National Disability Insurance Scheme

Transcription

1 National Disability Insurance Scheme Frequently asked questions as at October 2014 National Disability Services - For NDS members only 1 Current Oct 2014

2 Index of FAQs: NATIONAL DISABILITY INSURANCE AGENCY (NDIA) PROCESSES: Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 What is the role of the planner? Is this role different from the Planning and Support Coordinator?...4 What tool(s) will the agency use to help them develop a plan?...4 Can a provider be involved in the planning meeting?...5 Will there be an appeals mechanism?...6 Why is the term insurance used?...6 FUNDING, PRICES AND PAYMENTS: Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 Q19 Q20 Why has the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) set prices for supports?...7 Why are there some price differences across the trial sites?...7 Will a provider be able to charge more than the maximum price?...7 What does a plan management provider do?...8 As a plan manager, can I help a participant with hiring staff if they ask me to?...8 As a plan manager, do I lodge a claim for payment from the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) or does the provider of the supports do this?...8 If participants self-manage their funds, is this regarded as income?...8 Is the plan manager the same as the plan nominee?...8 As a plan manager, why would I need to provide a monthly statement to the participants of the expenses if the NDIA will be doing this as well? Wouldn t it be the same information?...9 Is there anything in the operational guidelines of the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) that prevents a participant from having an immediate family member or a relative being employed as a paid support worker? Are there any exceptions to this?...9 How will the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) fund respite services for carers?...9 What choice and flexibility will there be over what can be purchased with the funds?...10 What types of supports and services will be funded?...10 Will providers be able to claim for no-shows and cancellations?...11 Will any supports and services continue to be block funded by the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)? Current Oct 2014

3 Index of FAQs: Q21 Q22 Q23 Q24 Q25 Q26 Q27 Q28 What types of supports and services will not be funded or provided?...12 What happens in an emergency or crisis for a participant; how do additional supports get funded?...12 How do providers receive payments?...12 How can I check what I have been paid by the NDIA?...12 Is there funding for capital items such as equipment or buildings?...12 Where do I find out about the Commonwealth programs that are transferring as part of the NDIS?...13 Does the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) plan to change its IT system?...13 Are there any IT products that will interface with the NDIA s Provider Portal?...14 MONITORING AND EVALUATION: Q29 Q30 Q31 How do providers quote for accommodation services?...14 What are the long-term arrangements for ensuring service providers are of the highest quality?...14 Can a registered provider use the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) logo on its promotional material? Current Oct 2014

4 National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) Processes Q1: What is the role of the planner? Is this role different from the Planning and Support Coordinator? The planner s first task is to confirm the eligibility of the person for the NDIS. Some people will have completed an online self-reporting tool My Access Checker before meeting the planner. This will have indicated whether they are likely to be eligible; the planner will confirm this. Secondly, the planner will discuss with the participant their needs, goals and aspirations. This will inform the development of a statement of goals and aspirations for the participant. Following this, the planner and participant will work together to identify what current and future supports will be required to make progress on the participant s goals. This part of the plan, the statement of participant s supports, sets out the supports that will be provided or funded by the NDIA. More detail on the NDIA s Operational Guidelines about the planning process is available online. These two statements make up the plan for each participant. The plan is owned by the participant and is based on what is regarded as reasonable and necessary to enable a good life. It could include oneoff and/or ongoing funded supports. What is a reasonable and necessary support is checked against a set of reference packages and operational guidelines that the NDIA has developed. The Planning and Support Coordinator (PSC) is a new position the Agency has introduced in the three trial sites in WA, ACT and NT which commenced July This role blends the functions of the Planner with that of the Local Area Coordinator, who is also part of the NDIA team. As well as working closely with each participant to identify current and future supports, the PSC will work with local organisations and communities to build awareness and improve opportunities for access and participation. Q2: What tool(s) will the agency use to help it develop a plan? The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) recognises that one tool will not always provide all the necessary information required. An assessment tool (a version for children and adults) has been developed for planners that will be evaluated during the trial period. The tool is based on the International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health (ICF) and guides the conversation with participants. The assessment tool involves the planner using a strength-based approach to identify the support needs required to make progress on goals and aspirations. These questions are designed to guide the conversation. They evaluate the areas and nature of support needed across 10 domains. The assessment tool is structured to allow a more detailed consideration of need where any of the 10 domains or core areas of functional capacity is significantly and permanently impaired, and is identified by the participant as presenting specific challenges that would need to be addressed to enable them to achieve their goals and aspirations. The 10 domains capture a range of important life functions: 1. Learning and applying knowledge (e.g. understanding and remembering information, learning new things, practising and using new skills and ideas). 2. General tasks and demands (e.g. doing daily tasks, managing daily routine, handling problems, making decisions). 3. Communication (e.g. being understood and understanding other people). 4. Mobility (e.g. getting in or out of bed or a chair and moving around in the home and community). 4 Current Oct 2014

