Author: Ben

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

Read more:

Information for Aged Care Providers – Issue #2017/02 (.pdf)

8 February 2017

Australia’s first National Rural Health Commissioner will be an independent and high-profile advocate for regional, rural and remote health.

The Assistant Minister for Health, Dr David Gillespie, will introduce the Health Insurance Amendment (National Rural Health Commissioner) Bill 2017 into the House of Representatives to establish the role of the Commissioner as part of important reforms to regional and rural health in Australia.

The Commissioner will be established as a statutory officer holder under the Health Insurance Act 1973.

“The people of regional, rural and remote Australia are the heart and soul of our country, but their health outcomes are often diminished due to their remoteness and reduced access to health services,” Minister Gillespie said.

Read more:

Australia’s First National Rural Health Commissioner: The Champion of Regional and Rural Health Reform (.pdf)

We have now heard of several cases where users have submitted ACFI records to Medicare that have been processed and then marked as ‘Rejected’. On calling and speaking to staff at Medicare they have been informed that their software i.e. Manad Plus, has an issue or their software is not updated with the new 1 Jan ACFI changes.

This is not correct! Manad Plus has been updated and passed all testing with Medicare for submitting ACFI appraisals with the new 1-Jan-2017 business rules.

When sending ACFI appraisals you need to correctly select the ACFI Schema based on when the payment date will commence. Therefore, if you have ACFI records where the payment will commence from Dec-16 you need to use Schema A, if payment is to commence from 1 Jan-17 onward then you need to submit using Schema B rules.

If you are unsure then please check the software Release Notes published with the last update and if you are still unsure then contact the Help Desk for clarification, 1300 62 62 32 or support@manad.com.au.

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

Read more:

Information for Aged Care Providers – Issue #2017/01 (.pdf)

The Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine who produce the Residential Aged Care Communiqué have now released a new edition.

The Future Leaders Communiqué is an electronic publication containing narrative case reports about lessons learned from Coroners’ investigations into preventable deaths. These articles are written by health care graduates with a fresh take on current matters.

Read more:

Future Leaders Communiqué, Volume 2, Issue 1 – January 2017 (.pdf)

Saturday, January 28 was Chinese New Year.

2017 Is a ‘Fire’ Rooster Year

In Chinese astrology, each zodiac year is not just associated with an animal sign, but also one of five elements: Gold (Metal), Wood, Water, Fire, or Earth.

The 12 zodiac animals are: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.

Rooster Years of Birth: 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017

Roosters: Honest, energetic, intelligent, flamboyant, flexible, diverse, confident.

The Luckiest Things for Roosters

• Lucky numbers: 5, 7, and 8
• Lucky days: the 4th and 26th of any Chinese lunar month
• Lucky colors: gold, brown, and yellow
• Lucky flowers: gladiola, cockscomb
• Lucky directions: south, southeast
• Lucky months: the 2nd, 5th, and 11th Chinese lunar months.

Things That Roosters Should Avoid

• Unlucky color: red
• Unlucky numbers: 1, 3, and 9
• Unlucky direction: east
• Unlucky months: the 3rd, 9th, and 12th Chinese lunar months

Released: 24 January 2017

Targeted, flexible and tailored services for older Australians—no matter where they live—are at the heart of the Australian Government’s aged care services reforms.
The Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care, Ken Wyatt AM, MP today announced more than $8.5 million in additional funding for the Multi-Purpose Services (MPS) Program for aged care in regional, rural and remote communities.
“Australia’s population is ageing rapidly so it’s imperative that we structure our aged care system so it is flexible, provides greater choice, is people-centred and sustainable,” Minister Wyatt said.

Read more:

$8.5 Million in Additional Funding for Aged Care Services in Regional, Rural and Remote Australia (.pdf)

Welcome to 2017, we hope you had a great Christmas and New Year period.

The year has begun and we are already half way through the first month…and are going to have yet another new Aged Care Minister!

We now have almost all our staff back-on-deck as I’m sure many of you do too. So if you have any questions you didn’t get around to asking at the end of last year then please get in touch 1300 62 62 32.

Media Statement – 13 Jan

Today I have made a personal decision to resign as Minister for Health, Aged Care and Sport in the Turnbull government.

This morning I submitted the final part of my report into Dr Parkinson’s inquiry into my travel and its compliance with ministerial standards. Similarly, I and my office are complying with the Department of Finance’s review into the travel rules.

I am confident that I have followed the rules, not just regarding entitlements but most importantly the ministerial code of conduct, and I do not object to the material that I have provided being made public.

Read more:

Media Statement – 13 Jan

The Australian Aged Care Quality Agency has released the December 2016 issue of their ‘Quality Standard’ newsletter.

Read more:

Quality Standard – December 2016 (.pdf)