As an NDIS provider, you know that invoicing is a tedious and time-consuming process.
With so many regulations around the practice, the risk of making NDIS billing mistakes is high, and it’s not always easy to determine why NDIS invoices are rejected.
Unfortunately, these NDIS payment issues can often result in significant delays in collecting what’s owed to you, which can lead to further financial and cashflow problems for your business.
That’s why we’ve written this article as a way to provide much needed invoicing help for NDIS providers.
In it, we’re going to outline 5 of the most common mistakes in NDIS billing that we typically see. From wrong item codes to non-compliant formatting, these are the top reasons why claim rejection in NDIS continues to happen each day.
The goal? To provide you with a better understanding, as well as a solution to effectively navigate these NDIS invoicing challenges and avoid further billing mistakes moving forward.
Let’s get started.
1. Using the wrong line item or support code
NDIS pricing structures and support categories can be quite complex, and they’re often updated at various points throughout the year. This can sometimes make it difficult to keep up to date with which codes you should be using in your billing processes.
If you produce an invoice that uses the wrong line item or support code for the service that was provided, that invoice is then going to be rejected.
Why? Because it’s important for participants and their funding allocation that the services provided match up perfectly with the services they pay for.
2. Submitting incomplete documentation
A lack of proper supporting documentation to accompany your invoices can lead to NDIS payment issues and several other problems for your business.
By this, we mean documented evidence such as progress notes and other records of service delivery that can accurately show the care that was provided, especially if the invoice happens to be disputed for any reason.
Not only is this kind of documentation important for avoiding claim rejection in NDIS, but it’s also a key requirement for compliance and auditing purposes too – making completing your documentation a priority after every client visit.
3. Missing deadlines or other timing issues
It’s understandable that, with so many services being provided every day, it’s easy for invoicing to get left until the last minute, or until you can find the time to get it done in large batches.
However, the issue with this is that, typically, NDIS invoices must be submitted within 90 days of the date the support was provided for the bill to be considered valid. Failure to do so will result in the invoice being rejected.
Similarly, if invoices are not submitted before a participant’s care plan expires, this will also result in a claim rejection.
4. Not realising the participant is not plan-managed
Some participants self-manage their NDIS funding and care plans, or they may be managed by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), rather than a dedicated plan manager.
This can make it confusing when it comes to submitting invoices, as you need to remember which participants are plan-managed and which aren’t so you can invoice the right party.
As such, invoicing a plan manager for a participant who is not under their care is another common reason why NDIS invoices are rejected.
5. Creating non-compliant invoice formats
One of the biggest drivers of claim rejection in NDIS is failing to follow the strict invoicing formatting and compliance standards that are set out in the NDIS guidelines.
These guidelines state that the invoice must contain:
- an invoice number,
- a service date,
- correct participant details,
- provider’s ABN,
- accurate support codes and pricing,
- and much more.
If you’re submitting invoices that are missing certain details required by NDIS guidelines, then the NDIA or plan manager is going to reject the invoice until it’s corrected.
So, what’s the best way to improve your invoicing processes and eliminate NDIS billing mistakes for good?
That’s where ShiftCare comes in.
Dedicated solutions like ShiftCare streamline invoicing and prevent common mistakes in NDIS billing
Here at ShiftCare, we understand the frustrations that invoicing errors can bring to you and your team – and we also know that using old school invoicing methods, such as Word or Excel, is a great way to almost guarantee NDIS billing mistakes.
That’s why our powerful care management platform comes with a fully integrated and intuitive set of key invoicing features that help to systemise your billing and eliminate NDIS invoicing challenges for good.
From automatic NDIS pricing updates to bulk claims, integration with leading accounting software, billing reports, service matching and so much more, ShiftCare is purpose-built with NDIS guidelines in mind to help make your invoicing simple and compliant every time.
In other words, ShiftCare provides the invoicing help for NDIS providers that you need so you can focus on what truly matters.
Discover how ShiftCare can help eliminate your NDIS invoicing challenges and billing mistakes today
ShiftCare is an easy-to-use care management platform designed to streamline day-to-day operations and reduce administration burdens for NDIS providers, as well as Aged Care and Disability Support services.
Boasting powerful and intuitive features, ShiftCare offers key solutions to improving care management, rostering, HR, invoicing, NDIS compliance and so much more, enabling you and your team to focus on delivering a higher standard of personalised client care.
So, if you’re looking for the right invoicing software to help eliminate NDIS payment issues, ShiftCare has got you covered.
Book a demo or get in touch with our team today to discover how ShiftCare can revolutionise your care management and give you back more time for what truly matters.
