Care Plan Taree

A GP care plan is a structured document that sets out how a chronic health condition will be managed over time. Since 1 July 2025, care plans in Australia take the form of the GP Chronic Condition Management Plan (GPCCMP), a single unified plan that replaced the previous GP Management Plan and Team Care Arrangement system. The plan records your health conditions and needs, the goals you and your doctor agree on, the treatments and services involved and the actions each of you will take.

Eligibility applies to patients with at least one condition that has been, or is likely to be, present for at least six months, or is terminal — there's no fixed list of qualifying conditions, with the decision resting on the GP's clinical judgement. Beyond organising your care, the plan is the gateway to Medicare-subsidised allied health services, which is why many patients with diabetes, arthritis, heart disease and similar conditions have one prepared.

The appointment to prepare or review a care plan is a Medicare-rebated service, and at practices that bulk bill these items, there's no out-of-pocket cost for the planning appointment itself. It's worth confirming billing when you book, as arrangements vary between practices.

The allied health services accessed under the plan are a separate matter. Medicare provides a set rebate for each of the up to five individual allied health services available per calendar year (ten for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients), but allied health providers set their own fees — some bulk bill plan patients while others charge above the rebate, leaving a gap payment. Asking about fees when booking each allied health appointment avoids surprises. Any medications, imaging or specialist visits arising from the plan are billed under their usual arrangements rather than through the plan itself.

Under the current framework, a new care plan can be prepared every 12 months where clinically relevant, and reviews are available every three months — with earlier preparation or review possible in exceptional circumstances. In practice, most GPs schedule reviews around every three to six months, depending on how stable your condition is, using them to check progress against goals, adjust medications or treatments and update referrals.

Reviews aren't just administrative housekeeping. While the plan itself doesn't expire, you must have had it prepared or reviewed within the previous 18 months to keep accessing allied health and other services under it — so a lapsed plan means lapsed rebates. Reviews also matter clinically, since chronic conditions rarely stand still; a plan written around last year's health can quietly drift out of step with this year's reality. Booking the next review before leaving each appointment is the easiest way to stay current.