Medicare Osteopathy with a GP Chronic Condition Plan in Coolaroo and Epping

What changed on 1 July 2025

From 1 July 2025, GP Management Plans and Team Care Arrangements were replaced by a single GP chronic condition management plan. If you had a GP Management Plan or Team Care Arrangement in place before 1 July 2025, you can continue to use it for consistent services until 30 June 2027. After that, you will need a GP chronic condition management plan to keep accessing Medicare-rebated allied health appointments. Referrals written before 1 July 2025 can be used until they expire.

Who may be eligible

These plans are for people with a chronic medical condition, generally one that has been present, or is likely to be present, for at least six months, or that is terminal. There is no set list of conditions. Your GP decides whether a plan is right for you and whether osteopathy is a suitable part of it.

How to get a referral

Talk to your GP about a chronic condition management plan and ask whether osteopathy could be included. If you are registered with a practice through MyMedicare, the plan needs to be prepared at that practice. If you are not registered, your usual GP can prepare it. Your GP will then write a referral to an osteopath.

• Your plan must have been prepared or reviewed in the last 18 months
• A referral lasts for the time stated on it, or 18 months from your first appointment if no timeframe is given
• Your GP will confirm your eligibility and how many appointments are included

How many appointments are covered

Eligible patients can receive up to five Medicare-rebated individual allied health services each calendar year (up to ten for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people). These are shared across all allied health providers, so if you also see a podiatrist or dietitian under your plan, those appointments count toward the same total. The count starts again on 1 January each year. You are welcome to continue care privately once your rebated appointments are used, and private health rebates may apply depending on your cover.

Fees, rebates and what to bring

A Medicare rebate applies to part of the fee; a gap may be payable. Please call the clinic you plan to attend and we will explain how your appointment will be billed and how the rebate is claimed.

• Your GP referral letter
• Your Medicare card
• Any relevant scans, reports or medication list