Improved Payment Arrangement (IPA) for Home Care: using TurnPoint Assist to simplify this process

Compliance in Australia’s Home Care system can be a minefield at times for providers. Over the last 10 years, Government reforms have been significant across aged care and disability support.

Over the last 12-months there has been ongoing conversation about the Support at Home Program (SAHP) in Aged Care, meaning the changes providers and recipients have been through are not likely to slow down anytime soon.

It is for this reason that the TurnPoint Software team continue to work closely with providers to ensure that our product roadmap and workflow processes give providers the ability to effectively deliver the programs for which they are accredited. We stay up-to-date with the Government announcements and build the digital tools that our customers need so they can focus on what matters most… delivering high quality services to their clients.

The Improved Payment Arrangement (IPA) Measure transformed how Home Care providers were paid for services delivered under the Home Care Package program.

In accordance with the advice from the Commonwealth Government, the IPA “changes provide care recipients with a clearer picture of their home care package and unspent funds. Providers are now paid only for the care, services and goods they actually deliver each month to care recipients. This means that, the maximum amount of the Home Care Package funds goes towards supporting older Australians to remain in their own homes for as long as possible. Any unspent funds are held by Services Australia in a home care account for each care recipient until needed.”

In addition to changing the working capital position of Home Care providers, they are now obligated to provide further details on the care recipient’s monthly statements:

1. Client contribution surplus,
2. Surplus held by provider; and
3. Home care account balance.

Practically speaking, it means that the accounts and finance obligations on Home Care providers have increased materially.

In line with the changes, the TurnPoint Assist system includes a workflow that has been designed to help providers by performing each step within the system, therefore removing the requirement for providers to undertake external workarounds, such as using spreadsheet.

1. Import your recurring items (fees, Income Tested Fee (ITF) contributions etc)
2. Import your appointments
3. Import any external charges (brokered services, ie Allied Health)
4. Lock your claims
5. Review and upload your claim to Aged Care Provider Portal
6. Import payment summary and reconcile
7. Send out statements.

Another useful feature in the system is the automatic highlighting of any discrepancies in the statements when the payment summary is imported as part of Step 6 (above).

Providers will find this tool extremely useful. The aim is to highlight any movements in the Home Care account balance attributable to transfer of funds between provider, ITF refund or any other variation as assessed by the Department.

More detailed information on this feature can be found in our Knowledge Base.