OT Service Model under S@H

Is Your Current Model Going to Fit?

Under the Home Care Package (HCP) program, OT documentation gradually shifted from straightforward and concise to lengthy and defensive. Payment in arrears made providers risk-averse. After a few funding knockbacks, the bar for clinical justification kept rising.

➡️ Result? A “standard” OT referral often meant 1.5 hours in the client’s home + 1–2 hours writing reports.

But the Support at Home (SAH) program is designed differently. It looks less like HCP, and more like the CHSP model:

• Time-limited, face-to-face delivery

• Less demand for long reports

• If a client has an ATHM tier approval and the item is on the list, it’s almost a done deal. The manual itself notes: “Delegation approval not required as client has ATHM approvals.”

  
  

That changes the documentation equation. Instead of multi-hour reports, a comprehensive case note or simple recommendations report—in a format that can be shared with the case manager—may soon be the more appropriate (and sustainable) approach.

• Initial assessments, site visits with builders etc → Clinical supports

• “Prescription” (scope of works, AT scripting) → ATHM claiming

• Review visits → wrap-around

  
  

The Big Question

With unit pricing, will your current HCP-based service model still be feasible?

Adapting and efficiencies will be key. But so will maintaining clinical excellence - not only for your professional standards, but because the Aged Care Quality Standards demand it.

So ask yourself:

• Where can I adapt my model to align with SAH?

• Where can I build efficiencies without compromising care?

• What does clinical excellence look like in a shorter, more targeted model of service?

  
  

👀 Food for thought: The OTs who thrive under SAH will be those who can flex between efficiency and excellence, and make both visible in their documentation and outcomes.