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Revisions to AIMS collections for 1 July 2009 - Public Hospitals

Executive Summary

Each year the Department of Human Services (DHS) reviews the data elements and format of the Agency Information Management System (AIMS) collections.  This review seeks to ensure the data collections support the department’s state and national reporting obligations, assists DHS planning and policy development and incorporates appropriate feedback from data providers on improvements.

As a result of the review for 2009-10, three forms are being ceased, one new form is being introduced and four forms have been modified. In summary, the changes are:

• Cessation of three forms:
• Annual Return Form 4B Residential and Community Based Aged Care Services Revenue and Statistical Return.
• Annual Return Form 5A Revenue and Expenditure Statement (Accrual) HACC and Other Community Based Aged Care Programs.
• Form S2_127 Dental Health Services Non-Admitted Patients.
  
  
• New form for acute inpatients waiting for a sub-acute bed. 
  
  
• Expansion of Annual Return Form 1B Salary and Other Expenditure Statement to collect other non-salary costs for residential aged care including aged persons mental health residential care. The form is renamed as Salary and Other Expenditure Statement for Year Ended 30 June 2009 (HSA).
  
  
• Modification of Annual Return Form 4A (Part A) Acute Inpatients—Bed Days and Calculation of Net Fee Income to report TAC and Other Compensable fee income as separate items and to add a new section on Non-Admitted Patients revenue.
  
  
• A significant reduction in reporting for Form S2_116 Public Health Non-Admitted Patient Services.
  
  
• Status change for reporting number of neonatal cots on Form A3 Public Hospital Beds return.
  
  
• Revision of final consolidation date at end of the financial year.

Changes to data collections are approved by the Department’s Data Management Advisory Committee that has responsibility for overseeing the review of health and aged care data collections and reporting requirements and to develop a strategy for reducing the reporting burden upon funded organisations.

New Form

Currently the Department determines the number of patients eligible and waiting for a Residential Aged Care or Transition Care Program place, and the length of time they are waiting, through linkage of the VAED and Aged Care Assessment service data.  There is a policy requirement for the number of acute inpatients waiting for a sub-acute bed (i) in the same health service (ii) in another health service.  This is not currently collected in the VAED nor can it be derived by linkage.  New data items are being considered under the VAED data reform project in order to capture this information in future.  In the meantime it is necessary to establish a new AIMS collection form to capture this information from 1 July 2009.

Modifications to Forms

Annual Return Form 1B Salary and Other Expenditure Statement

Due to the unavailability of certain expense information in the annual financial statement, Form 1B is expanded to collect other non-salary costs for residential aged care including aged persons mental health residential care.

The additional items of other non-salary costs required for aged care including aged persons mental health residential care are:

1. Employee benefits (workcover premium, departure packages, long service leave, superannuation and total)
   
   
2. Non salary labour costs (fees for VMOs, nursing agency costs, other agency costs and total)
   
   
3. Supplies and consumables (drug supplies and S100 drugs, medical surgical supplies, prosthesis and pathology supplies, food supplies)
   
   
4. Other expenses from continuing operations:
   • domestic services and supplies, fuel, light, power and water
   • insurance costs funded by DHS
   • motor vehicle expenses
   • repair and maintenance and maintenance contracts
   • patient transport
   • bad and doubtful debts
   • lease expenses
   • other administrative expenses
   • audit fees (Victorian Auditor Generals Office and others)

The form is renamed as Salary and Other Expenditure Statement for Year Ended 30 June 2009 (HSA).

Revised AR1B form with changes highlighted (Word file 157KB)

Form 4A Acute Inpatients Bed Days and Calculation of Net Fee Income and Acute Non-Admitted Patient Revenue

Form 4A has been modified to set up separate lines for reporting TAC acute and sub-acute bed days and net fee income from Other Compensable acute and sub-acute bed days and net fee income.

The form has also been expanded to include a new Part B section for non-admitted patient revenue to be able to review non-admitted patient targets.  Additional detail is required than that available in the Annual Report.  The data elements required for reporting are:

• Prosthesis – compensable patients
• Prosthesis – ineligible patients
• Prosthesis – other
• Consulting Services – compensable patients
• Consulting Services – ineligible patients
• Consulting Services – other
• PBS payments
• Other outpatient fees

Revisied AR4A form with changes highlighted (Word file 101KB)

Instructions for completing Annual Return 2008-09 (Word file 114KB)  

Form S2_116 Public Health Non-Admitted Patient Services

Public Health Non-Admitted Patient Services data collection (S2_116) includes quarterly counts of occasions of service for:

• Blood Borne Virus/ Sexually Transmitted Infection Services
• Aboriginal Liaison Services
• Drug Treatment Services

A significant reduction in reporting requirement has been identified for 2009-10 for this collection. 

• Blood Borne Virus/ Sexually Transmitted Infection Services: Continue with NO CHANGE.  
• Aboriginal Liaison Services: Continue with CHANGE.  This data is no longer required by the Koori Health Unit but is required for reporting to Australian Institute for Health and Welfare (AIHW) both quarterly and annually.  Seven items are being discontinued and six items are to continue.  The items to be continued for reporting to AIHW are:
• Visits to outpatient clinics and emergency department (items 1ii and iii)
• Services outside the hospital (community health, other agencies/services, specialists or home visits) (items 2i,ii,iii,v).

Items no longer required include: Visits to hospital admitted patients, Cross cultural training/educational sessions, Phone contacts, Transport to and from health services and Other KHLO activities.

• Drug Treatment Services: DISCONTINUE all items EXCEPT item 3 Specialist Pharmacotherapy Service.  The remainder of the drug treatment data is to be provided via an alternative data source.

Revised S2_116 form with changes highlighted (Word file 78KB)

Form A3 Hospital Beds - Public

Since 1 July 2008, Average Available (Staffed) Beds (AIMS A3 Public) has included ‘Neo-natal cots (excluding NICU and SCN)’.  Since this time, a national decision has been taken that counts of neonatal cots will not be included in the National Minimum Dataset, and therefore, DHS does not need this data as similar data can be calculated from the Victorian Admitted Episodes Dataset (VAED) (i.e. cots utilised).  Hence, from 1 July 2009, reporting of neonatal cots will be optional on the AIMS A3 Public return.  The neonatal cots data will not be required from 1 July 2010.

Date of Final Consolidation

Due to revised timelines for Commonwealth reporting and for consistency with other collections, the final end of year submission deadline has been brought forward to 10 September (currently the final date is 30 September). Details of submission deadlines are published in the AIMS Manual (http://www.health.vic.gov.au/aims/index.htm).

Private Hospitals and Day Procedure Centres

Discontinuation of AIMS A3 Hospital Beds – Private return from 1 July 2009

The AIMS A3 Hospital Beds Return - Private form has been used to collect data on acute care beds available monthly in private hospitals and day procedure centres primarily to meet DHS' reporting obligations to the Australian Government.  From 1 July 2009 data for reporting to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare will be sourced from the Private Hospitals and Non Emergency Patient Transport unit, which records registered beds as part of licensing arrangements.  Reporting of registered rather than available private hospital beds will bring Victoria in line with other jurisdictions, which already report registered rather than available private hospital beds.  Therefore, as of 01 July 2009, completion of the AIMS A3 Hospital Beds Return - Private will no longer be required.