Nordic Physio bulk bills every Medicare Chronic Condition Management (CDM) physiotherapy appointment. If your GP has referred you under a chronic condition management plan, there is nothing to pay on the day and no out-of-pocket cost.
What is CDM physiotherapy?
Chronic Condition Management is the Medicare program that subsidises allied health care, including physiotherapy, for people with a chronic medical condition. A chronic condition is one that has been, or is likely to be, present for six months or longer. Examples include osteoarthritis, persistent back or neck pain, and long-term neurological or metabolic conditions.
Since 1 July 2025 the plan your GP prepares is called a GP Chronic Condition Management Plan. It replaced the older GP Management Plan and Team Care Arrangements, which many people still call an “EPC” or a “care plan”. Referrals written under the old system before 1 July 2025 stay valid until all the sessions on them have been used.
How many sessions does Medicare cover?
Medicare subsidises up to five allied health sessions per calendar year. The five are shared across all allied health services. If you also see a podiatrist or dietitian under your plan, those visits come out of the same five. Your GP decides how many are referred to physiotherapy.
What you need
- A GP Chronic Condition Management Plan from your GP
- A referral from your GP for physiotherapy. The referral no longer has to name a particular physio, so you can choose where you go.
- Your Medicare card
Is it really no cost?
Yes. For CDM physiotherapy we accept the Medicare benefit as full payment. That is what bulk billing means. It applies to every CDM appointment, at any time we are open.
If you have used your Medicare-subsidised sessions for the year and want to keep going, further sessions are private: $120 for a subsequent consultation. HICAPS is on site, so eligible private health fund rebates are claimed at the time of your visit.
What happens at a CDM appointment
Your first session is a full assessment: your history, how the condition affects your day, and what you want to get back to. From there we build a plan you can follow between visits, usually centred on exercise, with hands-on treatment where it helps. Every appointment is one-on-one with your physio.
Medicare requires us to send your GP a short written report after your first and last sessions, so your GP stays across your care.
Book a CDM appointment
Book online any time or call (07) 4962 1255. Please bring your GP referral and Medicare card. We are at Shop 11, Palms Shopping Fair, 172 Goondoon Street, Gladstone Central, open Monday to Friday from 7am to 5pm.
We also work with NDIS participants — see NDIS physiotherapy in Gladstone.
Common questions
Can I use CDM for a new injury?
CDM is for chronic conditions, generally those present or expected to last for six months or more. A recent sprain or strain usually doesn’t qualify on its own. Your GP decides eligibility. You don’t need a referral to see us privately in the meantime.
Can I claim Medicare and my private health fund for the same visit?
No. A single appointment can be claimed through Medicare or through your health fund, not both. Bulk-billed CDM sessions cost nothing, so there is nothing to claim through your fund.
What happens on 1 January?
The five-session limit resets each calendar year. If your referral is still valid you can keep using it. If it has run out, your GP can write a new one.
Do you bulk bill anything else?
CDM is the Medicare program we bulk bill. DVA and accepted WorkCover Queensland claims are billed directly to DVA or the insurer, so there is also nothing to pay on the day for eligible services.
Reviewed by Eric Wahlander, Director and Senior Physiotherapist at Nordic Physio. Registered with Ahpra (PHY0002305253) and practising in Gladstone since 2019.