Our message is: keep calm & take action!
Yet again, there’s a lot of sensationalism and fear mongering from media and people within the industry. That’s not to say the industry won’t be impacted by the changes, more so the Jan 1 changes than the July 1 changes, but we first need to focus on what our organisations need to do now to prepare. There is plenty you can do now to ensure you enter the “new world” in a Remarkable position. Then, when we get there, we’ll be there to help you through that too.
We won’t go into the changes in detail as there are already explanations available, for the Government’s Fact Sheet head here: Government Fact Sheet. What we will do is talk about how the changes impact you and what you can do about it to take charge and stay in control of your ACFI.
THE ACFI CHANGES | THE REAL PERSPECTIVE
3 steps to taking charge!
Step 1: Reappraise – before we start panicking about the new world order, the first step is to reappraise all residents in your voluntary reappraisal pool so we enter the new system in the best position to make the most of the grand-parenting arrangements. By December 31 no residents should be left in your voluntary reappraisal pool. According to MyVitals 80% of the industry is under-claiming, this includes in the ADL & BEH domains. Closing those gaps will go someway towards making up what’s been lost. Please note: be mindful that when you do a voluntary reappraisal with a significant change in dependency (2 level jumps) after the 1st July 2016 it will trigger a mandatory reappraisal post Jan 2017.
Step 2: Understand the impact on your organisation. Remember, it will only apply to new residents and reappraisals, so when doing your analysis, please adjust for this. It won’t affect all your residents from Jan 1. Depending on your average length of stay, there shouldn’t be a significant impact this financial year. If you need help with this analysis, we can help with this!
Step 3: Where your claiming profiles are affected, start considering what alternatives can be claimed in question 12. This is best discovered through a comprehensive assessment often revealing care needs previously not identified or claimed.
Contact us on 1300 419 119 for a complimentary assessment of the financial impact and risk to your organisation, 2017 financial year and beyond, and for a whole bunch of tips and recommendations.
Contact us on 1300 419 119 for a complimentary assessment of the financial impact and risk to your organisation, 2017 financial year and beyond, and for a whole bunch of tips and recommendations.
