Items 300–308
Psychiatric attendance — duration-tier follow-up
Professional attendance by a consultant psychiatrist at consulting rooms following referral. Five items differ only in the duration of the attendance — 300 (≤15 min), 302 (>15 to ≤30 min), 304 (>30 to ≤45 min), 306 (>45 to ≤75 min), 308 (>75 min). All share a 50-attendances-per-calendar-year combined cap across the in-rooms items (296/297/299/300/302/304/306/308) and their telehealth equivalents (91827–91831, 91837–91839, 92437). The time band documented must match the item claimed.
Plain-English summary. See MBS Online for the verbatim descriptor of each item.
Which item should I bill?
All variants share the same documentation requirements (below). The item number you bill is determined by the actual face-to-face duration and the location.
| Item | Time | Location | Typical use | MBS Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 300 | Not more than 15 minutes | Consulting rooms | Brief medication-only review or short follow-up. | Open |
| 302 | More than 15 min and not more than 30 min | Consulting rooms | Standard short follow-up review. | Open |
| 304 | More than 30 min and not more than 45 min | Consulting rooms | Standard follow-up review. | Open |
| 306 | More than 45 min and not more than 75 min | Consulting rooms | Extended follow-up — complex case discussion or major medication change. | Open |
| 308 | More than 75 minutes | Consulting rooms | Prolonged complex follow-up requiring an extended block. | Open |
Requirements to bill
Conditions imposed by the descriptor that must be met to claim any item in this family.
- 1Current referral from a medical practitioner.
- 2Attendance must be at consulting rooms (telehealth equivalents are separately numbered: 91827–91831, 91837–91839, 92437).
- 3The face-to-face duration documented must fall within the time band of the item claimed.
- 4Combined cap of 50 attendances per calendar year per patient across items 296, 297, 299, 300, 302, 304, 306, 308, and their telehealth equivalents.
- 5Where the patient has not been seen by this psychiatrist in the preceding 24 months, the new-patient items (296/297/299) apply instead of this family.
Your notes must show
Documentation tests — what clinical notes need to demonstrate to survive a PSR audit, regardless of which variant you bill.
- Date, start time, end time, and total face-to-face duration. This is the most-audited element in the 300-series — duration must fall within the item's time band.
- Item number anticipated against the documented duration (e.g. "Item 304 — 38-minute consultation").
- Annual attendance count for the patient across the family (e.g. "session 12 of 50 cap").
- Interval since last consultation and any third-party reports received.
- Patient self-report — symptoms, functional changes, medication adherence and tolerability, life events, treatment engagement.
- Mental state examination — focused update against the previous MSE, specifically noting changes.
- Risk update — current risk level, any new risk factors, any safety-plan deployment since last review.
- Investigations — bloods, ECG, BP, weight, side-effect monitoring (e.g. AIMS for tardive screening) where indicated, with results documented.
- Psychometric reassessment where the practitioner uses an instrument longitudinally.
- Treatment-plan changes — medication adjustments with reasoning, psychotherapy adjustments, investigations ordered.
- Communication plan — letter to referrer where indicated (medication initiation/change, change in diagnosis, change in risk).
- Review interval — when the next consultation is scheduled and which item is anticipated.
Common audit failures
Patterns the Professional Services Review scheme and Medicare audits flag.
- Time-band mismatch — note records a duration that does not match the item billed (e.g. 304 claimed for a 28-minute consultation that should be 302). The most common single PSR finding for psychiatry.
- Annual cap breach — claiming beyond 50 attendances per calendar year combined across the family.
- Wrong family — billing 300/302/304/306/308 for a patient who has not been seen in the preceding 24 months (296/297/299 apply instead).
- No documented MSE — narrative-only notes that do not show an explicit mental state examination.
- No risk assessment — particularly absent in shorter attendances where the practitioner relies on prior knowledge of the patient.
- Investigations referenced but results not documented in the note (e.g. "lithium level checked" without the value).
- Medication change recorded without the structured framework (current med + adherence + reasoning + side-effect screen + monitoring + patient understanding + follow-up).
- No communication to referrer for significant decisions (medication initiation/change, change in diagnosis, change in risk).
Related MBS items
Diagnostic codes commonly billed under these items
ICD-10-AM diagnoses whose Medicare pathway includes this family of items. Click through to the diagnostic-code reference for differential codes and clinical context.
