Emyria’s Empax PTSD trauma care program gains funding support from Medibank Private

Health insurer Medibank Private (ASX: MPL) has commenced funding for eligible members to access the Empax post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) care program developed by Emyria (ASX: EMD) and Perth Clinic.

The initial two-year agreement marks the first major private health insurance funding of a psychotherapy-led PTSD program in Australia and Emyria regards the move as a strong validation of its Empax model.

Empax integrates psychiatrist-supervised therapy, care coordination and real-world data capture.

Psychological trauma care

The program allows Medibank customers to receive Empax’s comprehensive psychological trauma care once admitted to Perth Clinic, reducing a major barrier to access for those with complex mental health conditions.

Each patient undergoes a course of treatment tailored to their needs, with key components including care protocols delivered by trained clinicians, strong clinical governance frameworks, integrated data capture and analysis to support continuous improvement and durable real-world outcomes.

Similar programs Emyria provides typically involve a course of care valued between $20,000 and $30,000.

Growing recognition

Emyria executive chair Greg Hutchinson said the Medibank partnership reflected growing recognition of the urgent need for better mental health treatments.

“While we have seen great advances in many areas of medicine over the past 20 years, mental health incidence and prevalence have increased to unacceptable levels,” Mr Hutchinson said.

“It is clear that this area requires not only more resources but a multi-faceted, multi-stakeholder and more innovative approach.”

“We commend Medibank for its leadership in funding new mental health initiatives and we expect this support will expand access to promising therapies for more Australians suffering with complex and persistent mental health challenges.”

Leading the way

Emyria chief scientific officer Dr Michael Winlo said the partnership would lead the way in PTSD care.

“This agreement demonstrates that the private health system can play a key role in unlocking access to promising, evidence-informed therapies,” he said.

“We believe this is just the beginning of a wider shift in how mental health care is supported in Australia and we are proud to be at the forefront.”

Program evaluation

Independent mental health expert Professor Paul Fitzgerald from the Australian National University will evaluate outcomes from Medibank’s program.

The assessments will cover clinical effectiveness and health economics, helping build the case for broader reimbursement and systemic adoption.

PTSD affects approximately one in 11 Australians, with a higher prevalence among women and first responders.

Expansion strategy

Emyria is actively progressing a national expansion strategy that will see it open new Empax centres across key locations in the eastern states and forge partnerships with additional private hospitals and health insurance funds.

Dr Winlo said the company hoped to deploy its scalable care framework to address treatment-resistant depression.

It also aims to expand the use of its real-world data platform to support health economics validation, regulatory engagement and additional funding opportunities.