5 5. Self-care and special healthcare needs (e.g. showering/bathing, dressing, eating, toileting). 6. Domestic life activities (e.g. preparing meals, cleaning, housekeeping and home maintenance). 7. Interpersonal interactions and relationships (e.g. making and keeping friends and relationships, coping with feelings and emotions). 8. Community, social and civic life (e.g. community activities, recreation and leisure). 9. Education and training. 10. Employment. The NDIA does not intend to make public a copy of the assessment tool, nor does it expect to give the participant a copy to complete. However, more detail about the above 10 domains or core areas that are covered in this tool to assist and guide the planning conversation is available online. The NDIA expects planners to draw upon other assessments that have been completed to help them make decisions about supports and services that are needed. The NDIA may request additional specialist assessments to be completed to help with the development of the plan. The NDIA is keen that the participant only has to tell their story once and therefore, with the consent of the participant, they acknowledge the need to have service providers share information and assessments about the participant. Q3. Can a provider be involved in the planning meeting? The planning and assessment conversation leads to what many participants will see as the most important decision that the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) will make about their plan and their supports. This decision is typically made over a series of meetings. It is a critical time for participants to develop a relationship with someone new: the NDIA planner or plan support coordinator and other NDIA staff, such as local area coordinators and regional support officers. Among other things, planners will be discussing with participants if they want to continue their current supports. If they do not, the planner/plan support coordinator will want to discuss other suitable supports before the plan is finalised. In the first year of the trial, the NDIA was concerned that the involvement of providers in planning meetings may place pressure on participants to continue with their current providers. To avoid this, the NDIA prefers that providers are not involved in the meetings where support arrangements are being discussed and particularly when budget plans are being finalised. However, the NDIA recognises that providers can play an important role in supporting the participant to prepare for their meetings with the NDIA planner. This can be done by providing the participant with information about their disability, copies of any relevant assessments/service plans/timetables and helping them to understand the purpose and the way the planning conversation will be conducted. There may be some exceptions to this position. For example, if an adult participant does not currently have a plan nominee who can assist them, the NDIA may ask a suitable staff person from a current provider to fill this gap until a suitable nominee can be arranged. Or, if a parent of a child is concerned about being able to confidently describe their child s needs, the parent may request the NDIA planner to invite a therapist to one of the planning meetings to help explain their child s condition and current service goals. Or, if someone has long resided in a group home, without family or guardian, and is known well only by the service provider, the NDIA planner may ask a suitable staff person to attend one of the planning meetings. 5 Current Oct 2014

