FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Clinicians and Organisations – FAQ
What Maxwell Minds™ actually does, which cases benefit, how referrals work, and how the service holds its independence. Written for the clinicians who know that complexity in this space is genuinely hard.
Clinician and Organisation direct services
In short
If you have a clinical question, a regulatory query, or want education tailored to your practice – this section covers what Penny offers directly to prescribers, without a patient referral.
Individual coaching, education and small group workshops
In short
This section covers one-off questions, tailored coaching, and small group sessions for individual clinicians.
What if I just have one quick question?
A Minds Brainstorm is designed exactly for this – a focused 15-minute video call to think through the specific question in front of you. No preparation needed. No documentation. Or book a Clinical Consultation if you need more time – 30 minutes with a checked clinical note included.
Useful for: a specific prescribing question, a regulatory or legislative query, a second opinion on a management decision, a drug interaction or monitoring question, or working out whether a full referral is warranted.
What individual targeted education and coaching does Maxwell Minds™ offer?
Targeted education and coaching for individual prescribers or small groups – on specific clinical topics, prescribing frameworks, regulatory navigation, or working with complex patients. Not generic continuing education. Tailored to what you actually need.
Topics include stimulants and ADHD prescribing, lithium and mood stabilisers, antipsychotics and metabolic monitoring, pharmacogenomics, hormonal interactions with psychotropics, navigating thin evidence, SafeScript, Special Access Scheme, and working with resistant or ambivalent patients and families.
See clinician and organisation pricing → · Make an enquiry → · Terms and Conditions →
What are the small group sessions?
Small group sessions bring together clinicians to work through clinical topics, real cases, regulatory questions or prescribing frameworks in a focused, interactive format. Tailored to the group, built around questions submitted in advance. In person, online, or hybrid.
Can I use what you tell me for individual targeted sessions education or coaching to build my own service or protocol?
No, not as part of a standard consultation, education session, or coaching. Advice on a specific patient is for that patient’s care only. Education and coaching build your own confidence and skills, they aren’t material for building a program. None of this can be used as a template or evidence base for your own service, program, or funding application.
If you want help building something, that’s a separate engagement Penny can scope with you directly, not something you build independently from consultation content, coaching, or education. See “Practice-level and organisational services” below for what this can include.
I’m not a doctor, can I still book individual coaching, education, or a small group workshop?
Yes. Use the prescriber pricing for a 15 or 30 minute individual session. For longer sessions, or a different format, contact us to enquire: admin@maxwellminds.com.au
Can I see you face to face instead of online?
Health Professional appointments are online by default. To attend in person at the Newcastle or Canberra clinic for a 30 minute appointment instead, request this by emailing admin@maxwellminds.com.au.
Can I see you longer than 30 minutes?
Yes – email us admin@maxwellminds.com.au with what you are thinking, and we can take it from there.
What about larger organisations needing a consultation service?
Coming soon. Expressions of interest welcome now.
Organisational and service-wide support
Penny works directly with prescribers, practices, allied health teams, educators, and organisations including NGOs, to build things, or advise on them. This includes:
- Practice-level work and systems review
- Service design
- Service-wide training and programs
- Bespoke resources and packages
- Orientation and onboarding, service-wide or individual
- Evidence of training and competency
- Medication risk mitigation, service-wide or individual
Penny has extensive experience in service design and high quality, efficient medication systems for complex situations, work that saves time, saves money, reduces clinician error and harm. Scope and pricing are agreed with you directly before any work begins. Contact us to discuss: contact@maxwellminds.com.au
Patient referral services
In short
This section covers what happens when you refer a patient to Maxwell Minds™ – what Penny does in a session, what you receive, and what stays with you.
What does Maxwell Minds™ actually do in practice?
I offer specialist, structured medication support for your most complex cases – polypharmacy, neurodivergence, multimorbidity, diagnostic uncertainty, or a situation where you or your patient feel stuck.
