Skip to main content
Skip to and open main menu Home Modification Resources
Provided by the HMinfo Clearinghouse
Translating high quality research specific to better design and building practice
Translating high quality research specific to better design and building practice
News/Events Section Menu

Information for the Aged Care Sector Issue 2020/24

Published

My Aged Care ‘Client Portal’ is now ‘Online Account’

The Client Portal has been renamed as the My Aged Care Online Account. This change aims to help people better understand the online tool for managing their own aged care services. We are progressively updating references to Client Portal to refer to Online Account, with the system change coming into effect next year.

The Online Account contains important information for clients and their representatives about assessments, services, and interactions with My Aged Care.

Guidance on accessing and using the Online Account is available on the My Aged Care website.

We ask that the broader aged care sector use and promote both the new name and the availability and benefits of the Online Account. Where relevant, aged care organisations should:

  • review and update their materials
  • inform staff of the change.

When referring to the My Aged Care Online Account:

  • capitalise ‘Online Account’ – do not use ‘online account’
  • use ‘My Aged Care Online Account’ in the first mention
  • in later mentions, use ‘Online Account’
  • use ‘the’, ‘my’, and ‘your’ as suitable prefixes to ‘Online Account’
  • do not shorten ‘Online Account’ to ‘Account’.

The names of the Service Provider Portal, Assessor Portal and Staff Portal are not changing.

If you have any questions, email

 

One week to go! Start using the Aged Care Provider Portal now

Services Australia is closing access to Aged Care Online Claiming and Aged Care Online Services on 20 November 2020.

To continue online claiming with the agency, services will need to use the Aged Care Provider Portal (ACPP).

Visit the Services Australia website for more information on how to get access.

Please note: to successfully link your PRODA account to your Aged Care User ID (or ‘A’ Number) for the first time, the given name and surname used on both accounts must be a 100% match.

For help:

  • call1800 195 206 (Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5:00pm AEDT)
  • email

To learn more about accessing and using the ACPP, read our education resources on the Services Australia website.

 

Centrelink and aged care nominee arrangements are changing

From 5 December 2020, Services Australia is making nominee arrangements easier. New Centrelink correspondence nominees are able to enquire, update and act for Centrelink payments, services, and aged care costs.

Customers will transition automatically on 5 December 2020 if they have:

  • a Centrelink correspondence nominee but not an aged care nominee
  • the same Centrelink nominee and aged care nominee.

Customers with a different Centrelink correspondence nominee and aged care nominee will transition in March 2021.

Customers will not transition if they:

  • have an aged care nominee but not a Centrelink correspondence nominee
  • are Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) income support recipients.

My Aged Care representatives are not affected.

Customers affected by these changes will receive a letter. If they don’t receive a letter, they can still change to the new arrangement.

Customers can change their arrangement any time by completing the Authorising a person or organisation to enquire or act on your behalf form.

DVA income support recipients can complete the Aged Care Request for a nominee for DVA customers.

My Aged Care customers can find more information on the My Aged Care website or contact My Aged Care on 1800 200 422.

 

New quality indicators

Senator the Hon Richard Colbeck, Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians and Minister for Youth and Sport, has approved new and updated quality indicators.

Following an extensive development process and national trial, these quality indicators will be included in the National Aged Care Mandatory Quality Indicator Program (QI Program) from 1 July 2021:

Pressure injuries

  • percentage of care recipients with pressure injuries, reported against six pressure injury stages

Physical restraint

  • percentage of care recipients who were physically restrained

Unplanned weight loss

  • percentage of care recipients who experienced significant unplanned weight loss (5% or more)
  • percentage of care recipients who experienced consecutive unplanned weight loss

Falls and major injury

  • percentage of care recipients who experienced one or more falls
  • percentage of care recipients who experienced one or more falls resulting in major injury

Medication management

  • percentage of care recipients who prescribed nine or more medications
  • percentage of care recipients who received antipsychotic medications

The new and updated quality indicators:

  • use the most up-to-date evidence
  • are easier to collect
  • are reported more simply as the percentage of care recipients affected.

Further information about the QI Program is available on the department’s website.

 

Aged Care Funding Instrument (ACFI) desk reviews

Approved Providers of residential aged care facilities should note that the department is undertaking ACFI reviews at-desk in the department’s offices until further notice.

This approach removes any risk of COVID-19 transmission occurring by departmental staff visiting residential aged care facilities.

 

CHSP service provision entry in the My Aged Care client record

The department reminds providers that service delivery information should be accurately recorded and regularly updated in the My Aged Care client record for all clients accepted for service.

This includes a client’s service:

  • commencement date
  • frequency
  • intensity
  • end date (where a service has finished).

CHSP service providers are reminded to add a note to a client’s My Aged Care record indicating any emergency CHSP services provided to the client during COVID-19. This includes residents on emergency leave from an aged care home.

Providers must add this information as a client note if it is clear the client will require service provision beyond the eight weeks of emergency support. This will assist the assessor during the formal assessment of the client’s needs to understand the services the client has been receiving.

Further information is available on:

 

Exiting people from your home care service

When a person exits your service you must work out what unspent funds remain and return any unspent home care amounts. If your organisation charges an exit amount, you must follow the rules on how much you can deduct as set out in the person’s signed Home Care Agreement.

A person is considered to have exited your home care service when they:

  • move to a location where you do not provide services
  • do not want to continue receiving home care
  • change to a new provider
  • no longer need care
  • have passed away.

Current arrangements are that a person is not considered as exiting the Home Care Packages Program if they are transferring to another home care service within your organisation.

When a person exits your service your organisation has legislated responsibilities which are set out in the Aged Care Act 1997. They are also summarised in Section 14 of the Home Care Packages Program Operational Manual: A guide for home care providers Version 1 – March 2020.

When a consumer exits your service you must:

  • work out the amount of home care funds that are unspent
  • work out the exit amount you can deduct (if you included this in the person’s agreement)
  • advise Services Australia of the Commonwealth’s portion of the unspent home care amount
  • pay the person (or their estate) their portion of the unspent home care amount.

 

Services Australia’s new format Home Care payment statements

All Home Care providers using the Aged Care Provider Portal (ACPP) will see a new layout for payment statements issued from November 2020 claims.

In particular, the portal screen and PDF will include a revised summary section with clear breakdowns of:

  • subsidy and supplement amounts for the current month
  • adjustments for the current period
  • adjustments for previous periods

For XML users, there are four new codes that will represent the basic subsidy package level:

  • C1 = Basic Level 1
  • C2 = Basic Level 2
  • C3 = Basic Level 3
  • C4 = Basic Level 4

All other codes will remain the same.

To get the new payment statement layout, you must be using the ACPP.

Learn more about getting access to the ACPP now by visiting the Services Australia website.



Source:
Unknown Author, 2020, Department of Health

Reads 303 Downloads -