Month: January 2016

The Department is aware of recurring errors with ACFI claims involving ‘agitation’. If you are looking to make this claim for a resident it is important that you note the following:

– When making claims in ACFI 8 (verbal behaviour) and ACFI 9 (physical behaviour) you should refer to page 44 of the ACFI User Guide for a clear description of the behavioural symptoms.

– If the assessed care need of the ‘agitated’ behaviour is as a symptom of depression it should be scored in the Cornell Scale for Depression (CSD) and claimed in ACFI 10 (Depression), not ACFI 8 and/or ACFI 9.

– If these behaviours are not related to depression, claims should be made against ACFI 8 and 9.

The ACFI User Guide can be accessed from the department’s website.

Aged Care Funding Instrument (ACFI) User Guide (.pdf)

Both Apple and Microsoft have recently issued a recall on some power cords/adapters.

This is for some Apple wall plug adapters shipped from 2003 to 2015 with Mac and certain iOS devices and Microsoft AC power cords for Surface Pro, Surface Pro 2, and certain Surface Pro 3 devices.

Read more:

Apple AC Wall Plug Adapter Exchange Program
Microsoft AC power cord recall for Surface Pro, Surface Pro 2, and certain Surface Pro 3 devices

This year is a leap year, with 366 days instead of 365. The department has received queries from Approved Providers of residential care seeking advice on how to calculate a daily accommodation payment in a leap year.

The Fees and Payments Principles 2014 (No. 2) (the Principles) refers to 365 days when the calculating the daily payment (or contribution) equivalent to a refundable deposit (or contribution).

Residential care providers should continue to use 365 days when calculating the daily amounts equivalent to lump sums, even though 2016 is a leap year. However, please note that daily payments and daily contributions are payable for 366 days in 2016.

The calculator specified in the Principles for determining the maximum permissible interest rate (MPIR) applicable on a given day refers to the number of calendar days in the relevant year. If you are calculating the MPIR in accordance with section 6 of the Principles, you should use 366 days. The MPIR advised by the department (currently 6.22% until 31 March 2016) accounts for 2016 being a leap year.

From 1 February 2016, Aged Care Assessment Teams (ACATs) will start to use My Aged Care to conduct comprehensive assessments and referrals.

The transition dates for each jurisdiction are provided in the link below.

Read more:

Service Provider readiness for the ACAT Transition

The Department of Health has released a new edition of its ‘Information for Aged Care Providers’ newsletter.

Information for Aged Care Providers – Issue #2016/1 (.pdf)

Media Release: 25 January 2016

The Australian Government today announced the next phase in a new national approach to programmes and services supporting people with dementia and their carers.

Minister for Aged Care, Sussan Ley, said the restructure follows the findings of last year’s Analysis of Dementia Programmes report which showed us what was working well and what can be improved.

“What I want to see is a nationally streamlined approach to the design, development and outcomes from dementia programmes and services”, Ms Ley said.

Read more:

New national approach to dementia support (.pdf)

DoH has released an update on the new arrangements for compulsory reporting under the Aged Care Act 1997.

A streamlined approach to receiving compulsory reports is being introduced on 15 February 2016 to make reporting easier for approved providers. Approved providers will be able to report by completing a form which will be available on the department’s website.

Read more:

New arrangements for compulsory reporting under the Aged Care Act 1997

At the end of May 2015, the Assistant Minister for Social Services, Senator the Hon Mitch Fifield, asked the Authority to undertake a detailed and focussed study into the factors influencing the financial performance of rural and remote aged care providers.

The study was requested to include residential, home care package, Multi-Purpose Services (MPS) and National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flexible fund programme (NATSIFACP) providers operating in rural and remote locations across Australia, with a report to be delivered to the Government.

Read more:

Financial Issues Affecting Rural and Remote Aged Care Providers (.pdf)

Russell Kennedy recently acted for an approved provider in an appeal at the Administrative Appeals Tribunal of a decision by the Department of Social Services to downgrade the classification of a number of residents at its facility.

DLW Health Services had conducted pain management program using a contracted registered physiotherapist who would attend the facility around once a week. This physiotherapist would assess all the residents and complete directives and care plans. On the days the physiotherapist was not at the facility, the treatment was physically delivered by a physiotherapy assistant who had obtained a physiotherapy degree in India and was in the process of seeking registration in Australia. The assistant worked under the supervision of the registered physiotherapist in a manner in keeping with the Physiotherapy Code of Practice, which allows for a physiotherapist to delegate certain tasks after assessing the delegatee to be competent to perform those tasks.

Read more:

Russell Kennedy – Landmark Victory: Aged Care Provider Wins over DSS in ACFI Funding Dispute

Administrative Appeals Tribunal of Australia – DLW Health Services Pty Ltd and Secretary, Department of Social Services [2015] AATA 796 (13 October 2015)