JUST LAUNCHED LUMARY AH FOR ALLIED HEALTH PROVIDERS
With these positive steps, going forward for both participants and service providers in the Australian disability sector things will get better. However, some of these changes will be for the short term only. These almost forced changes bring about what has been necessary to ensure the continuity of exceptional care and the financial sustainability of organisations during this unprecedented time.
Welcomed by so many working in the industry and overwhelming appreciated by those living with disability, let’s watch and see which updates to the NDIS will stand the test of times. It’s our hope that the new flexibility will remain in place even after this pandemic is under control.
So let’s take a closer look at these fast moving updates. With a little more insight into how you can best support yourself with servicing and claiming, you too will be able to continue moving forward through this crisis and into the future.
You may be aware that as part of a financial assistance package, the 10 per cent COVID-19 loading has been added to price limits for certain supports. But this has a time limit. For up to six months. It’s a positive response, in the fact that registered service providers will be financially assisted to continue to deliver supports during this period.
The increase is for price controlled supports only for specific Support Categories. These include:
As always, NDIS participants continue to have choice and control over how they use the funded supports. Importantly, service providers need to discuss and agree on these new pricing arrangements with participants. Using collaborative technology to support an engaged approach will ultimately improve the ability to claim funding compliantly and efficiently, and support providers financially. Which in turn means better quality care for the community.
All plans will be automatically extended for a 12 month period this will ensure that there are no plan gaps which can make things difficult for providers especially relating to claiming.
Extended plans will have the same core and capacity building budget funding as the current plan.
For new plans that were updated before auto extension came into play, service providers are able to claim against expired plans for up to 12 months.
Now that the NDIA has released APIs for better integration with the NDIS portals, its even more important that service providers choose a technology partner who supports the Australian disability industry. Improve transparency in one place and on one platform.
Participants are now able to use their Core Support funding flexibly to meet their support needs. This includes Transport funding. But who is this available for?
If a participant’s NDIS Plan is Plan or Agency-Managed only, and if their transport funding is not being received as a periodic payment.
This is what has been offered at this stage, but it’s best to keep an eye on it as we progress through the aftermath of the pandemic. This type of flexibility will be a positive support change that should remain as a more permanent feature of the NDIS.
Good news if you are providing support coordination to a participant and they require additional hours above what is funded in their Capacity Building funds. Core Support funding is able to be used flexibly to ensure participants are getting the additional support they need, including increased support coordination.
Additional line items have been added to the Price Catalogue for Support Coordinators to claim from the Core Support budget.
As outlined on the NDIS website, a participant’s Supported Independent Living (SIL) plan will not expire. It will automatically be extended by 12 months to make sure participants have the funding they need. This is great news! Moreover, service bookings for SIL and Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) will be extended as well.
As a result of the pandemic, a key change that has been made to the rules for claiming services relates to a provider giving further support because a participant has chosen either not to or is unable to attend an activity. Examples of these could be Therapy or Group services.
Service providers can “step in” (in accordance with the NDIS’s naming) and claim for additional services:
Just to note: If a participant chooses not to, or is unable to attend their usual therapy or group events, they should not be charged for these supports. The participant or their support coordinator will likely need to amend the existing service booking to reflect this.
There are two new line items for cleaning and additional supports that ensure SIL providers can continue to deliver services with support and ensure participants receive the care they need.
These line items can be used if a participant in a SIL arrangement is diagnosed with COVID-19. When a participant is diagnosed with Coronavirus, there are three situations that trigger the two new line items support claims. These include:
A participant could move through all of these situations, and funding will follow to the provider in all of these circumstances.
The two new support items are:
Where appropriate and with the agreement from the participant to reduce risk of exposure to COVID-19. Participants can now use their existing Core Support funding to purchase an Assistive Technology (AT) item to support them with changes to existing supports such as telehealth/video conferencing or exercise equipment.
Low cost AT can only be purchased to meet both conditions:
Further to this, providers and participants must ensure:
It’s important to note that participants are able to spend up to $1500 on low cost AT items from their existing budgets. However, participants should not spend more than $750 on electronic devices that are needed to maintain existing services.
The best way to manage all these changes and still deliver quality care to participants is to use a healthcare platform. With real-time technology you can securely store records, files and case notes. Be supported to transparently deliver services and compliantly claim funding from the NDIS.
With the NDIA doing its best to support participants and providers during this time, it’s can be appreciated that there will be a lot of change, and some unknowns as to what the future looks like for ongoing flexibility in the system. But for now, the NDIA has pulled together a dedicated team to manage Coronavirus (COVID-19) related participant issues. So if you’re ever in doubt, make sure to reach out to the resources that are available on the NDIS website. And remember you can always contact the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission directly.
For all you digital business needs, be sure to reach out to the Lumary team. We are here to support you with the right software solution that will give you better insight into your care management and delivery, increase collaboration within your team, and streamline claiming to improve your overall business efficiency. Make the worry of the unknown a thing of the past. We’ll continue to support you as we work through the remains of these troubled times and into the future as the NDIS continues to evolve.