Bulk-Billed Exercise Physiology · Medicare GPCCMP

Bulk-billed exercise physiology on the Gold Coast — under your GP’s GPCCMP plan.

If your GP has put you on a GP Chronic Condition Management Plan, your exercise physiology sessions at Ace Health Centre are bulk-billed to Medicare. No out-of-pocket cost, no claim forms — up to five Medicare-funded sessions per calendar year, with the GP referral that sets the plan up.

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How Medicare GPCCMP bulk-billing actually works.

The GP Chronic Condition Management Plan (formerly EPC, sometimes called a Team Care Arrangement) is a Medicare program your GP can set up if you have a chronic condition that’s expected to last six months or more. The plan releases up to five allied-health sessions per calendar year, rebatable at the Medicare schedule fee under item number 10953.

At Ace Health Centre we bulk-bill the Medicare rebate for those sessions — meaning Medicare pays us directly and you pay nothing out of pocket. No claim forms, no upfront payment, no chasing rebates. Bring the GPCCMP plan to the first appointment and we handle the rest.

Five sessions a year is a hard cap shared across all your allied-health providers, so we’ll talk through how to use them to get the best outcome for your condition.

Conditions commonly funded under GPCCMP

Six chronic conditions GPCCMP plans most often fund for exercise physiology.

Not every health complaint qualifies for a GPCCMP plan. These are the conditions where GPs most often add exercise physiology to the allied-health team.

Type 2 diabetes — exercise as medicine

The condition exercise physiology was built for. Structured aerobic and resistance training programs that improve insulin sensitivity, body composition and HbA1c — GPCCMP-funded.

Cardiovascular disease & cardiac rehab

Stable heart disease, post-MI, post-revascularisation. Graded exercise prescription with appropriate intensity monitoring. Often the bridge from hospital cardiac rehab to long-term independence.

Osteoarthritis & joint replacement rehab

Pre-surgical conditioning, post-surgical strengthening, long-term joint preservation. Loading the joint correctly is the most effective conservative treatment we have.

Chronic pain & fibromyalgia

Graded exercise as part of a pain management strategy. Patient-led pacing, achievable load increases, the conditioning that pain has eroded over the years.

Cancer recovery & survivorship

Post-treatment fatigue, deconditioning, lymphoedema management. Structured exercise rebuilds capacity faster than rest, with the right prescription.

Obesity, metabolic & chronic fatigue

Body-composition focused programs, energy management strategies, building exercise tolerance from a low base. Funded when these conditions sit on the GPCCMP plan.

How to get a GPCCMP plan

Three steps from your first GP visit to your first bulk-billed session.

Talk to your GP.

Tell your GP you’d like to be assessed for a GP Chronic Condition Management Plan. They’ll review your conditions, confirm GPCCMP eligibility, and write the plan if it’s clinically appropriate. Long-appointment booking helps — it takes a bit of time.

Bring the plan to us.

The GPCCMP plan and the referral form name us (or any allied-health provider you choose) as part of the team. Book online or by phone and bring the paperwork to the first appointment. We verify the plan is current and the referral covers exercise physiology.

We bulk-bill Medicare directly.

After each session we submit the Medicare claim under item 10953. Medicare pays us the rebate, you pay nothing. Each session counts against your five-per-year allocation; we’ll keep you updated on how many you have left.

What a GPCCMP session actually looks like.

The first visit is 30 minutes. We confirm the GPCCMP plan covers what we’re doing, take a history, assess the condition the plan is built around, and write the initial report that goes back to your GP — that’s a Medicare requirement, not extra paperwork.

Return visits are 30 minutes. We work to the goals in the plan, document each session, and report back to your GP at the end of the course — or earlier if there’s something they need to know.

If five sessions aren’t enough for your condition, talk to your GP about a fresh plan at the start of the next calendar year, or about supplementary funding through your private health extras (which can run alongside the GPCCMP rebate).

Without a GPCCMP plan?

Three other ways your exercise physiology can be subsidised.

HICAPS on the spot.

If you have private health extras that include exercise physiology, we process the rebate instantly through HICAPS at the front desk. You only pay the gap (the difference between our fee and your fund’s rebate). No claim forms, no waiting.

DVA, NDIS, WorkCover.

If you’re a DVA cardholder, a self/plan-managed NDIS participant, or have an accepted WorkCover claim, we bill those schemes directly with no out-of-pocket. See the respective pages on this site for the detail.

Standard private fee.

If none of the above apply, we charge our standard exercise physiology fee. You pay at the desk; if you have a chronic condition emerging it may be worth talking to your GP about a GPCCMP plan for next year.

Questions we get asked

Common bulk-billing exercise physiology questions.

01 Do I need a GP referral?

Yes — for Medicare GPCCMP bulk-billing, the referral is what unlocks the rebate. Your GP writes the GPCCMP plan plus the referral together; the referral names the allied-health provider (us, or any other clinic you choose). Without the referral we can still see you, just not under GPCCMP.

02 How many sessions can I get?

Five Medicare-funded sessions per calendar year, total across all allied-health providers on your plan. That’s the Medicare cap, not ours. If your condition needs more, the path forward is private health extras (HICAPS) or a fresh plan from your GP the following January.

03 What conditions qualify for a GPCCMP plan?

Any chronic condition lasting (or expected to last) six months or more — diabetes, heart disease, osteoarthritis, chronic respiratory disease, chronic pain, post-stroke, cancer recovery, kidney disease, mental health conditions and others. The GP makes the call based on your clinical picture.

04 Why do some clinics “bulk-bill” but still charge a gap?

Some clinics charge a gap on top of the Medicare rebate — that’s not strictly bulk-billing under the Medicare definition. When we say bulk-billed, we mean the Medicare rebate is the full payment and you owe nothing. No surprises at the desk.

05 Can I claim my GPCCMP session on private health too?

No — you can’t double-dip the same session. Medicare and private health won’t both pay for the same visit. But once your five GPCCMP sessions are used, additional visits can be claimed through your private extras with HICAPS on the spot.

06 What if my GPCCMP plan expires mid-course?

GPCCMP plans usually run twelve months from issue. We’ll see the expiry coming and let you know when to book your GP for a plan review. If a session falls after expiry without a renewal, it’s on private rebate rather than Medicare.

Medicare GPCCMP bulk-billing · HICAPS on the spot with every major fund · DVA, NDIS & WorkCover too.