Support at Home: Navigating the admin tightrope amidst care reforms

Home care providers dealing with complex administration burdens under the incoming Support at Home program will likely require quick thinking and proactive action to ensure they’re ready for increased operational pressure.

While Support at Home is a beacon of change for older people wanting to remain at home for as long as possible, it also looms as an administrative puzzle for service providers.

Providers will have to juggle two separate programs – Home Care Packages (HCP) and Support at Home – under the grandfathering no worse off principle which means existing clients will continue to receive care under HCP unless they’re reassessed or move into residential aged care. 

Providers will also face a 10% cap on care management fees, compared to the existing 20% cap. Combined with the bundling of package management and administrative costs into the new Service Catalogue pricing, providers will face increasing challenges in service provision.

The Government has committed $174.5 million over two years to fund the ICT infrastructure needed to implement the new Support at Home Program and Single Assessment System from next year. However, these funds are expected to support Government systems, meaning providers will likely have to invest in their own innovative solutions.

Annette Hili, General Manager of AlayaCare ANZ, said that while the Government has provided some clarity about how providers will be supported to transition to the new Support at Home program, many uncertainties remain.

“Providers need to know: how can they best prepare their teams to manage this intensive transition period? This is a difficult question to answer, as there is still so much unknown about the nuances of the new program,” she said.

“What we do know is that the pressure will increase on operating margins as they begin working with the new 10% cap. Now, more than ever, they will need to find efficiencies by automating the workflows and tasks that they may have been doing manually.”

Reducing administrative burdens will be essential to maximise face-to-face hours and case management. 

Improved care management technology will be crucial in achieving this balance and will play an integral role in supporting providers to deliver effective care while meeting minimum care management hours, and not exceeding the prescriptive cap.

Many organisations may have their hands tied without additional Government insights, however. Ross Gallagher, Executive General Manager – Home Care Retirement Living at aged care and home care service provider IRT said they are keenly looking out for more details.

“This significant change as a result of the Support at Home program will require us to review our current operating model and consider how we can use technology, process re-design and automation to make our life easier,” he said.

“But we’re still understanding the full extent of the impact, and once we have more details from the Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority, then we’ll be able to drill down into the specifics.”

With a lingering uncertainty hovering over the sector during the current reform period, Thilan Perera, VP Customer Success at AlayaCare, said it’s important for providers to clearly communicate with and support their staff. 

“There’s no doubt that providers will benefit from increased funding and support in this sector. What we must make sure is that, like the government has promised for participants, providers will also be no worse off,” he said.

“From our perspective, technology is fundamental to easing this transition. But the most integral element is ensuring that the staff who operate the technology feel supported, empowered and engaged as they undertake this huge shift in care requirements.”

For more information about the Support at Home program, visit the Department of Health and Aged Care’s website.