CLINICIAN GUIDE

How to refer a patient for TMS treatment

If you would like to refer a patient to VisionTMS for treatment, please contact us by:

  • Phoning our TMS Coordinator on +612 9289-7890
  • Emailing info@visiontms.com.au
  • Clicking here to complete an online Referral Form
  • Downloading or printing a Referral Form, which you can fax to +612 8367-6431

We recommend visiting our healthcare clinicians page for more information about our VisionTMS treatments.

If you would like to review Medicare cover eligibility, please click here.

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What happens in the lead-up to my patient’s first treatment course at VisionTMS?

1. Referral

We review your patient’s TMS referral form and liaise with you if we have any questions.

2. Planning

Our TMS Coordinator ensures your patient’s circumstances are catered to. They guide and prepare them for the next few weeks. We want to plan the most convenient TMS pathway with them.

3. TMS Dosing

A dosing session with a TMS-trained consultant psychiatrist ensures that the TMS machine provides the appropriate dose of magnetic energy for your patient, as everyone’s optimal level is slightly different.

4. MRI-Guided Brain Mapping

We specialise in enhancing TMS by utilising Brain MRI to improve precision. MRI is a brain scan that uses magnetic fields rather than X-Rays (it uses magnetism like TMS but to map your patient's brain rather than stimulate it). This identifies the precise brain location where to direct the narrow beam of magnetic energy created by the TMS machine to stimulate the relevant brain cells. This process will optimise your patient's treatment individually, as everyone’s brain is slightly different.

5. TMS Course

The initial treatment course is given over 4 weeks (20 sessions).

A brief non-invasive procedure called neuronavigation is provided at the same session as the first treatment. A radiographer will use advanced camera tracking technology to match the surface of your patient’s head with their brain MRI. This will ensure that the TMS magnetic coil is precisely positioned on their scalp for all their treatments.

A further 15 treatments may be spaced out, because gradual weaning may reduce the risk of relapse.

A retreatment course will typically involve a further 15 treatments being offered, as some people relapse, on average 4 months after the initial course.

To prevent relapse, a booster course can be given every few months, administered over 1-2 weeks.