6 As with all exceptions, the NDIA will need to deal with this on a case-by-case basis. The decision about the funding of reasonable and necessary supports is for the NDIA to make in accordance with known facts, the Act, Rules and Operating Guidelines. It is important that the NDIA has available all essential information to inform that decision. Hence it is critical that the planning conversation/s be conducted in a positive and constructive manner that allows freedom to explore choices for the participant and their family. Q4. Will there be an appeals mechanism? Yes, if a participant disagrees with a decision made by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) they can ask the agency to review it. This is an internal review. The decisions that are reviewable are listed in the NDIS Act 2012 (Chapter 4, Part 6). If, after this review, the participant still disagrees, they can apply to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) for an external merits review. If a participant requires independent support with their application to the AAT they can approach one of the following organisations, which have been selected to provide External Merits Review Support Services (EMRSS): Hunter (NSW): Disability Advocacy NSW, South Australia: Brain Injury Network SA, Tasmania: Advocacy Tasmania Inc., Barwon (VIC): Regional Information and Advocacy Council (03) Q5. Why is the term insurance used? The NDIA s explanation about the four key insurance principles as follows: First and most importantly, in a similar way to insurance premium revenue, the total annual funding base required by the NDIS will be determined by an actuarial estimate of the reasonable and necessary support needs of the target population. Like other insurance schemes, it will then continually compare these estimates of scheme utilisation and costs with actual experience and outcomes. It will also build comprehensive data bases to allow more effective service models to be quickly identified and so build in continuous improvements. Second, government welfare schemes have a very short-term focus on minimising costs in a particular budget year. In contrast, the NDIS will seek to minimise support costs over a person s lifetime and maximise their opportunities. The NDIS will therefore invest in tailored early intervention services and nurture and support families and carers in their roles. There is therefore a much closer alignment of interests between people with disability, their families and carers and the NDIS, compared with the previous welfare-based approach to disability support services. Third, as part of its insurance-based governance model and longer-term approach, the NDIS will invest in research and encourage innovation. Under the previous National Disability Agreement there was minimal investment in research. Fourth, insurers, like the NDIA, can act at the systemic level, as well as fund individual support needs. This includes building community capability and social capital, which will be especially important for people with disability who are not participants, their families and carers. 6 Current Oct 2014

7 Funding, pricing and payments Q6. Why has the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) set prices for supports? At the start of the trials in July 2013, the NDIA took on the role of setting prices for most of the supports. There are three types of price setting. 1. For clusters of supports that can be described as high frequency or high volume, a maximum price is set by the NDIA. The provider can claim payment up to this price but not beyond. 2. The second type of price is a benchmark price. This is indicative of the cost but will be subject to confirmation of a quote from a supplier. This mainly relates to items of support such as equipment, accommodation supports and home and vehicle modifications. A benchmark price will be included in the participant s plan to allow the full funding package to be developed. However, the price finally paid by the NDIA will be confirmed once a quote has been obtained and approved. 3. The third type of price is purposeful, time-limited capacity building price e.g., early intervention. Innovative supports, those that are unique to the participant, may also attract a benchmark price in the plan until confirmation is received from the provider/supplier and approved by the NDIA. The decision to initially set prices in July 2013 was based on the NDIA s view that the market was immature and that until greater demand and supply factors develop, it was better to intervene with market price setting. NDIA s view on this matter has not changed over the last 12 months and following a price review it still forms the view on the basis of all the current evidence the market is not mature enough to support deregulation at the moment. NDS continues to urge the NDIA to commence price deregulation. Therefore, price setting is still in place and the full list of the prices set for each of the trial sites is available online. Q7. Why are there some price differences across the trial sites? The NDIA adopted a principle of pricing in accordance with local markets, to avoid competing in that marketplace. Historical purchasing arrangements have resulted in some local variation, and the NDIA wanted to keep disruption of these existing markets to a minimum. In establishing prices in local areas, the NDIA researched what was being paid by third parties and fixed prices accordingly, or used the information to establish a benchmark price. A joint NDS-NDIA working group established in May 2014 has developed a reasonable cost model and the report from this group will be published sometime in August However, continued independent data collection and analysis underpinning the NDIA prices is required to determine whether differentiated prices are warranted. This data will also help refine key assumptions underpinning the reasonable cost model. Q8. Will a provider be able to charge more than the maximum price? If an organisation is a registered provider of supports and will be claiming a payment from the NDIA through its Provider Portal, the provider will not be able to charge or claim more than the maximum price. The NDIA will not permit a registered provider of supports to request a co-payment from participants. Registered providers are advised to read carefully the terms of business, which state that providers are not permitted to add charges, including credit card surcharges. 7 Current Oct 2014

