DVA Regulatory Plan
DVA BUSINESS REGULATION CHANGES 2010-2011
The Treatment Principles (versions of which are made under the Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986, the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004 and the Australian Participants in British Nuclear Tests (Treatment) Act 2006) were amended to:
- extend “statutory registration” to most allied health care providers who treat entitled persons (veterans, dependants, members of the Defence Force). Statutory registration means that a health care provider who has been given a provider number by the Department of Human Services (Chief Executive Medicare) is automatically registered with DVA as an allied health care provider and is not required to enter into a contract with DVA.
- introduce a new treatment (Co-ordinated Veterans’ Care - referred to in the previous Regulatory Plan as “Preventive Admissions Treatment”). This treatment involves medical practitioners and nurses co-ordinating care services for certain entitled persons with chronic conditions with the aim of reducing their hospital admissions.
- removing the need for “prior approval” for Optical Coherence Tomography. This measure meant that an Ophthalmologist no longer needs the prior approval of DVA before providing an entitled person with Optical Coherence Tomography (a medical procedure used for diagnosis and monitoring of retinal diseases in a specialist ophthalmologic setting).
DVA PROPOSED BUSINESS REGULATION CHANGES 2011-12
NOTES FOR ALLIED HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS TO BE CONSOLIDATED
Notes for Providers are documents that set out the fine detail of the procedures health care providers must follow when treating entitled persons if the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) is to pay for that treatment.
At present there are 11 sets of Notes for the various categories of allied health care providers. It is proposed to consolidate the sets of Notes into one set of Notes for Allied Health Care Providers. Further, the opportunity will be taken to streamline the Notes.
Consultation opportunities
The former Medicare Australia (now part of the Department of Human Services) has been consulted. The Department of Human Services, performing its Medicare function, pays provider bills on the part of DVA and a significant part of the Notes are concerned with claims procedures.
Expected Timetable
August 2011
Contact for further information
Delys Heinrich
Phone: (02) 6225 4555
Fax: (02) 6289 6437
Email: Delys.Heinrich@dva.gov.au
Industries affected
Health and Community Services
CLARIFYING DVA’S DISCRETION TO DECLINE TO SUPPLY HAND RAILS, RAMPS AND SIMILAR ITEMS TO ENTITLED PERSONS IN RETIREMENT VILLAGES
DVA currently has a discretion not to pay for hand rails, ramps and similar appliances for entitled persons in institutions, including Retirement Villages, if it is more appropriate for the operator of the institution to provide such items. For example, if the operation of a Retirement Village is subsidised by Government then it could be inappropriate for Government to be contributing more funding for the enterprise by paying for hand rails etc.
The issue of DVA declining to pay for hand rails, ramps etc in Retirement Villages has been contentious and it is proposed to put the matter beyond doubt by amending the Treatment Principles (see above for description of the Treatment Principles) to make it clear that in the appropriate circumstances (set out in the Treatment Principles) DVA may decline to pay for hand rails, ramps etc for entitled persons in institutions.
Consultation opportunities
Industry and DVA have liaised over the issue.
Expected Timetable
August 2011.
Contact for further information
John Holohan
Phone: (02) 6225 6344
Fax: (02) 6289 4727
Email: John.Holohan@DVA.GOV.AU
Industries affected
Health and Community Services
INTRODUCING A NEW CATEGORY OF RAP ASSESSOR
It is proposed to introduce a new category of “RAP assessor” namely an Exercise physiologist. A RAP assessor determines whether an entitled person has a clinical need for a rehabilitation appliance under DVA’s Rehabilitation and Appliance Program.
Consultation opportunities
Relevant representative bodies have been consulted via their membership on the RAP Reference Committee.
Expected Timetable
August 2011.
Contact for further information
John Holohan
Phone: (02) 6225 6344
Fax: (02) 6289 4727
Email: John.Holohan@DVA.GOV.AU
Industries affected
Health and Community Services