OTA shares members' concerns about a number of aspects of the Aged Care Act and the Rules that will come into effect on 1 July. We are particularly concerned about the recently released Indicative Prices, and that the unit price is for face-to-face service provision only.

This is a very different model to the current aged care approach which recognises that as part of providing a safe and quality service, occupational therapists and other allied health professionals undertake a range of activities that are not always carried out with the client.

We have written to the Department highlighting the range of ‘client attributable’ costs that will not be covered under the indicative pricing.

In our recent Aged Care Forum we identified the following practical steps you can take to mitigate the impacts:

1. Thoroughly analyse your costs to deliver comprehensive care, gathering this evidence to support the unit pricing you wish to charge.
2. Use the evidence for your pricing to support the negotiations with your providers.
3. Consider developing service agreements with your providers before accepting new referrals so that all parties are in agreement on the terms and pricing for sub-contracting.

For more information about indicative pricing for Support at Home services read our article: Spotlight on Aged Care: How we're advocating for our members