A new Operational Guideline was dropped by the NDIA back in October. Providers should take note of the concepts in the Operational Guidelines, as this will help them ensure services to participants are compliant and billable as well as sustainable.
- NDIS Evidence-Based Support – a criterion is set by the NDIA to assess if a support is evidence-based through a 6-point checklist.
- Capacity Building Therapy vs Maintenance Therapy – Health professionals now need to differentiate the two therapy types, as this is crucial in finding out if it can be funded into a participant’s plan.
- Early Childhood Therapy – The National Best Practice Framework for Early Childhood Intervention should now be followed by Early Childhood practitioners.
- Compliance Checklist – NDIS services now have a 7-point checklist that therapy providers need to comply with.
- Allied Health Student Services Billing – The NDIA acknowledges that allied health students (with the supervision of allied health practitioners) provide services to NDIS participants. The supervisor can bill at full price if the therapy student has an allied health practitioner’s insurance.
- Improved Daily Living – According to the Operational Guidelines, funding for the IDL bucket can’t be spent on non-therapy supports, but there may be some flexibility to this, depending on a participant’s plan.
- Therapy not Eligible for Billing – There is now a list provided in the Operational Guidelines for therapy that is not eligible for billing under the NDIS, such as online webinars and pre-recorded therapy programs.
- Reports for Therapy – The NDIA requires plan reassessment reports that contain therapy outcomes to help inform funding levels for the next plan period.
To learn more about the new Therapy Operational Guidelines, visit teamdsc.com.au.