What will you learn?

Understand the private landscape

• The three streams – self-pay, private health funds and Medicare – and why self-pay is always the foundation
• How Medicare and health fund rebates work – and why they don't change your fee
• What private clients expect compared to funded clients – and how to meet them where they are
  

Get set up for private

• How to obtain your Medicare provider number and what order things happen in
• How health fund registration works and what you need in place
• HICAPS and Tyro – what they are, how they work and which option suits your practice
• Medicare programs for OTs – CDM, ATSI, Autism/NDD, Better Access and Eating Disorders – item numbers, session lengths, rebates and compliance requirements
• Private health fund item numbers, session lengths and what clients can claim back
• Documentation, record keeping and audit obligations for both Medicare and private health funds

Build confidence in direct billing

• The shift from institutional billing to charging clients directly – and why it feels different even when the value hasn't changed
• How to calculate your real hourly rate including non-face-to-face time and travel
• Fees, discounts, bulk billing and health care cards – making deliberate decisions not reactive ones
• Cancellation policies that protect your practice and your income
• How to have the fee conversation with confidence

Design a clinical pathway for private clients

• How to design a therapy journey that is clinically driven – not funding driven
• Goal setting, outcome measuring, review and discharge in a private context
• Contracting as the most important step – what you and your client both need to know before therapy begins

Who is this workshop for?

Designed for Occupational Therapists who are currently running a sole trader or group practice under a funded model and want to add private clients to their caseload.

This workshop will be particularly useful for:

• OTs currently seeing clients through NDIS or SAH funding who want to add a private stream
• Practice owners who want to future proof their income by diversifying beyond funded work
• Therapists who are confident in their clinical work but uncertain about the direct billing conversation
• OTs who want a therapy journey that is clinically driven and not shaped by what the funding allows

Not yet set up in private practice? Start with Sensational Start to Setting Up in Private Practice, the foundational workshop that walks you through the full business setup process. Then come back for this one

Why attend?

• Gain a clear understanding of the Medicare programs available to OTs including item numbers, rebates, session lengths and compliance requirements all in one place
• Understand how private health fund claiming works and what clients can access
• Build confidence charging your rate directly to clients
• Learn how to design a therapy journey that is clinically honest and clearly communicated
• Leave with practical tools and a detailed reference document you can use immediately

What's included?

• Gain online access to the workshop – live workshops are delivered via Zoom, while self-paced options include access to recorded sessions
• Download workshop slides and any resources provided by the presenter
• Enjoy six months of access to the recording and resources via your Verve OT Learning Library
• Receive a certificate of completion for your CPD records, available via email upon completion of the workshop