News

New NDIS materials for health professionals

The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) has released a number of resources to assist clients of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and health professionals in accessing services. A new ‘pathway’ has been created as well as a guide for MBS items related to early diagnosis and treatment of children with an eligible disability. 

The NDIS pathway encompasses the entirety of experience with the NDIS, including first interaction and continuing communication. The new pathway will include:

  • A consistent point of contact, who plays a key role in empowering participants to achieve outcomes;
  • Planning being undertaken with a skilled Local Area Coordinator or NDIA planner who will spend time understanding the unique needs of each participant;
  • A stronger focus on the broader system of supports for people with disability, including other government services such as health, education and transport, to promote greater inclusion and a sense of community for people with disability;
  • Communication which emphasises the objectives of the NDIS, with a clear focus on outcomes and goals during planning discussions;
  • Information that is clear, consistent and available in accessible formats, such as plain English and braille; and
  • An improved NDIS portal and tools, combined with more straightforward processes that will reduce the administrative cost for providers. 

The pathway will be progressively piloted and tested over the coming months before being rolled out nationally. You can learn more about the new NDIS pathway at the NDIS website. 

GPs engaging with the NDIS on behalf of children with disabilities will be interested in the new education guide: Better Start for Children with Disability. The guide is intended to help health professionals identify MBS items for the early diagnosis and treatment of children with an eligible disability. You can use the guide to check:

  • the disability eligibility criteria;
  • your claiming requirements;
  • treatment and management plan needs; and
  • referral and reporting rules. 

This guide can be used alongside other Medicare Benefits Schedule education for health professionals resources. 

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