Chronic disease and resulting chronic pain is a syndrome aﬀecting thousands of Australian’s every year. Many Australian’s continue to be unaware of the chronic disease management (CDM) care plans available to them through Australia’s government funded Medicare program. Each year, eligible clients that are diagnosed with chronic pain or chronic disease by their General Practitioner may qualify to receive 5 -10 funded sessions for allied health services under the Chronic Disease Management (CDM) – formerly known as the Enhanced Primary Care (EPC) plan.

Services include physiotherapy, occupational therapy, podiatry, dietetics and speech pathology and the 5-10 sessions can be spread out over 12 months. These can be renewed yearly and are rebated at $54.60 per session by the Medicare program.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Do I need a GP referral to qualify for this program?

Yes your GP will need to prepare a team care arrangement plan and refer you to Ritco for allied health services under this plan in order for you to commence treatment.

2. How many sessions can I get?

Most clients are funded for 5 Medicare sessions. They may use all 5 sessions for physiotherapy or spread the sessions between allied health services such as 2 sessions of occupational therapy and 3 sessions of speech pathology. How the sessions are spread is decided by each client in consultation with their GP, prior to the referral being made.

3. Do I have any out of pocket expenses?

This depends on the type, complexity and location that the services are required. In most cases, you will require to pay a travel fee on top of the Medicare rebate.