8 Q9. What does a plan management provider do? A registered Plan Management provider can be involved in two key functions for a participant; financial or service intermediary functions. Financial intermediary activities include such things as the organising of providers and their payment, the processing of expense claims, the development of monthly statements for participants, and claiming from the NDIA through the Provider Portal. Service intermediary activities involve a range of activities to assist the participant in negotiating and coordinating the provision of support. This could include sourcing providers, negotiating method and timing of delivery of supports and negotiating individual requirements as part of the support management. A service provider can be registered to also be the manager of funds under a participant s plan, and for the delivery of other supports. In registering, the provider would need to demonstrate its management of any perceived conflict of interest in such cases and its suitability for the different requirements of the two roles. If a participant elects to engage a plan management provider, the planner will make an allocation of funds within the participant s plan to be able to purchase this support. These funds are in addition to any other funded supports More information about plan management providers is available online. Q10. As a plan manager, can I help a participant with hiring staff if they ask me to? The NDIA envisages two types of plan management providers those who undertake the financial transactions for a participant and those who source/supply the labour and then take responsibility for all the administrative arrangements with the providers and participants. Q11. As a plan manager, do I lodge a claim for payment from the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) or does the registered provider of supports do this? If an organisation is registered to be a plan manager and a participant selects to have part or their entire plan managed by a plan manager, then it is the responsibility of the plan manager to make payment claims through the Provider Portal. The plan manager then pays the invoices received from the participant s providers. Q12. If participants self-manage their funds, is this regarded as income? For self-managing participants, the NDIA will be making monthly deposits in advance for approved flexible supports to their bank account in anticipation of bills they will need to pay, and these payments are not regarded as income. For supports identified as being fixed supports the participant will need to get a quote or invoice for the item before the NDIS funds can be paid to them. However, any interest earned on the NDIS funds in their nominated bank account is treated as income and must be reported as such to the Australian Taxation Office. In addition, any bank charges that are incurred on your bank account will the responsibility of the account holder. Further information can be found online. Q13. Is the plan manager the same as the plan nominee? No, a plan nominee is someone who is not paid to manage the plan. So if the plan manager is helping a participant coordinate services and inclusions in the service agreement, they cannot sign the service agreement on behalf of the participant. It should be either the participant or their plan nominee. 8 Current Oct 2014

9 Q14. As a plan manager, why would I need to give the participant a monthly statement of expenses if the NDIA also does this? Wouldn t it be the same information? Yes, but as a plan management provider you need to demonstrate that you have an orderly accounting system for the supports you pay and coordinate. It is good business practice for a plan manager to supply monthly statements to participants. Q15. Is there anything in the operational guidelines of the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) that prevents a participant from employing an immediate family member or a relative as a paid support worker? Are there any exceptions to this? Yes, the NDIA will not fund parents or family members of participants to provide personal care supports, other than in the most exceptional circumstances, which are when: a. the support provided is critical to the wellbeing of the participant, and b. all efforts have been exhausted to engage a provider that could appropriately provide the support, and c. the paid family member does not reside with the participant, and d. the assistance provided by the paid family member is a short-term measure only and is reviewed regularly. More detailed Operational Guidelines on personal supports can be found online. Q16: How will the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) fund respite services for carers? Under the NDIS, the participant is the person under 65 with a disability who is funded. So a carer, unless they too have a disability and meet the NDIA s access requirements, cannot be a NDIS participant in their own right. However, the NDIA recognises the vital role of respite, and aims to support families and carers in their caring role. Recognition of support for carers is in fact a legislative requirement. The NDIA will achieve this through discussions in the planning process where they will identify supports for the participant that may have a direct or indirect benefit for the family and carer. These could include funding supports in the participant s plan that enable respite for the carer, such as: personal care for the participant in their home or the community; overnight assistance to stay in a centre or group residence; supports for the participant to enjoy social and community activities without relying solely on family to provide this; assistance with daily living tasks to improve a participant s ability to do things around the home; supporting the participant to use employment services so that they can move to into work; and specific training relating to the caring role that may help improve the family and carer s ability to provide care. In addition, there may be situations where the NDIA, taking into account what is reasonable to expect families, carers and informal networks to provide, may consider supports that maintain a carer s health and wellbeing. For example, they may fund a carer to participate in a support group or special interest network for a limited period. It will be important for providers of traditional models of respite to think about how they will promote this and engage participants to understand how the purchase of these supports benefit the individual, their family and carer. 9 Current Oct 2014

