MBS item 139 — eligible disability assessment & management plan NEW
A GP reference for MBS item 139 — the once-per-lifetime attendance for diagnosing an eligible disability in a patient under 25 and building their treatment and management plan. Below: who and what it covers, the allied health pathway it unlocks, and a fill-in template you can copy into Best Practice, Medical Director or your notes.
📋 Source:MBS Online — item 139, with explanatory notes AN.0.73 and AR.29.1. Verified 5 November 2026. MBS descriptors, fees and eligibility change — confirm the current item on MBS Online before billing. This page is general reference information for health professionals, not billing or clinical advice, and does not replace the MBS schedule or your own judgement.
Who bills it
GP only not specialist / consultant physician
Patient age
Under 25
Minimum time
45 minutes
Where
Not in hospital
Frequency
Once per lifetime
Schedule fee
$161.05 benefit 100% = $161.05
Video equivalent
Item 92142
Unlocks allied health
8 assess + 20 treat per lifetime
⚠️ Not for autism or ADHD. Item 139 is only for the defined list of eligible disabilities below. Autism spectrum disorder and ADHD are not on that list — they sit under the separate complex neurodevelopmental disorder pathway, which uses different MBS items (and a different age rule). Billing 139 for autism or ADHD would be incorrect. Check the right item on MBS Online before billing.
Who is eligible — the "eligible disability" list
Item 139 applies only where the patient has one of the conditions defined as an eligible disability in explanatory note AR.29.1:
Sight impairment — vision ≤ 6/18 or equivalent field loss in the better eye, with correction
Hearing impairment — loss ≥ 40 dB in the better ear across 4 frequencies, or permanent conductive loss / auditory neuropathy
Deafblindness
Cerebral palsy
Down syndrome
Fragile X syndrome
Prader-Willi syndrome
Williams syndrome
Angelman syndrome
Kabuki syndrome
Smith-Magenis syndrome
CHARGE syndrome
Cri du Chat syndrome
Cornelia de Lange syndrome
Microcephaly (head circumference < 3rd percentile and functional level ≤ 2 SD below the mean, or IQ < 70)
To meet the item requirements, the GP (a) undertakes (or has in prior attendances undertaken) a comprehensive assessment leading to a diagnosis of an eligible disability — using information from eligible allied health providers if appropriate; (b) develops a treatment and management plan that documents the confirmed diagnosis, the findings of any assessments, a risk assessment, and treatment options (which may be biopsychosocial); and (c) provides a copy of the plan to one or more allied health providers if appropriate.
The comprehensive assessment itself can be built up over several ordinary attendances (items 3–47, or the telehealth equivalents) before 139 is billed for the attendance at which the plan is completed.
The allied health pathway it unlocks
Stream
Lifetime limit
Key rule
Allied health assessment (items 82000/82005/82010/82030 + video)
8 services
A provider may deliver up to 4 before the referring GP must review and agree to further services. Can also contribute to the plan.
Allied health treatment (items 82015/82020/82025/82035 + video)
20 services
Only payable after 139 (or 92142) has been processed. Delivered in courses of up to 10; a written report to the GP follows each course.
Eligible providers include psychologist, speech pathologist, occupational therapist, audiologist, dietitian, exercise physiologist, optometrist, orthoptist and physiotherapist. A separate referral letter is needed for each provider. Confirm current item numbers and rules on MBS Online.
Fill-in template
Complete the fields, then Copy the plain-text version into Best Practice, Medical Director or your progress note, or Print it. Nothing you type leaves your device.
1. Patient & administrative details
2. Eligible disability
3. Comprehensive clinical assessment
4. Risk assessment
5. Treatment & management plan
The copied text includes a line confirming the item 139 requirements (confirmed diagnosis, assessment findings, risk assessment, treatment options, copy to allied health). Cross-check against the current MBS descriptor — this template is a documentation aid, not confirmation that the item is claimable for a given patient.