Home Care Package (HCP)
The Australian Government will increase the Home Care Packages (HCP) subsidy rate by 11.9% (including annual indexation) from 1 July 2023 to pass on the Fair Work Commission’s 15% award wage increase and ensure HCP recipients continue to receive the same level of care and services.
Subsidy rates
The new subsidy rates will be applied by Lookout automatically. Your HCP claim calculations will be updated with the latest rates, ensuring all HCP members have an accurate projected balance from July onwards.
Please Note: You will still need to update the following, if applicable, for your members:
Income Tested Fees (ITF)
Matched CSR hardship supplements
Basic daily fee hardship supplement
Care & Package Management fees
The following guide explains how providers can adjust care and package management pricing within Lookout if needed.
As a weekly charge in Lookout, care management and package management fee changes will apply to all open and future billing runs. Determining when you want to make the change and if a manual adjustment transaction is required is important to ensure a member is charged correctly.
It isn't possible to schedule pricing changes to care management & package management in Lookout. Lookout recommends changing care management & package management fees once the Billing Run week ending 2nd July has been published.
Example: If you are implementing price changes to care management or package management fees from 1 July 2023, Lookout would suggest:
Complete the Billing Run week ending 2nd July at the old fee.
Update Membership Plans with any changes to care management or package management fees.
Add a manual adjustment to members' Care & Services accounts to reflect the difference between the old and new fees, ensuring the correct amount is recorded for the 1st & 2nd of July.
Visit Rates
The following guide explains how providers can adjust visit rate pricing within Lookout if needed.
There are two options when editing or updating existing visit rates in Lookout. Determining which option to select when applying the rate change is important.
Change for future and existing services
Change for future services only
It isn't possible to schedule pricing changes to visit rates in Lookout. To ensure accurate changes, we suggest making these changes after the last day's visit before they are intended to take effect.
If you want your new visit rates to apply to all Clients receiving services from the Support Workers impacted by the update, select Change for future and existing services.
NDIS
Key pricing changes
NDIA has released updated pricing arrangements effective 1 July 2023. The outline of these changes is listed on the NDIA's pricing updates page.
The new NDIS pricing rates will be applied by Lookout automatically if;
The current visit rate price in Lookout matches the 22/23 pricing catalogue AND
The visit rate has an NDIS Support Item Number in the External ID field AND
The Support Item Number is included in the NDIS Support Catalogue 2023-24
Manual adjustments can be made using the guide below for NDIS rates that do not match the automatic update criteria.
Contact Lookout if you would like to opt out of automatic NDIS pricing changes by clicking the chat icon in the bottom right of the screen.
Visit Rates
The following guide explains how providers can adjust visit rate pricing within Lookout if needed.
There are two options when editing or updating existing visit rates in Lookout. Determining which option to select when applying the rate change is important.
Change for future and existing services
Change for future services only
It isn't possible to schedule pricing changes to visit rates in Lookout. To ensure accurate changes, we suggest making these changes after the last day's visit before they are intended to take effect.
If you want your new visit rates to apply to all Clients receiving services from the Support Workers impacted by the update, select Change for future and existing services.
FAQs
How do I get support on Lookout?
The best way to get support is by one of the following:
Talk live to support via chat (click the chat icon in the bottom right of the screen).
Book support time via Zoom with our Customer Success Specialist (book here)