Medicare Item 319 after 10 years: a range of concerns.

Objective: The aim of this paper was to re-examine, via a risk benefit analysis, the rationale of restrictions to long-term intensive psychotherapy and psychoanalytic treatment through the mechanism of the Commonwealth Medicare Benefits Scheme (CMBS) in light of side effects on patients' access to treatment, their self-esteem, and their privacy.

Conclusion: The application of the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale and the specificity of CMBS Item 319 on individual patients' medical records carry risks that are not offset by demonstrable communal benefits that were predicted when the item was introduced 10 years ago.