Mental Health Nurse Incentive Program
The Mental Health Nurse Incentive Program provides a non-MBS incentive payment to community based general practices, private psychiatrist services and other appropriate organisations (such as Divisions of General Practice) who engage mental health nurses to assist in the provision of coordinated clinical care for people with severe mental disorders.
Close and effective collaboration between mental health nurses, general practitioners and psychiatrists in the delivery of clinical support and services in the community is expected to: improve levels of care for people with severe mental disorders, reduce the likelihood of unnecessary hospital admissions and readmissions for people with severe mental disorders and assist in keeping people with severe mental illnesses well, and feeling connected within the community.
Mental health nurses are working in collaboration with private psychiatrists and general practitioners to provide services such as: periodic reviews of patients' mental states medication monitoring and management information on physical healthcare to patients and integrated services from GPs, psychiatrists and allied health workers (such as psychologists) including arranging access to interventions from other health professionals when these are required.
Patients must have a current Mental Health treatment Plan.