In a session with your patient, I take a thorough medication inventory and explore in detail how each medicine is working in their body and their life. Not just whether it is technically effective, but what they actually notice, what they are trading off, and what practical or sensory barriers are affecting how they actually use it. What I cover is matched to each situation – bespoke situations and bespoke solutions are what this service is built for.
I do not prescribe or change anything independently. All decisions rest with you and your patient.
I manage my patients' medications already. What does a specialist pharmacist actually add?
Time. Depth. And a different kind of knowledge.
The main issue in complex cases is rarely knowledge. It is time. My training is different in its focus – I specialise in how medicines move through the body, how they interact, and how to navigate them in ADHD, autism and mental health across the lifespan. That is a complement to your clinical knowledge, not a commentary on it.
Referring is a sign of clinical thoroughness. I position it that way – to you and to your patient.
There is also a medico-legal dimension. Good medical practice in Australia requires documented reasoning, informed consent, shared decision making, and evidence that specialist input was sought where warranted. A Maxwell Minds™ report provides structured specialist review on file, documents the evidence base, supports genuine informed consent, and records that coordination happened. All prescribing decisions remain yours.
Which patients are good candidates
In short
Not every patient needs this service. This section helps you identify which situations are most likely to benefit.
Which situations are most likely to benefit?
- Polypharmacy with unclear ongoing indication for some agents
- Neurodivergent or highly sensitive patients with major side effects, paradoxical responses or adherence issues
- Frequent medication changes with limited overall progress
- Patients who feel confused, overwhelmed or distrustful about their regimen
- Large inherited medication histories where no single clinician holds the full picture
- Multi-specialist cases where consensus is the barrier to progress
- Families who are not aligned or where concerns are blocking what is clinically possible
- Situations with thin evidence, significant comorbidity, or real medico-legal weight
If the regimen is working and the person is well, you do not need me.
Is this a service for my whole practice or just specific patients?
For patient referrals – specific patients who genuinely need this level of depth. Most patients do not need Maxwell Minds™. Some will benefit significantly. You will know them when you see them.
The service is broader than patient referrals though. Penny is available for practice-level work – service review, systems optimisation, prescribing coaching, regulatory navigation, and bespoke solutions to medication-related problems that do not fit a standard referral model. Reach out. That conversation is always welcome.
How referrals work
In short
This section covers the practical steps – what to send, how scope and cost are confirmed, and how Penny works alongside you.
Do I need to change my usual model of care to refer?
No. Refer for a single case. Use it for one question. Pick it up and put it down as needed. No platform to sign up to, no change to how you work day-to-day. The easiest starting point is a Minds Brainstorm – 15 minutes, no preparation, no referral form. That is the whole commitment.
How does the referral process work?
Send a brief clinical summary, the current medication list, any recent letters, and your key questions or constraints. Penny confirms scope, then gets to work. Updates and involvement are calibrated to whatever you indicated at referral. Maxwell Minds™ will contact the patient or their carer for an appointment.
Professional boundaries and the therapeutic relationship
In short
This section covers how Penny works with your patients without stepping on your role – and why referring tends to strengthen rather than complicate the therapeutic relationship.
Will you criticise my prescribing?
No. I assume your current regimen has been chosen thoughtfully under complex circumstances, often with information I do not have access to. My job is to make the medication picture clearer – not to pass judgement on decisions I was not part of. Everything in my reports is framed as options to consider with rationale – not directives.
Will referring affect my relationship with my patient?
In practice it strengthens it. Confident prescribers refer. I am deliberate and consistent about your role with every patient – I explain that you hold their full clinical history, that you are the expert in their overall care, and that any changes go back through you. I frame your decision to bring in specialist support as a mark of how seriously you take their care.
Patients typically come back clearer, calmer and better able to have a productive conversation with you. More informed, not more demanding. Protecting your therapeutic alliance is not a side effect of this service. It is a design feature.
Independence, evidence and ethics
In short
This section covers Penny’s independence from pharmaceutical companies and institutional agendas, how Maxwell Minds™ differs from an HMR, and her background and qualifications.
