Why can I only see the ‘standard’ parent rate – why can’t I select rate variants when mapping?
Answer: When mapping, you can only select the parent Support at Home rate, even if you have set up variants for different service conditions, like weekends or public holidays. This is because Lookout will automatically choose the right variant depending on the service details, so only the parent rate is required. More information on how variants work will be available soon.
If I upload the support_at_home_template again with the same rate_name – will it override the original or update the rate?
Answer: The CSV ‘upserts’ - that is, it creates new records and updates any existing records. If you keep the same rate name and re-upload the file, the rate will be updated with any new details.
At the moment, there is no relationship between services and rates/products. To clarify, are you saying that the system will now have a forced relationship?
Answer: Yes. Under Support at Home, rates must be directly linked to a specific Support at Home service type. You won’t be able to create a rate for SaH without specifying which SaH service ID it applies to.
Can I set a rate variant for a specific visit duration e.g. for a 15 min or 30 min visit? Will the system automatically pick the right rate based on the visit’s duration?
Answer: Yes, you can set a specific duration for a rate when creating or editing a rate. In early June, Lookout will automatically pick the correct variant based on the visit parameters, including any set visit durations.
Can rate variants be set state based? Example: localised holidays.
Answer: If you select ‘public holidays’ as a rate variant, in early June Lookout will automatically apply the public holiday rate based on the client’s location. For example, if a client is based in Melbourne, Lookout will detect Victorian public holidays and apply your public holiday rate on those days. You don’t need to create separate variants like “Melbourne public holiday,” “Sydney public holiday,” etc. Lookout handles this automatically based on the Member’s address and will apply your public holiday rate for the service.
You can also use segments to set different rates based on things like location or customer type. For example, you might charge different rates in Sydney vs Melbourne, metro vs regional areas, or for self-managed vs care-managed clients. Segments let you create separate sets of rates or price lists for each of these scenarios. We’ll show you how to link the right rates segment to the right customers in an upcoming session on membership plans.
I see on the template that all the rates look to have quantity of ‘per hour’ – is there an option to use a ‘per visit’ unit?
Answer: The default units in the CSV (e.g. per hour, per item, per trip, or per visit) are based on the government’s business rules for how each Support at Home service should be charged. The available unit type is determined by the service type and reflected accordingly in the CSV. While you can technically override the unit type, we strongly discourage it, as it may affect invoice calculations and lead to incorrect or unexpected results when invoicing and claiming.
If I set a variant for something like physiotherapy called ‘initial consultation’, but don’t want this variant to apply to all of my other services, can I simply remove it from those services in the CSV by deleting the rows so it doesn’t appear as an option?
Answer: Yes, you can delete rows for services or variants you don’t want to include in your rates.
Can we get a list of those service types and the related Unit type that Services Australia is expecting to see? E.g. per Hour or Qty. Or do we just need to download the csv import template once we've selected our services to see that detail?
Answer: Our CSV import file includes this information, showing which unit type applies to each Support at Home service. The government has also provided an indicative summary, which also outlines the units that apply to each service here: https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/2025-03/summary-of-indicative-support-at-home-prices_2.pdf
There’s additional advice here on how to set up Support at Home unit pricing: https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/2025-03/guidance-for-setting-support-at-home-prices-fact-sheet-for-providers_0.pdf
To clarify - there can only be one service type added, e.g. - Personal Care, and can we also add Services underneath that, or is PC all that will appear on the roster?
Answer: Lookout services (as in services you have created) can continue to be attached to visits and purchase orders. There is no limit on the amount of these services that can appear on one of these items and they appear on the roster.
The S@H service type that is required for claiming is limited to one per service delivery.
Currently a visit can have multiple services, are there any recommendations moving forward?— Will this visit just be assigned to 1 Service only (is the system going to restrict this only for SAH members?— Will there be an option for 1 visit to be broken down into several Services (Visit was 3 hours: 1 hour for DA, 1 hour for Personal Assistance, 1 hour for Meals)?
Answer: At the moment the tooling will only allow you to remap to one SaH service per visit. However, we are investigating ideas around splitting visits to apportion to different service types like you’ve suggested. Is this what you would like to be able to do?
With wrap around fees for AT-HM, its not included in the Service Fees builder? do we need to add them manually into the services fees?
Answer: The AT-HM service list and wraparounds aren’t part of the standard visit rates or service setup because they’re typically one-off per-item highly customisable expenses. These costs can vary depending on the supplier and the specific item, so they aren’t usually pre-configured as a flat rate.
We’re currently working on supplier pricing and invoicing functionality for third-party items, including AT-HM products and wraparound services which we will share in the near future.
Can you have multiple rates set up for care management, eg clinical and non-clinical?
Answer: Yes, you can set up multiple rates for care management, including clinical and non-clinical options if desired.
When logging care management time, users can choose the type of service provided - such as general care management, restorative care management, or nursing. If nursing is selected, it will bill and claim separately from the care management pool, allowing you to bypass the 10% pooled funds and instead draw from the client’s individual budget.
If you’ve created different rate variants for care management or nursing, the system will either automatically detect or let you select the appropriate variant when care management time is logged.
We currently have an open poll to find out how service providers are intending to charge for care management. See https://community.thelookoutway.com/t/how-do-you-plan-to-charge-for-care-management-poll/199