How does Mental Health Assist fit with the existing mental health treatment plan provided by Medicare?

The Mental Health Assist service complements any existing mental health treatment by providing an additional perspective on how to best treat you and your family. After receiving the 360Health expert report you will be offered three options for therapy:

• continue with any existing psychologist you connected with before contacting 360Health
• help with finding a suitable therapist in your local area for face-to-face therapy (a referral to a practicing mental health clinician will be made by the treating doctor and may be at an additional cost as it is not within the 360Health services), or
• referral to one of Teladoc Health’s psychologists via telehealth. Any referral to one of Teladoc Health’s psychologists will be made via a Medicare Mental Health Plan^ and the relationship will be between you and the psychologist directly.

The Mental Health Assist consult is not considered a consult under the Medicare Mental Health Plan and therefore will not reduce the amount of counselling sessions you may access in a calendar year. Any consults accessed under a Medicare Mental Health Plan may incur a cost.

^A Medicare Mental Health Plan is a structured document created by a GP that outlines treatment goals and actions for individuals diagnosed with mental health conditions, allowing access to subsidised mental health services under Medicare.

Do I need to pay to use Mental Health Assist?

No, all costs are covered as part of Hostplus' member benefits. The only charge you may face is after you have transitioned out of the program and into therapy with a psychologist.

How am I assigned a mental health nurse?

If you are eligible for Mental Health Assist you will have a mental health nurse to help guide you through the process. The nurse is assigned by the 360Health team when the booking request is made.

A mental health nurse is your point of contact throughout the entire process and acts as the bridge between you and the clinicians - facilitating the gathering of appropriate information and documents to ensure the process runs smoothly. A mental health nurse is assigned to you at the beginning of your journey and is responsible for answering any of your questions and concerns. A mental health nurse is available to continue assisting you for up to six months following the completion of the process.

Recognising that getting medical records will be the difficult and time-consuming element of the process, how can this be supported?

Subject to your consent, where medical records are required, the requested records are strictly related to your mental health condition – the mental health nurse also plays a role in following up on the records and updating you. Both these steps help reduce turnaround times. The mental health nurse works with you and relevant clinicians to identify the appropriate records and then arranges for collection of those records on your behalf.

How long does it take to go through the Mental Health Assist process?

Typically, you take part in an online consultation with a peer trusted Australian-based clinical psychologist or psychiatrist within 10 days of consent forms being returned. A final expert report will typically be delivered within a week from the experts completing their assessments.

How long does an assessment take?

Typically, this will take one hour, however if required more time will be spent to conduct an appropriate assessment.