MBS item

318
===

Psychiatry consultant attendance exceeding 75 minutes at consulting rooms, available when combined attendances with specified items exceed 50 in a calendar year for the patient.

Category 1 · Professional attendances[Group A8](/groups/A8)Referred

Schedule fee$129.50

100% benefitGP, out of hospital—

85% benefitOut of hospital$110.10

75% benefitIn hospital—

The schedule fee for MBS item 318 is $129.50. Medicare pays $110.10 (85%) out of hospital. Fee effective 1 July 2026.

Gap for what you charge
-----------------------

Your fee$

Out of hospital

Medicare pays$110.10

Patient gap$19.40

Bulk billing means accepting $110.10 as full payment, with no gap and no extra charges. [Add incentives](/bulk-billing?item=318)

Extended Medicare Safety Net cap: $388.50 (300% of the schedule fee, up to $500.00). Once a patient reaches the EMSN threshold, the extra benefit for this item is 80% of their out-of-pocket cost, but no more than this cap. [How safety nets work](/guides/medicare-safety-nets)

Item descriptor
---------------

Professional attendance by a consultant physician in the practice of the consultant physician’s specialty of psychiatry following referral of the patient to the consultant physician by a referring practitioner—an attendance lasting more than 75 minutes at consulting rooms, if that attendance and another attendance to which any of items 296, 297, 299, 300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 91827 to 91831, 91837 to 91839 and 92437 applies exceed 50 attendances in a calendar year for the patient

[Explanatory notes and rules on MBS Online ↗](https://www9.health.gov.au/mbs/fullDisplay.cfm?type=item&q=318)

Guides
------

- [How Medicare benefits work: schedule fees, 75%, 85% and 100%](/guides/how-medicare-benefits-work)
- [Medicare safety nets explained: original and extended (EMSN) thresholds for 2026](/guides/medicare-safety-nets)
- [In-hospital billing: the 75% benefit, the 25% fund benefit, and no-gap and known-gap schemes](/guides/in-hospital-billing-and-gap-cover)
- [Bulk billing incentives and BBPIP explained: 2026 amounts by MM area](/guides/bulk-billing-incentives)
- [The MBS multiple operation rule and surgical assistant fees](/guides/multiple-operation-rule)
- [Assignment of benefit for bulk billing: the changes from 1 July 2026](/guides/assignment-of-benefit-2026)
- [MBS telehealth rules: the eligible telehealth practitioner and phone items](/guides/mbs-telehealth-rules)
- [GP chronic condition management plans: items 965 and 967 explained](/guides/chronic-condition-management-plans)
- [Medicare billing compliance: claim time limits, records and the 80/20 rule](/guides/medicare-billing-compliance)

Data source: [Australian Government Medicare Benefits Schedule](https://www.mbsonline.gov.au/) · Record updated 1 September 2026. Health fund rates come from each fund's published schedule. Verify item descriptors, rules and fees on [MBS Online](https://www9.health.gov.au/mbs/fullDisplay.cfm?type=item&q=318) before billing. This is a reference tool, not billing or financial advice.