Information for providers of support coordination

1. Role of the Support Coordination provider

As the selected providers of the program, your staff and services play a key role in supporting workers to achieve improved recovery outcomes.

It is important you understand your role and obligations as a registered health provider providing support coordination services under the Victorian workers compensation scheme.

2. Key accountabilities

Your services support injured workers with complex needs to:

• Build their capacity to better manage their injury or illness in their own way, possibly resulting in a reduction on their dependency of medical and like services
• Address barriers preventing their return to health such as alcohol and drug dependency, chronic pain and other factors
• Achieve healthy and functional lives
• Increase their capacity to return to work, where appropriate

You are required to meet key performance indicators set out in the Service Agreement.

3. The Person-Centred Plan (PCP)

The PCP uses evidence-based frameworks and processes to identify the needs of the worker, form meaningful goal development and inform the services required to support goal achievement. These are developed in consultation with the worker, the case manager and their nominated care team over the course of up to three meetings.

The content for each PCP will include important information such as:

• The injured worker profile
• Person-centred worker goal/s
• Expected outcomes - as compared with baseline metrics
• How goal/s will be achieved, including a timeframe for achievement
• Details of supports required to achieve goal/s.

To see what is required for the development of the injured worker’s person-centred goals, please review your Service Agreement; specifically Schedule Section 2 - Services.

Support Coordination Program - PCP

The Support Coordination Program’s PCP provides a template to develop and track person-centred goals throughout the program.

4. Services funded within the program

Plans may use services or treatment options requiring payment by WorkSafe. When developing the PCP, understand what WorkSafe will and will not fund by discussing individual needs with the relevant case manager. WorkSafe can only fund reasonable and approved medical and like services under the Workplace Injury Rehabilitation Compensation Act 2013.

Please note: requirements for accessing services may exist. For example, a medical practitioner must complete a referral and/or an occupational therapist must complete an assessment before a service can proceed. For more information visit the provider information collection.

5. Work practices

Injured worker induction pack – Consent and referral

A descriptive information pack providing information about the program and steps required for an injured worker to participate. The pack includes the consent form that injured workers and their treating medical practitioner are required to complete the program.

Supplementary information form

• Upon receiving a referral for an injured worker, the case manager will complete a Supplementary information form and then forward to the nominated support coordination provider.
• The provider must confirm receiving the referral via e-mail to the case manager within two business days.
• The provider must review the information received and contact the case manager within five business days to discuss the referral and seek any additional information.

If the provider declines a referral, the case manager must be notified within five business days of receipt of referral and receive an explanation for the decision

Injured worker exit - Worker discharge

A worker discharge can be triggered if a worker elects to voluntarily opt out of the program or successfully achieves all goals identified within their PCP and no longer requires support coordination services. Workers can withdraw from the program for any reason and at any time via phone, email or mail to either their case manager or their support coordinator provider.

Within 10 business days of a worker discharging from the program, the provider must submit a discharge report to WorkSafe and the case manager. This report must include:

• reason for discharge
• recommendations regarding appropriate ongoing management strategies or alternative interventions for the worker
• total hours of services provided
• a final PCP progress report using the quarterly progress report format

WorkSafe aims to identify a workers cause of disengagement or concern before they chose to leave the program. Workers leaving the program will return to a similar style of case management and agent support that they received before the program.

Support Coordination Program – Worker discharge form

The Support Coordination Program’s worker discharge form provides information to the case manager following an injured worker’s exit from the program.