Introduction: The evolution of residential aged care in Australia is increasingly shaped by healthcare design principles that prioritise safety, and quality care. The Australian National Aged Care Classification (AN-ACC) funding model, introduced in late 2022, classifies residential aged care residents based on individual need characteristics and facility demographics. AN-ACC identifies staff utilisation per resident as the primary driver of cost difference.
Methods: The Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority (IHACPA) completes annual cost collection exercises. IHACPA used wireless beacon technology to capture care time for residents and identify the types of staff delivering care. This technology aimed to reduce the burden on staff compared to traditional time capture methods, which often involve manual logging and can be time-consuming.
The captured time was mapped to financial statements submitted by each facility. Labour costs were allocated to residents based on the captured contact time. Shared costs, such as administration, were allocated towards care, accommodation, and hotel services.
Results: The technology provided reliable measurements of resource utilisation across residents. The results showed variation in care resource requirements across different AN-ACC classes, highlighting the diverse needs of aged care residents. Cost variations were noted year on year, highlighting policy implementation and changes.
Discussion/Conclusions: Technology-based time capture provides resource utilisation data that reflects the needs of residents with varying care requirements. This data is crucial for developing a funding model that accurately reflects the cost of care.

Authors:
James Chen, Australian Federal Government, Australia

About the Presenter(s)
James Chen, the Director of Aged Care Costing at IHACPA. Working on understanding costs within aged care in Australia

See this presentation on the full schedule – Thursday Schedule

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