10 The typical level and range of hours of respite supports that could be included in a participant s plan can be found online. Q17. What choice and flexibility will there be about what can be purchased with the funds? The participant s funding package may be divided into two parts. Some funds may be fixed so that they will need to be spent on specified supports such as equipment, home modifications or certain types of early intervention services. These will tend to be those services deemed necessary to ensure a participant s goal or outcome can be met, or require certain skills or qualifications of the provider of supports. Other supports will be prescribed in general terms and are deemed flexible. These supports will allow the participant greater flexibility in the purchasing of the types of supports they may want. From 1 July, the NDIA will increase flexibility for participants use of their approved funds through the bundling of some supports. Four of the 19 support items listed under the Support Cluster Personal supports and training may be bundled in a participant s NDIS plan. This means a participant may use their funds on any support items in the bundle and may vary the proportion of each as long as they stay within the total budget of the bundle. For example, a participant may decide to swap some of their weekday personal care for weekend care, if it better suits their needs. The four support items that may be bundled are: personal care; participation in community, social and civic activities; transport; and interpreting and translating. The Provider Portal shows the interchangeable bundle items. Providers will continue to claim at the support item level, which ensures that the participant and the NDIA have a record of what is being claimed and can track expenditure against the participant s plan. As before, providers are restricted to delivering only the supports they are registered to provide and claiming against the relevant item. This flexibility will resolve some of the claiming issues experienced by providers early in the transition to the scheme. However, this change is prospective, so existing approved plans cannot be converted to bundled supports until the next plan review. The flexibility will add a complexity to claiming for providers who are not the only ones involved with the participant in the delivery of the bundled support items. Providers and participants alike will need to monitor budget usage closely when decisions are made to substitute or vary the support items purchased. This will affect existing Service Agreements, and appropriate notice of adjustments will be needed, so that the providers involved with the participant do not go over the agreed bundle budget. The NDIA is also proposing that the support items listed under Assistance to access and maintain employment be bundled. This will be a fixed bundle, meaning participants cannot substitute items in other bundles for items in the employment bundle. Q18. What types of supports and services will be funded? Only those supports and services that are deemed reasonable and necessary will be funded by the NDIA. This is determined using a set of criteria which take into account whether: the supports are effective and beneficial and are based on current good practice; the supports represent value for money; and what is reasonable to expect from family carers, other informal supports, and from community and mainstreams services. The NDIA has indicated that: where there are two options for support that would achieve the same outcome, they will fund the lower-cost option; 10 Current Oct 2014

