Humanetix – How prepared are you for AN-ACC?

Link Here – As ACFI will be replaced by AN-ACC from October 2022, the focus on quality data, systems and interoperability cannot be overlooked.

With AN-ACC focusing on individual care needs, providers will need to scramble to obtain client care delivery data with the process between shadow assessments, AN-ACC tools, and ultimately funding delivery to providers starting to ramp up.

At Humanetix, we welcome the new changes as we believe it places consumer directed care and a fairer playing field for provider funding. However, not all providers have the correct data, systems in place or process rigor to allow for a successful commercial outcome.
With upwards of 90% of provider revenue a direct result from AN-ACC funding, the balance between getting this right or wrong is make or break for many providers. With a majority of providers within the residential care space running at a loss, whilst trying to find carers and nurses to deliver adequate minutes, digital technology can play a key role in driving efficiencies, better care and commercial delivery.

The role of care delivery data for providers cannot be overlooked

The AN-ACC assessment tool sets new criteria for how each resident will be classified. However, during the assessment process, how are providers, who are paper-based or have disparate systems, expected to show this vital information?

We know first-hand through speaking with our customers that the providers who have a clear history of delivered care, matched with government requirements will be in a much stronger position to manage this change.

Leaders like Mark Sheldon-Stemm who is the CEO of Valley View in Western Australia have been well prepared for the latest government change.

“I have always placed the consumer at the heart of our organisation, and this has allowed me and our operation to be best placed. We have been ready for this change for some time as we have focused on our technology stack, ensuring we have one system as our source of truth when it comes to care delivery and client data”.

Whilst the process is welcomed by many providers, others are seeing the financial burden that AN-ACC can create for their organisation. Speaking with Mark, he mentions that some industry contacts have been receiving significantly lower funding levels.

“Providers are receiving far less funding due to poor systems and information available to assist AN-ACC. Many are not getting the uplift from their current ACFI due to a lack of quality data”.

“I’ve spoken to many providers nationally within the residential care space and it is clear to me that the ones who have clever care systems in place that align themselves with government changes will continue to come out in front. For some providers the AN-ACC funding levels are detrimental with most residential providers running at a significant loss”.

What’s the best solution today?

Humanetix estimates that 20% of the residential aged care sector is still paper based, whilst over 40% have disparate technology systems in place heading to October 2022 when AN-ACC is implemented.

If your current technology does not align with the key criteria set under the AN-ACC tool, then it’s time to think broadly about your next change.

Whilst AN-ACC is such an important and welcomed change, providers also need to think about their broader technology stack, what is and isn’t needed today and tomorrow, and set clear plans for removing outdated technology.

Having a clear integration plan and choosing a best of breed technology in each respective field is also very important. Sometimes integrations are needed, especially when thinking about client care delivery, whilst in other cases, data can be pulled from other systems into dashboards. We advise that integrations need to be carefully considered, planned and built around your customer and government reporting requirements as a starting point.

We believe the industry is at a tipping point, where the use of technology with simple user experience can move providers from reactive to proactive – both with government changes and the insights they can deliver from their data sets to deliver better care for their residents.

How can Humanetix help?

Our clients are finding using ACE simple and efficient when it comes to AN-ACC reporting and are all finding positive outcomes from their initial assessments. This is because it’s so easy to find everything you need with a simple search in our system.

We are also pleased to work directly with assessors who continue to give positive feedback, making their lives so much easier as the rich history is all stored in one central location.

Humanetix ACE delivers all data points required under the AN-ACC assessment tool, and we will continue to monitor government changes to help support providers with upcoming challenges.