Information for the Aged Care Sector Issue 2020/21

Published 1st October 2020

Palliative Care Prognostic Tools Survey

The department’s National Palliative Care Strategy 2018 prioritises the need for early planning and referral to palliative care for people affected by life-limiting illnesses.

The department is seeking information from all aged care providers to gain a better understanding of the use of palliative care prognostic (predictive) tools in aged care services.

The survey seeks to:

• determine the types of tools used by aged care services to identify patients nearing end of life who may have a need for advance care planning discussions and referral for palliative care
• determine the extent these tools are used within different settings
• explore the facilitators and barriers for using the tools.

The department encourages all aged care services to complete the survey by 30 October 2020.

If you have any questions about the survey, please email .

Aged Care Online Claiming update

Services Australia will be closing access to Aged Care Online Claiming and Aged Care Online Services by 20 November 2020.

The new Services Australia Aged Care Provider Portal (ACPP) replaces both systems. Services still using the old portals should finalise their last claims for September and October 2020 and then start using the ACPP.

Services can now also nominate individual users to have Organisation Administrator access. An organisation administrator can:

• manage who has access to view or submit information by service
• add or remove access for an existing ‘A’ Number
• request the creation of a new ‘A’ Number.

Services can set up Organisation Administrators by completing and returning a Register, amend or remove users for Aged Care Provider Portal (AC004) form.

For more information, visit the Services Australia website.

Launch of new ACPC website and RAD application form

The Aged Care Pricing Commissioner (ACPC) has launched a new website. The updated website includes:

• a new homepage
• simpler navigation
• a calculator to assist providers each year with indexation of an approved refundable accommodation deposit (RAD) price.

The ACPC has also launched a new RAD application form and data sheet.

Input from the sector, including residential aged care providers, the Department of Health and peak bodies, helped revise the form to ensure an improved and simpler user experience for providers.

These improvements provide better guidance for applicants about what is required and less need for follow up questions before approval.

Providers can continue to use the old forms until 31 December 2020. From 1 January 2021, only the new form and data sheet will be accepted.

Source:
Unknown Author, 2020, Department of Health