11 a support that reduces the cost of future or longer-term supports for the participant is favoured over a support that results in the same or increased long-term cost; the cost of the support must be comparable to the cost of the same support provided in the area where the participant resides; all the supports together must represent value for money increased independence including paid employment will result in cost offsets and scheme savings. The NDIA has developed Operational Guidelines on the reasonable and necessary levels of supports for the following items: Household tasks Supports for sustaining informal supports Early Childhood Personal Care Recreation Q19. Will providers be able to claim for no-shows and cancellations? At the start of the trials in July 2013, the NDIA made it clear that providers would not be able to claim for services and supports that are not delivered as a result of a cancellation or no show. However, following the recent price review, the NDIA reviewed its cancellation policy. Effective 1 July, 2014 providers of personal care, skill development or community access supports will be able to charge for up to eight late cancellations or no-shows against a participant s package per year (therefore the participant loses funding in their package). To claim for these times, providers will need to be able to demonstrate that inadequate notice of cancellation was given by the participant as outlined in the signed Service Agreement. The provider is responsible for notifying the NDIA if there are more than 8 instances of cancellation or no shows in a continuous 12 months period. This policy does not apply to any cancellations or no shows instances in the delivery of therapeutic or transport support. Providers and participants are encouraged to enter into an agreement stating the notice required if either party cancels an appointment, and the terms of business for payment of any cancellation fees. Q20. Will any supports and services continue to be block funded in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)? Currently all support funding in the NDIS is individualised, to allow participants to exercise choice and control over the supports they need. However, NDS believes there are cases where individualised funding does not make sense. NDS s policy paper outlines the case for the NDIA to review and confirm whether block funding would better manage some future liability issues under the scheme. This issue will be a priority for discussion with the NDIA in the coming months. 11 Current Oct 2014

12 Q21. What types of supports and services will not be funded or provided? Supports that will not be funded include those that are: likely to cause harm to the participant or pose a risk to others; unrelated to the participant s disability; duplicated by other supports provided under alternative funding; part of the day-to-day living expenses that are incurred by the general public (eg rent, groceries, household bills) and not related to disability support needs; and related to income replacement. Q22. What happens in an emergency or crisis for a participant; how do additional supports get funded? When planners initially work on a plan with the participant, there may be a discussion about this as a potential inclusion. If required, there will be an allocation of funding to assist with emergencies included in the plan. This is more likely to be included in a participant s plan if they have a high level of informal supports. The NDIS Act allows for plans to be reviewed at any point that circumstances change. Q23. How do providers receive payments? There are three main ways providers can be paid. If the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) or a plan management provider is managing the funds, the provider can either: make a claim online using the claim payment system (payment will be made by the NDIA within two working days); or send a paper invoice to the NDIA (payment will be made within 30 days). Where a participant self-manages the funding for their supports, the participant will pay providers directly. The provider will need to ensure that the participant understands and agrees to the provider s terms of payment for any services delivered. For example, payment within 7, 14 or 30 days of receipt of invoice by cheque, EFT etc. More detail about payments and claims is available online. Q24. How can I check what I have been paid by the NDIA? Although the NDIA will regularly issue a Remittance Advice to organisations detailing the claims that have been paid, this advice can be a little difficult to decipher and match with the organisation s own records. By copying the clearing number found in the top right of the Remittance Advice into the Provider Portal s All Payments search (accessed from the manage payments view), the provider can export all the payment results. This data includes the support item name, claim ID, participant name and number, etc. Q25. Is there funding for capital items such as equipment or buildings? The NDIA will fund capital items such as equipment and vehicle/home modifications where required. They will not fund the purchase of vehicles or houses. The benchmark prices the NDIA has set for equipment items and home/vehicle modifications can be found in the price guide. Final prices paid to providers will be based on the receipt of approved supplier quotes. 12 Current Oct 2014

