Is TMS covered by Medicare?
One of the most frequently asked questions we receive would have to be, is TMS covered by Medicare? At this very moment the short answer to this question is no. However, this is all about to change. As from 1 November a new medicare item number will be available as part of the governments commitment to mental health. In the past, TMS costs have not been covered under medicare and very few health insurance companies have provided benefits. Unfortunately not everyone will benefit from the changes coming in on 1 November 2021.
Medicare
Medicare funds medical treatment outside of hospital. This includes outpatient care that you would receive from your GP or psychiatrist. For such visits to the doctor medicare will contribute to the funding. As TMS is an outpatient treatment, the obvious fund provider would be Medicare. The College of Psychiatrists in Australia (RANZCP), are currently working on Medicare funding for TMS treatment. Several submissions have been made and we are waiting on the latest response. A result to the latest submission is due in the second half of 2019. We are looking forward to some positive news in the upcoming months. We recommend that you keep visiting our website for updates.
There are other forms of funding that individuals can apply for. They include: Defence forces funding, Workcover and Private Health Insurance cover. In some cases individuals are being sponsored by employers to receive TMS treatment.
Funding options
If you are keen to find out more about payment plans to assist you with receiving TMS treatment please contact us. Our TMS consultants can provide you with some options that may help you.
TMS is playing an important role in treating depression.
TMS has the support of hundreds of research studies showing its effectiveness in treating depression. For patients where previous treatments have not worked many people do not have a lot of choice. Antidepressant medication is not effective for everyone. For many, the side effects prevent people from continuing on with medication treatment. In the past, when antidepressant medication has failed those with severe depression have very few options. Electroconvulsive (ECT) therapy is often the next option for those with severe symptoms. The side effects of ECT are significant for patients. TMS plays a vital role for clinicians as it fills the gap between medication and ECT.
For more information about TMS please visit our website sydneytms.com.au