The Efficiency Challenge for NDIS Provider Profitability

Three in five NDIS providers are "worried we won’t be able to provide NDIS services at current prices", according to the NDS State of the Disability Sector Report 2022.

This pessimism isn't surprising; the same survey shows that fewer than half of NDIS providers are currently operating at a profit.

For disability support and care providers, delivering NDIS services is expensive, time-consuming and complex. NDIS pricing arrangements ensure value for money for the Australian government, but they leave providers with little breathing room.

Successfully running a growing NDIS provider business requires boosting efficiency so you can operate within the NDIS Price Guide, deliver exceptional care and still make enough profit to pay your team of care providers.

The disability industry doesn't lend itself to efficiency, however. Participants have varying needs and live in diverse locations, which means that excellent planning is necessary for efficient NDIS rostering. And with complex NDIS compliance and NDIS billing requirements, disability support and care providers can lose hours on paperwork and regulations. That's where NDIS software can support you.

How Disability Support Software Can Boost Your Efficiency (And More)

When correctly set up, your NDIS software can support you in:

Client Management

From onboarding to annual reviews of support plans, you can use NDIS software to streamline your client care. You'll be able to onboard new participants and get their first home visit scheduled in 15 minutes. 

Just create their profile, apply staff filters to create an approved support worker shortlist and publish the details on the job board. Your software will then automate the process of adding them to the roster.

Disability support and care providers can also add the participant's goals and strategies to the tracker and set up custom progress notes templates. This will give you an at-a-glance insight into their progress so that you can deliver a higher standard of client care.

NDIS funds management is an essential part of client management. Your NDIS software can support you by updating funds usage based on participants' service records and scheduled shifts. You'll be instantly alerted of potential issues, with no need to pore over records with a calculator.

For the ideal NDIS client management system, look for software that comes with a client-facing portal for participants and their loved ones. This will make it easier to quickly share updates about billing and client information.

Rostering

NDIS rostering can be tricky to do efficiently. Your rosters need to take into account client and worker locations, availability, preferences and certifications, as well as staff workloads.

Your disability software will make rostering easier by allowing your team to set their preferred shift times online. You can also create recurring and group rosters so that once you've got a schedule you're happy with, it's easy to replicate it.

Plus, NDIS software allows you to view the bigger picture. You can quickly check individual clients' and support workers' shifts to confirm that the roster meets their needs.

NDIS Compliance

NDIS software will support your compliance management, from the SCHADS award to NDIS compliance and audit preparation. Disability support and care providers can use NDIS software to create shift checklists, auto-generate service records, manage documentation from incident and progress notes to staff details, and record communications. 

And since many of these processes are automated, you'll be able to spend less time on your compliance requirements.

NDIS Billing

NDIS invoicing can be time-consuming, and invoicing errors can lead to rejected or delayed payments. Using your NDIS management software, however, you can auto-generate invoices based on your shift records and attached expenses.

Since you'll be using an integrated, end-to-end solution, your team won't have to manually check that the details are correct. And by setting up bulk claims, you can reduce the time spent on NDIS invoicing by up to 90%.

To make your billing process as efficient as possible, make sure your disability care software has an up-to-date NDIS price guide. Ideally, you'll be able to add the relevant line code to each shift in your NDIS rostering system. Encourage your staff to also add all expense documentation to the shift record.

Document Management

NDIS software is designed to help disability support and care providers keep better client records. From support plans to progress notes, your team will be able to access and update client documents on the go. 

Document templates and voice-to-text make updating records quick and easy, while integrating rostering with document management means you won't have to spend time manually sharing client information.

Improving Efficiency with NDIS Software: A Checklist

You'll see the best results from your disability support and care management software when you follow these best practices.

#1 Test Before Your Commit

Use the free trial period to check that you're purchasing the best NDIS software for your team's needs. Ask both support workers and admin staff to try out the software.

#2 Set Up an End-to-End Solution

Look for disability software that can auto-generate invoices, payroll, funds tracking and more based on the roster and shift records. This will help you save even more time.

#3 Prioritise User Experience

NDIS software will only improve efficiency if your team can quickly find the functions they need. Look for an intuitive, bug-free platform with excellent support.

NDIS Software That Empowers Your Business to Thrive

ShiftCare's NDIS software is an end-to-end solution for disability support and care providers. It will help you with rostering, NDIS compliance, billing, participant funds management, client documents and more. Our users find that tasks that used to take days can now be completed in minutes.

Discover how the right disability software can take the headache out of running your business. Try ShiftCare for free.