ACFI Amidst Delivering Residential Care Services
In Australia, the Department of Health and Ageing together with the Medicare Australia are continuing to work with the aged care sector in developing Aged Care Online Claiming functionality. This is to help everyone do their business more effectively and efficiently. The Aged Care Funding Instrument or ACFI was implemented last March 2008. This is being developed to replace the Resident Classification Scale. This is more comprehensive and more efficient in terms of budget allocation of the residents. This has been designed to better fund the complex care needs of old residents in Australia. This has reduced documentation required to them but has achieved higher levels of agreement between the staff and as well as the department review officers.
There are varied providers and services that are able to send ACFI data to Medicare Australia electronically. This is either through the Business to Business or File Upload channels wherein both require software. Also, it may be through Web Form channel that requires internet access. This is to ensure the transmission or transfer of data made by ACFI. In addition to the efficient work done by ACFI, the online website training environment was implemented by Medicare Australia. This is a modified training environment which will allow you to familiarize yourself with the Aged Care Online Claiming website, access the Care Recipient Profile, view residential and community care web forms, register, update and delete residential and community care web forms, view electronic Aged Care Client Records and view claim and payment statements.
On the other hand, ACFI introduces ACFI training designed for residential care services which was delivered by the National TAFE Network. This training is called the ACFI appraise training wherein you can learn its background, its administration rules, its procedure on how to administer specific Aged Care Funding Instrument assessments and how to complete an appraisal. With this training, you will receive a TAFE statement in ACFI Training Program, resources which includes a manual and CD and you will have to have an opportunity to meet experienced TAFE ACFI trainers who were responsible for the national rollout. To attend the training, you are not required to bring anything or to have undertaken some training as prerequisite to this training. Though experience working in this industry is an advantage, requiring one to have an experience is not advised. Delivering a good service to the residents who need care the most is the main or the primary goal of Medicare Australia and the Department of Health and Ageing.