Are you genuinely independent?
Completely. Maxwell Minds™ has no pharmaceutical company relationships of any kind. My only obligations are to patient’s best interests, to working collaboratively where possible with their team to my professional code of ethics and the law.
Is this the same as a Home Medicines Review (HMR)?
No – and it is worth understanding why, because the two services are frequently confused. A Home Medicines Review is a Medicare-funded service for elderly or chronically unwell patients where medication safety and adherence are the primary concern. A valuable service for that population.
Maxwell Minds™ specialises in ADHD, autism and mental health across the full lifespan – a population Penny has studied to a completely different depth and in a fundamentally different way. The scope, the training, the independence, the time and the documentation are categorically different. Some aspects overlap – if an HMR is more appropriate, Penny will say so.
Maxwell Minds™ and an HMR are not competing services. The name overlap ends there.
Medicare, NDIS and funding
In short
This section covers funding and what matters more than the funding question.
Is this funded by Medicare or the NDIS?
No. Maxwell Minds™ is not currently funded by Medicare or the NDIS. This kind of specialist, independent service is new in Australia and the funding systems have not yet caught up. We are working on that. Private health insurance is not currently available for most funds – the relevant service type is independent specialist pharmacist consultation.
What matters more is this: the most expensive treatment is usually the wrong one, or the missing one. You will always get an honest view of whether this service is likely to help.
Specific services and frameworks
What specific services can I refer a patient for?
Several options – and they can be scoped together or separately depending on what the situation needs.
A targeted medication education session is for patients or families who need a focused, plain-language explanation of a specific medication and how it works for them. Stimulants, lithium, antipsychotics, antidepressants, pharmacogenomics, hormonal interactions.
A shared decision-making session is for patients working through a specific therapeutic decision – ADHD, anxiety, OCD, bipolar depression. The patient explores options with Penny. A summary and prescribing monograph comes back to you.
A MEDWISE™ review is a systematic, structured review of every factor affecting your patient’s medication – how the medicine moves through their body, what the evidence says, interactions, what is missing, individual fit, safety and efficiency. Every engagement at Maxwell Minds™ is structured around MEDWISE™. For most referrals this is what is happening, whether or not it is named that way.
The Legacy Review™ is for patients with significant medication histories across multiple prescribers – where the picture is unclear, trials have failed for uncertain reasons, and no single clinician currently holds the full picture. It produces two documents: the Legacy Report and the Medication Portrait™. They can be commissioned together or separately.
Systems and supply navigation covers PBS funding, authority prescribing, SAS Category A and B, state and federal legislation, overseas medication access, medication shortage navigation, and off-label and unregistered frameworks.
Not sure which fits? If it involves medication in ADHD, autism or mental illness and needs experienced expert input – get in touch. Penny will work out what fits.
What is the Concierge service?
Some situations need more than advice. They need someone to pick up the whole thing and move it forward – coordinating every person, every system and every step until it is resolved.
Concierge can be added to any other service or used on its own. It covers PBS, SAS and off-label applications – prepared, submitted and followed through. Overseas medication sourcing when Australian supply is exhausted. Medication shortage navigation. Legislation and policy translation for this patient, this prescription, right now. Comprehensive medication histories and bespoke prescribing monographs. SafeScript and My Health Record review and full medication reconciliation. Liaison between prescribers, patients, pharmacists, insurers and regulatory bodies. And a unity function for patients with multiple clinicians who do not share a complete picture.
Available to prescribers, patients, carers and organisations. Scope and pricing agreed before any work begins.
Can I just refer a patient if I am not sure what they need?
Yes. If something feels off, if you are stuck, if the patient needs more time and depth than a standard appointment allows – refer. Penny will work out what is needed from there.
The easiest starting point is a Minds Brainstorm – 15 minutes, no preparation, no referral form. Bring the question you have and Penny will help you work out whether and how to proceed.
