Hi Everyone,
The latest upheaval in the disability sector is the government’s announcement of the NDIS moving to independent assessments of participants to qualify them for NDIS funding.
These independent assessments by private contractors will remove the burden of costs involved in getting applicants’ treating doctors and other medical experts to do the assessments for initial eligibility and for periodic reviews. However the involvement of the 8 independent contractors selected by government tender is being questioned. A key concern is about their conflict of interest because in most cases these assessment organisations are part of a group of companies where their subsidiaries offer NDIS support services.
While this turmoil is rocking the disability sector, opportunities continue to grow for disability support services providers with many new organisations entering the scene. So several times in the past few months, I’ve responded to questions on:
– “Why should disability service providers register with NDIS?”
– “What are the benefits of being a registered provider?”
Here are what I perceive and have experienced as key benefits:
1. Registered providers can service Agency Managed, Self-Managed and Plan Managed participants (unregistered providers cannot service Agency Managed participants)
2. Registered providers can deliver some services that unregistered providers can’t, including Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) , Supported Independent Living (SIL) , Plan Management, behaviour support or behaviour management plans, as well as supports that involve any restrictive practices.
3. The provider has been through the registration process and meets NDIA guidelines.
4. Fully recognised as a provider committing to a certain quality standard.
5. Invoices are accessed directly from your NDIS portal
6. No negotiation of prices as registered providers must adhere to price caps set by the NDIA
7. Once registered your organisation will be listed in the NDIS online directory and website – more exposure to participants/more business
8. You can use the “I Love NDIS” logo which gives more credibility
9. Access to guidelines, free webinars, training, etc by NDIS Commission
If you have any more questions, feel free to call me on 0418266584. To learn more about how I meet my customers’ needs please click here – http://www.facilitrade.com.au/ndis
Until next time,
Janaki
