Open letter to the Medical Services Advisory Committee regarding TMS Item Number regulations

ObjectiveTo present the perspective of professionals working in the field of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) regarding the regulations which impact the availability of government subsidisation via Australian Medicare Benefits Schedule Item Number rebates to patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) who are seeking TMS treatment.ConclusionsWe argue that three regulations should be withdrawn: (1) that patients who received TMS prior to 1 November 2021 are ineligible for TMS rebates after 1 November 2021; (2) that every person is subject to a limit of 50 TMS treatments in a lifetime; and (3) that rebates are not available for maintenance TMS. We also conclude that consideration should be given to the provision of rebates for TMS treatments when it is delivered as a first-line treatment for MDD.