If you want to refer but are not sure of the scope, send a brief clinical summary and current medication list. Penny will confirm scope and cost before any work begins.
MEDWISE™ – the clinical framework
MEDWISE™ is the clinical framework that underpins every piece of work at Maxwell Minds™. Seven dimensions, systematically examined, every patient, every time.
Every engagement – whether a quick consultation, a patient referral, or a Legacy Review™ – is structured around MEDWISE™. For a prescriber this means a systematic review of every patient-specific factor, transparent reasoning you can see, documented output ready for your records, and honest flagging of uncertainty rather than papering over it. For complex cases a warm handover is offered – a brief call to walk through findings before you act on the report.
The seven dimensions are Movement (how this medicine moves through this person’s body – absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and what is changing any of those specifically), Evidence (what the research actually says – including where it is thin, biased, or not applicable to the person in front of you), Drug interactions (medicine-to-medicine, medicine-to-condition, pharmacogenomic and lifestyle interactions including CYP450 pathways), What’s missing (the monitoring not in place, the coordination gap between clinicians, the practical support the patient is not getting), Individual fit (treatment shaped around this person – their body, their history, their values, their practical life, not the average patient in a guideline), Safety (how to start, what to watch for, when and how to adjust, how to stop or change safely), and Efficiency (the most elegant solution for this situation – reducing wasted time, unnecessary suffering and unneeded complexity).
The evidence base in ADHD, autism and mental health has well-documented gaps. Trials have historically underrepresented women, young people, older people, First Nations peoples, trans populations, and people with complex comorbidities. When the evidence is limited, biased or not representative, Penny draws on adjacent evidence, synthesises what exists into a clear picture of what is known and uncertain, builds a monitoring and documentation framework so if you and your patient proceed the decision is clearly supported, and supports your medico-legal position. A documented, reasoned shared decision-making process is materially different from an undocumented one.
The decision to use any treatment always remains with you and your patient. Penny’s role is to make sure that decision is made with the best available information, clearly reasoned, and properly supported.
Cancellation policy – clinicians and organisations
Maxwell Minds™
In short
This section covers fees, how payment works, and what happens if you need to cancel or reschedule.
How our service works
Maxwell Minds™ works with clinicians and organisations who need a fast, informed second opinion on medication questions. Whether you have a complex case, an interaction query, or a half-formed clinical problem, the service is designed to fit around a working clinical day.
Work often continues behind the scenes after your session. Clinical notes and brief reports are available on request. Longer reports are billed separately.
Fees
| Appointment | Delivery | Duration | Fee (ex GST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| MINDS Brainstorm | Telehealth | 15 min | $125 |
| Clinical Consultation or Coaching | Telehealth | 30 min | $250 |
GST applies to some services depending on the nature of the service and billing direction. This will be confirmed at the time of booking.
Booking and payment
Invoiced on the day of service. Secure online payment via Stripe. Payment details confirmed at time of booking.
Cancellations and reschedules
| Notice given | Outcome |
|---|---|
| More than 1 week | No fee. Portal, phone or email. |
| More than 24 hours | No fee. Phone or email. |
| Less than 24 hours | Full fee applies. Phone or email only. |
| No show | Full fee applies. |
How to cancel or reschedule:
- More than one week before your appointment – portal, phone, or email
- One week or less before your appointment – phone or email only
Late arrivals
If you have not joined your session within 15 minutes of the scheduled start time and we have not heard from you, the appointment will be considered a no-show and the full fee will apply. If you are running late please contact us before your appointment time.
Repeat cancellations
Maxwell Minds™ understands that clinical schedules are unpredictable. However, repeated late cancellations or no-shows may affect future booking arrangements. Maxwell Minds™ reserves the right to require prepayment or place conditions on future bookings at its discretion.
Policy updates
This policy is reviewed periodically. Maxwell Minds™ reserves the right to update these terms at any time. Continued booking constitutes acceptance of the terms in place at the time of booking.