Information for the Aged Care Sector Issue 2020/25

Published 1st December 2020

ELDAC's Digital Innovations in Aged Care

Since COVID-19, organisations and services have further embraced digital practice for their residents, carers and staff. End of Life Directions for Aged Care (ELDAC) recognises that technology is now even more important in supporting aged care.

ELDAC’s Digital Innovations team is working on four new tools:

1. the care worker app to support staff providing care for older Australians at home
2. the online self-care tool specifically for the aged care workforce
3. a home care search filter to provide easy access to articles and evidence from national and international studies
4. a palliative care projects database with information on Australian studies focused on aged care, palliative care and advance care planning.

ELDAC is interested in your ideas for developing the most useful innovations to support those working in aged care. You can find out more, or join the discussions, on the ELDAC website.

Bring your claiming up-to-date with the new Services Australia Aged Care Provider Portal

On 20 November 2020, Services Australia closed access to the legacy Aged Care Online Claiming and Aged Care Online Services portals.

Start using the Aged Care Provider Portal (ACPP) today to continue claiming digitally. You can check out these education materials to learn more about using the portal to prepare your monthly claim.

You can use the ACPP to catch-up on your claiming. When a monthly claim is finalised in the portal, it is generally processed overnight. Once a claim shows as Approved, you can download your payment statement straight away. The next month’s claim will also open automatically.

From February 2021, as part of the Improved Payment Arrangements (IPA), Home Care Packages Program subsidies and supplements will be paid in arrears for services delivered. These changes will not affect care recipients’ subsidy entitlements.

Home Care Package providers should ensure their claiming is up-to-date as services will be paid their final advance (for January 2021) in late December.

For more information about IPA, visit the Department of Health website.

Wellness and Reablement Report for CHSP providers – due 30 November 2020

CHSP service providers are reminded that the wellness and reablement report is due on Monday 30 November 2020.

Please contact your Funding Arrangement Manager if you have any queries.

Monitoring financial risks

The department collects annual financial information from approved aged care providers to help identify those providers that may be at financial risk. This ensures older Australians continue to receive high quality care.

The department may seek more information from the identified providers to improve its understanding of the provider’s current and short term viability.

While seeking to minimise the impact on a provider, the department expects that a provider will make the information requested available within the required timeframes.

More information about the department’s approach to financial monitoring and business assistance is available on the department’s website.

Source:
Unknown Author, 2020, Department of Health