Nothing is collected or stored.

Do you have a GP or practice you see regularly?
Are you registered with a GP clinic for MyMedicare?

A voluntary Medicare registration linking you to one clinic, usually set up in myGov. Not sure is fine.

Have you had a GP care plan prepared or reviewed in the last 18 months?

Also called a chronic disease management plan, GPMP, or EPC plan. A recent review counts as current.

General information only, not medical advice or a Medicare decision. A GP confirms eligibility after a clinical assessment; rebates and bulk billed sessions are never guaranteed.

Guides by profession

Costs, gap-fee habits, and how to find providers differ by profession. These guides cover the four most searched:

PhysiotherapyRebates, gap fees, and how to find a bulk billing physio.PodiatryFoot care under a care plan, including diabetes foot checks.DieteticsWhen Medicare covers a dietitian and what sessions cost.ChiropracticHow chiropractic fits the care plan pathway.

Every profession covered by the 5-session pathway

Thirteen individual allied health services sit under the chronic condition management framework, all requiring a chronic condition with complex care needs managed under a current plan. Each session attracts the same $63.40 Medicare rebate (85% of the $74.55 schedule fee, from 1 July 2026), and all draw from the same allowance: 5 sessions per calendar year, or up to 10 for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients. Separate Medicare items also fund group programs for type 2 diabetes.

  • Aboriginal health worker or practitioneritem 10950
  • Diabetes educatoritem 10951
  • Audiologistitem 10952
  • Exercise physiologistitem 10953
  • Dietitianitem 10954
  • Mental health workeritem 10956
  • Occupational therapistitem 10958
  • Physiotherapistitem 10960
  • Podiatristitem 10962
  • Chiropractoritem 10964
  • Osteopathitem 10966
  • Psychologistitem 10968
  • Speech pathologistitem 10970

Speech pathology, occupational therapy, and exercise physiology

The same rules apply to the smaller-volume professions. Speech pathology (item 10970) can be referred for chronic communication and swallowing conditions; NDIS funding and community health clinics carry much of the children's speech workload, and Speech Pathology Australia lists certified practitioners. Occupational therapy (item 10958) commonly enters plans for chronic neurological conditions and arthritis affecting daily function. Exercise physiology (item 10953) is a frequent referral for type 2 diabetes and cardiac rehabilitation; accredited providers are searchable via ESSA's Find an AEP. For all three, the bulk billing question is the same one to ask when booking: does the provider accept the rebate as full payment, or charge a gap?

Mental health works differently

Psychologists sit in both systems. Under a chronic condition management plan they draw from the same 5 sessions as other allied health (item 10968). Most psychology care, though, runs through the separate Better Access pathway: a mental health treatment plan supports up to 10 individual sessions per calendar year, usually 6 before a GP review unlocks the rest. Counsellors and psychotherapists are different again: those titles are not AHPRA-regulated professions, and their sessions attract no Medicare rebate at all, whatever the plan.

If cost is the barrier to mental health support, Medicare Mental Health Centres (the service formerly called Head to Health) are free, walk-in, and need no referral, booking, or Medicare card; find locations at medicarementalhealth.gov.au or call 1800 595 212.

How NewDoc fits in

NewDoc is a bulk billing telehealth GP service: we are the care plan step, not the allied health provider. A NewDoc GP can assess whether your condition qualifies, prepare the chronic condition management plan with you by video where clinically appropriate, and email you your copy of the plan and the referrals after the consult. You choose your own allied health providers; NewDoc has no commercial arrangement with any of them. The GP consultation and plan reviews (every 3 to 6 months) are bulk billed, $0 if you are Medicare eligible. Your records and follow-up care stay with the same practice, and eligibility for a plan is always the GP's clinical decision rather than something any website can promise.

References

This content is informational and does not replace individual medical advice. For personal assessment, book a consultation with your GP. In emergencies, call 000.

Reviewed by Dr. Jason Yu FRACGP

Last reviewed 7 July 2026. Editorial policy

Ready to see a GP?

Book a bulk-billed telehealth consult in under 2 minutes: $0 with Medicare if eligible.

Or call 0481 615 998

Frequently asked questions

Which allied health professions does Medicare cover under a care plan?

Thirteen individual services sit under the chronic condition management framework: physiotherapy, podiatry, dietetics, chiropractic, osteopathy, occupational therapy, exercise physiology, speech pathology, psychology, audiology, diabetes education, mental health work, and Aboriginal health worker or practitioner services. Each attracts a $63.40 rebate per session (from 1 July 2026) within the shared annual cap.

How do the 5 allied health sessions work?

Medicare rebates up to 5 individual allied health sessions per patient per calendar year under a GP chronic condition management plan. The pathway is for chronic conditions (6 months or more) with complex care needs, which your GP assesses. The 5 are shared across all professions on your plan: 3 physio plus 2 podiatry uses all 5. The count resets on 1 January, unused sessions do not roll over, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients can access up to 10.

Are the sessions actually free?

Only when the allied health provider bulk bills, which is their choice. Bulk billing means they accept the $63.40 Medicare rebate as full payment, so you pay $0 for the session. Many providers charge above the rebate and you pay the gap. The GP consult that creates the plan is a separate question: at NewDoc it is bulk billed, $0 if you are Medicare eligible.

What happened to EPC plans, GP Management Plans, and Team Care Arrangements?

They were replaced. From 1 July 2025 the GP chronic condition management plan (GPCCMP) became the single planning document, replacing the GPMP and TCA pair (and the much older Enhanced Primary Care, or EPC, naming). Existing GPMPs and TCAs made before 1 July 2025 keep supporting allied health referrals during a transition period until 30 June 2027, after which a GPCCMP is required.

Can a telehealth GP prepare the care plan?

Yes, where clinically appropriate. The framework includes a video telehealth item for preparing the plan (MBS item 92029) and for reviews (92030). A NewDoc GP can assess your eligibility in a bulk billed video consult and email you the plan and referrals afterwards. Phone-only consults cannot be used to prepare the plan.

Do I need to be registered with MyMedicare?

No, registration is voluntary. It changes where the plan happens rather than whether you can have one: if you are registered with MyMedicare, Medicare requires your care plan to be prepared at your registered practice. If you are not registered, the plan is prepared by the GP or practice that provides most of your ongoing care.

What about psychologists and counsellors?

Psychologists are mostly accessed through the separate Better Access pathway, up to 10 sessions per calendar year with a mental health treatment plan, though a psychologist can also be included within the 5 care plan sessions (item 10968). Counsellors and psychotherapists are not Medicare-rebated at all. Free alternatives include Medicare Mental Health Centres, which are walk-in and need no referral or Medicare card.

How long does a care plan referral last?

Referrals stay valid while the plan is current: the plan needs to have been prepared or reviewed within the last 18 months. Your GP reviews the plan periodically (reviews can be as frequent as every 3 months when clinically relevant), and the review consult is bulk billed at NewDoc for eligible Medicare card holders.

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