The Government’s latest AN-ACC Shadow Assessment Dashboard shows that as at 30th Sep, 19,741 (11.4% of total residents) Reclassification requests have been submitted, of which 11,856 (6.9%) Reclassifications have been completed.
Analysing a 10% sample of Provider Assist’s 140,000 bed MyVitals Database – all are Providers we are managing the AN-ACC Reclassification Program for – we see that 11.65% of residents have been reclassified. Of those:
- 63.95% increased with an average of $54.08
- 24.84% had no change
- 11.22% decreased
We have found where there has been no change or a decrease there is likely a gap in the congruency of the clinical picture – either; in your documentation, Care Plan or the care delivery teams’ articulation to the Assessor.
The most common reclassifications requested were: Class 5 (20% of sample – 75% success rate), Class 2 (15% of sample – 84% success rate) and Class 7 (12% of sample – 80% success rate). Which makes sense – Classification 2 & 7’s will represent the expected deterioration in mobility over time, highlighting the need to align your clinical evaluation and care needs changes detection processes with your AN-ACC processes. For Classification 5s, by better aligning the clinical documentation to the considerations of cognition in the AN-ACC tools, we’ve been able to achieve better outcomes.
In this diagram, you can see for each Classification that has been Reclassified which Class it was reclassified to. For example, of the 202 residents that started as a Class 2: 33 stayed a Class 2, 47 moved to a Class 4 and so on.
Source: Provider Assist MyVitals Database
Tips for a successful Reclassification:
- Have a Reclassification strategy – break your residents into groups, identifying the biggest wins first i.e. residents with a change in care needs since AN-ACC Classification, full Clinical Assessment completed and updated Care Plans that support this
- Assessors have 1 hour per resident, so make it as easy as possible for them to find the true clinical picture. Ensure:
- Assessments and Care Plans tell the story of your residents and how your team supports them based on their needs, goals and preferences.
- You capture the areas of care that AN-ACC considers. You don’t need to use AN-ACC tools, but you do need to have information available for Assessors to consider.
- Your care team understand the care they are delivering and which components to highlight to Assessors during a visit.
- If you disagree with the outcome, there is now a process in place for Reconsideration. Ensure you submit this within 28 days of receiving your Classification.
Peter Morley
CEO & Co-Owner
