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Medicare Mental Health: coding new connections to better care

Across five years NWMPHN worked with St Vincent’s Health Australia to design and implement the complex digital infrastructure that powers the Medicare Mental Health Check In service.

Better access to early mental health support

MMHCI provides free, confidential and accessible online mental health support. It is for people aged 16 years and over, with no referral or diagnosis needed. Consumers can work through online support tools on their own or with a qualified mental health practitioner via telehealth.

It operates alongside the Medicare Mental Health 1800 phone service, which connects people with mental health support.

Together, these services are crucial for helping people stay well and reducing the risk of longer-term care being required.

For the previous five years NWMPHN’s Insight, Performance and Digital Services (IPDS) team have designed, refined and expanded the complex digital infrastructure that underpins the phone service. Shortly before the launch of the Check In service the team was asked by the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing to ensure that the two systems could work together seamlessly.

Behind the scenes, therefore, NWMPHN worked on expanding the architecture to administer SVHA’s requirements, allowing referrals and information to flow securely between services, and helping people move more smoothly from assessment to support.

In effect, this meant adapting the existing digital infrastructure to support a new national service.

Medicare Mental Health phone services can now use the Primary Mental Health Care Information System (PMHCIS) to send eligible referrals to Check In through a consistent national process. Developments include consumer callback requests and referral pathways for GPs and other partners, such as Victoria’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Locals.

SVHA can securely access the information it needs to deliver Check In, and the Department and PHNs rely on the stronger reporting for monitoring and managing the service.

Meeting the challenge

Introducing a new national pathway into an existing service environment was a complex digital transformation task, requiring detailed coordination across the Department, SVHA, PHNs, and technology partners.

NWMPHN began by translating the service model into an operational pathway within the PMHCIS. This required establishing eligibility-based referral rules, and embedding multiple data fields to ensure the system captured essential information for clients and clinicians.  

A dedicated MMHCI dashboard was then developed for Department and PHNs across the country. All partners now have improved visibility of service use and referral activity, supporting ongoing improvement and planning.

Beyond the technology itself, NWMPHN developed guidance, training and communities of practice to help teams across the country adopt the new process confidently and consistently.

NWMPHN built on the specific SVHA guidance about the Check In service, developing clear pathways for Medicare Mental Health phone service teams to see eligibility, referral outcomes and IAR-DST requirements. During the process, the people involved were able to engage with the development team as they tested the improvements, providing valuable feedback through user experience.

“All up, our team continues to deliver a substantial package of digital services and transformation to support Medicare Mental Health Check In and make sure it integrates with other parts of the Medicare Mental Health system,” said Emma McKeown, NWMPHN’s IPDS Executive Director.

“As a result, consumers experience a more connected service, providers have better information, and decision-makers have stronger insights. We have engineered the digital foundations for an expanded, coordinated and responsive mental health system, making it easier for people to access support earlier and get the right care when they need it.” 

As a result, consumers experience a more connected service, providers have better information, and decision-makers have stronger insights. We have engineered the digital foundations for an expanded, coordinated and responsive mental health system, making it easier for people to access support earlier and get the right care when they need it.