13 Currently, there is a high need for capital investment in affordable and accessible housing (to meet demand) and the NDIA will have to respond to this. Its preferred option would be to leverage housing investment from other sources. Q26. Where do I find out about the Australian Government programs that are transferring as part of the NDIS? The NDIA has produced 14 factsheets that outline the arrangements in place for the Australian Government programs that are part of the contribution to the NDIS. These factsheets give timelines for the transition of each program and also include a simple Q&A section for participants about what happens if they live in or outside the trial site, and a similar Q&A for providers operating in and outside the trial site. The factsheets cover the following: Australian Disability Enterprises and the NDIS Continence Aids Payment Scheme and the NDIS Support for Day to Day Living in the community and the NDIS Helping Children with Autism package, Better Start for Children with Disability Initiative and the NDIS Hearing Services Program and the NDIS Mental Health Respite: Carer Support and the NDIS Mobility Allowance and the NDIS Outside School Hours Care for Teenagers with Disability and the NDIS Personal Helpers and Mentors Services and the NDIS Partners in recovery and the NDIS Respite Support for Carers of Young People with Severe and Profound Disability program and the NDIS Works Based Personal Assistance and the NDIS Younger Onset Dementia Key Workers and the NDIA Young Carers Respite and Information Services Programme and the NDIS Q27. Does the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) plan to change its IT system? At the start of the trials in 2013, the NDIA decided to use a modified version of the Siebel system, also used by various government departments, to help it manage the Provider and Participant Portals. The initial version of this IT system was the cause of some frustration as it is well recognised that this system was not fit for purpose but several subsequent version releases have addressed some of the IT glitches. In late 2013, the NDIA sought an Expression of Interest for Whole of ICT in relation to the progressive rollout of the scheme to full implementation from July A shortlist of pre-qualified suppliers from the EOI process has been created for possible future procurement. Organisations considering an investment in IT should note the likelihood of the NDIA changing its system. 13 Current Oct 2014

14 Q28. Are there any IT products that will interface with the NDIA s Provider Portal? The interim NDIA ICT system already allows providers to export a file of claims data from their own practice management system, and upload the data file to the Provider Portal. This is known as bulk upload and saves providers the work of keying data twice into two systems. This feature was introduced in late As part of the NDIA s new procurement of an ICT system, it intends to design a data interface specification that will allow direct system system interfaces between providers and the NDIA. Unfortunately, the NDIA has not advised the timeframe with this. If and when it does proceed, the NDIA wants the interface specification to be compatible with both the interim ICT system and the permanent ICT solution for full rollout. The NDIA says this is probably only achievable if it is based on open interface standards such as XML web services. However, given the degree of uncertainty about the extent of change to the NDIA s data requirements and business processes during the trial period, it is premature to make too many guesses about this. Given that the current NDIA system may undergo some change, NDS has not progressed work in investigating ICT applications currently on the market. If the NDIA does proceed with interface specifications, applications that can use open interface standards such as XML web services will position providers better when the new ICT system is rolled out. Monitoring and evaluation Q29. How do providers quote for accommodation services? NEW If the participant identifies they would like to live in a shared or group living arrangement, the participant and/or the NDIA will seek a registered provider to provide a quote for this support. The quotation process aims to identify and provide a price for the NDIA funded supports associated with the household and related community activities. The quote needs to account for all labour and non-labour components that are included in the price per person. To assist providers with this process, guidelines and a quoting template have been developed which are currently being trialled by providers. This is a new process for the NDIA and providers and will need to be refined as time goes on. NDS is collecting feedback from providers using the quoting template and will be working with the NDIA to review this again in early Q30. What are the long-term arrangements for ensuring service providers are of the highest quality? At the start of the trial, the NDIA will recognise the quality management systems in place in each jurisdiction (for service providers currently funded by state or territory governments to provide disability services and supports). When first registering as a provider of supports, existing government-funded providers will not be required by the NDIA to prove they have a quality system in place. However, over the trial period, the NDIA will develop a national quality system that will be used for the ongoing registration of providers of supports. 14 Current Oct 2014

15 Q31. Can a registered provider use the NDIA logo on its promotional material? Under the Terms of Business providers agree to when they register, the NDIA logo is not to be used by a provider in any publicity material. Registered providers may identify their National Disability Insurance Agency registration by stating <Organisation/person s name> is registered to provide supports for National Disability Insurance Agency participants. Contact Deborah Hoffman NDIS Trial Coordinator National Disability Services T: E: deborah.hoffman@nds.org.au 15 Current Oct 2014