Dementia in Alzheimer's Disease
Organic Mental Disorders
Vascular Dementia
Organic Mental Disorders
Dementia in Other Diseases Classified Elsewhere
Organic Mental Disorders
Unspecified Dementia
Organic Mental Disorders
Organic Amnesic Syndrome Not Induced by Alcohol or Other Psychoactive Substances
Organic Mental Disorders
Delirium Not Induced by Alcohol and Other Psychoactive Substances
Organic Mental Disorders
Other Mental Disorders Due to Brain Damage and Dysfunction and to Physical Disease
Organic Mental Disorders
Personality and Behavioural Disorders Due to Brain Disease, Damage, and Dysfunction
Organic Mental Disorders
Unspecified Organic or Symptomatic Mental Disorder
Organic Mental Disorders
Mental and Behavioural Disorders Due to Alcohol Use
Substance Use Disorders
Mental and Behavioural Disorders Due to Opioid Use
Substance Use Disorders
Mental and Behavioural Disorders Due to Cannabinoid Use
Substance Use Disorders
Mental and Behavioural Disorders Due to Sedatives or Hypnotics
Substance Use Disorders
Mental and Behavioural Disorders Due to Cocaine Use
Substance Use Disorders
Mental and Behavioural Disorders Due to Other Stimulants Including Caffeine
Substance Use Disorders
Mental and Behavioural Disorders Due to Hallucinogens
Substance Use Disorders
Mental and Behavioural Disorders Due to Tobacco Use
Substance Use Disorders
Mental and Behavioural Disorders Due to Multiple Drug Use
Substance Use Disorders
Schizophrenia
Psychotic Disorders
Schizotypal Disorder
Psychotic Disorders
Persistent Delusional Disorders
Psychotic Disorders
Acute and Transient Psychotic Disorders
Psychotic Disorders
Induced Delusional Disorder
Psychotic Disorders
Schizoaffective Disorders
Psychotic Disorders
Other Nonorganic Psychotic Disorders
Psychotic Disorders
Unspecified Nonorganic Psychosis
Psychotic Disorders
Manic Episode
Mood Disorders
Bipolar Affective Disorder
Mood Disorders
Depressive Episode
Mood Disorders
Recurrent Depressive Disorder
Mood Disorders
Persistent Mood Disorders
Mood Disorders
Other Recurrent Mood Disorders — Unipolar Mania
Mood Disorders
Other Mood (Affective) Disorders
Mood Disorders
Unspecified Mood Disorder
Mood Disorders
Phobic Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety Disorders
Other Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety Disorders
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Anxiety Disorders
Reaction to Severe Stress and Adjustment Disorders
Anxiety Disorders
Dissociative (Conversion) Disorders
Anxiety Disorders
Somatoform Disorders
Anxiety Disorders
Other Neurotic Disorders
Anxiety Disorders
Nonorganic Sleep Disorders
Behavioural Syndromes
Sexual Dysfunction Not Caused by Organic Disorder or Disease
Behavioural Syndromes
Mental and Behavioural Disorders Associated with the Puerperium
Behavioural Syndromes
Psychological and Behavioural Factors Associated with Disorders or Diseases Classified Elsewhere
Behavioural Syndromes
Abuse of Non-Dependence-Producing Substances
Behavioural Syndromes
Specific Personality Disorders
Personality Disorders
Mixed and Other Personality Disorders
Personality Disorders
Enduring Personality Changes Not Attributable to Brain Damage and Disease
Personality Disorders
Habit and Impulse Disorders
Personality Disorders
Gender Identity Disorders
Personality Disorders
Disorders of Sexual Preference
Personality Disorders
Psychological and Behavioural Disorders Associated with Sexual Development and Orientation
Personality Disorders
Other Disorders of Adult Personality and Behaviour
Personality Disorders
Specific Developmental Disorders of Speech and Language
Developmental Disorders
Specific Developmental Disorders of Scholastic Skills
Developmental Disorders
Specific Developmental Disorder of Motor Function
Developmental Disorders
Mixed Specific Developmental Disorders
Developmental Disorders
Other Disorders of Psychological Development
Developmental Disorders
Unspecified Disorder of Psychological Development
Developmental Disorders
Hyperkinetic Disorders / ADHD
Childhood & Adolescent Disorders
Conduct Disorders
Childhood & Adolescent Disorders
Mixed Disorders of Conduct and Emotions
Childhood & Adolescent Disorders
Emotional Disorders with Onset Specific to Childhood
Childhood & Adolescent Disorders
Disorders of Social Functioning with Onset in Childhood
Childhood & Adolescent Disorders
Tic Disorders
Childhood & Adolescent Disorders
Other Behavioural and Emotional Disorders with Onset in Childhood
Childhood & Adolescent Disorders
Templates that document these items
Note templates inside Grounded Scribe that produce documentation aligned to these MBS items.
In-depth reading in the Library
Mental Health Tribunal and Medico-Legal Report Writing: What Psychiatrists Need to Document
Psychiatrists regularly prepare reports for Mental Health Tribunals, courts, WorkCover, and insurers. This guide covers the anatomy of a defensible medico-legal report, state Mental Health Act requirements, and how structured dictation can reduce report-writing time.
Documenting Medication Changes During Psychiatric Reviews: A Structured Approach
Medication management is the backbone of psychiatric practice, yet many psychiatrists lack a consistent framework for documenting changes. This guide provides a structured approach to recording medication decisions, clinical reasoning, and monitoring plans during psychiatric reviews.
Psychiatric Consultation MBS Documentation: A Practitioner Guide
Australian psychiatrists bill from three groups of MBS attendance items: 291 (assessment-and-management-plan), the 296/297/299 new-patient comprehensive-consultation family, and the 300/302/304/306/308 duration-tier follow-up family. Each group has distinct schedule rules — 291 carries a mandatory management-plan letter and a 12-month limit; 296/297/299 require no attendance from this psychiatrist in the preceding 24 months; the 300-series shares a 50-attendances-per-calendar-year combined cap. This guide walks through documentation tests for each.
Source authority
Documentation tests on this page reference the descriptor conditions and PSR-audit patterns covered in our existing Library guides. Always confirm current rules against the official descriptor.
Keep reading
Browse the library
Free, evergreen reference for Australian practitioners and school staff.
BrowseTry a free tool
Free assessment calculators
Score 33+ standardised assessments online. Download a PDF report. No account needed.
Open the toolsTry Grounded Scribe
Spend less time on documentation
AI drafts compliant clinical notes from your dictation or recording. Free tier — no card.
Start free