Frequently Asked Questions - Content Updated January 15 2009

Section 1: The VACS Schedule
Section 2: Approval for New Clinics
Section 3: Clinic Changes
Section 4: The VACS Panel
Section 5: Counting Rules
Section 6: VACS Base Grant
Section 7: VACS Funding & Target Setting

Section 5: Counting Rules

Can I count visits with an interpreter on AIMS? If not, how are these funded?

NO. Funding is provided to all Victorian public acute hospitals to assist hospitals to develop planned and integrated approaches to service delivery for culturally and linguistically diverse background (CALD) patients. The interpreter services grant is provided to hospitals to cover
both inpatient and outpatient services to be delivered where and when need is identified, not as targets - see the Culturally & Linguistically Diverse Patient Issues website

What happens if I have VACS data that needs to be entered into AIMS – after our hospital system has closed off transmission for that period?

Hospitals are required to notify the department (AIMS) that data has been submitted after the cut-off period for each month. However, data may only be submitted for the current financial year.

For queries on transmission of data issues, please refer to the Agency Information Management System (AIMS) website: or contact Robin Bailey (Health Information Management Advisor) on: (03) 9609-8513

I have a clinic with more than one Allied Health professional, can they each count their occasions of service within the same clinic?

At present VACS only pays for the occasion of service with one allied health professional in a clinic. VACS assumes one 'encounter', or 'occasion of service' per patient clinic visit. So, although the patient may see more than one clinician in a clinic, it is counted only once.

If a clinic has a Dr, nurse and allied health professional in attendance and they all see the patient, can they each count their encounters with a patient within that clinic?

No, each clinic attendance is only counted once. Patients are counted once regardless of whether they see the Dr only, or whether they see the Dr and the Nurse or the Allied Health professional in that clinic during their visit. The additional resources in these clinics are represented in the VACS weights.

What about if there are 2 Doctors in the same clinic, can they each count their encounters with a patient within that clinic?

As above, VACS only pays for the one encounter in a clinic. The additional resources are reflected in the VACS weights. For example, a pre-admission clinic that usually has a doctor, anaesthetist, nurse and allied health professional has a higher weight than an obstetrics clinic. The weights are derived from cost data collected from hospitals.

What if I have a clinic that’s off-site – does it still fall under the VACS program (i.e. for Koori outpatients who would otherwise not be treated)?

VACS funding is for acute services that generally have to be conducted within the hospital. The only exception would be an outspoke clinic of a hospital where everything within the clinic is provided by the hospital (including the staff), but for certain reasons the patients are unable to attend their clinic visit on the hospital campus (for example, community run clinics for special needs groups of high risk patients, who have been poor attendees of the traditional clinic services and basically, who wouldn't be treated unless the service was provided by the hospital staff in the community). These clinics are still evaluated and considered on a case-by-case basis by the VACS Clinical Panel.

How do I count clinics that are run in a group format?

Under current VACS policy [and for reporting purposes under AHCA and in the National Health Data Dictionary (NHDD)] - groups and classes are reported as one occasion of service, irrespective of the number of participants, or number of providers. In VACS, the Allied Health occasions of service rate is a derived average payment and the Department of Human Services payment is linked to the provider. Thus, each group session should only be counted as 1 occasions of service in the AIMS S9_111 form (see the AIMS Website).

This issue will be addressed in the context of the outpatient services review currently being undertaken in the Department.

Can I start a clinic under VACS that involves completing questionnaires in the hospital (in a situation where they are not being posted to the patients)?

Most questionnaires are sent to patients to complete prior to their admission. In the rare case that patients are required to complete questionnaires on site, the services required for this process are paid for out of the VACS Base grant. If the hospital believes they have a very rare clinic that sees a number of patients a year, a request for a specified grant may be sent to the Access & Metropolitan Performance Branch with a cc to the Funding Policy unit for presentation to the VACS Panel for approval (see Section 7: VACS Funding & Target Setting).

Are outpatients who arrive at a clinic, but leave without being seen, counted as a VACS attendance?

No, such patients would not be classified as a VACS encounter. The VACS system pays for the Doctor/Nursing/Allied Health person to have a one-on-one encounter with the patient. So if the person leaves, the hospital has not incurred the cost. If any administration costs have been incurred, these costs are covered in the VACS Base Grant.

Are CPAP and HEN programs still funded under VACS?

From 2001-02, Continuous Positive Airways Program (CPAP) and Home Enteral Nutrition (HEN) ceased as programs and the funding was incorporated into the VACS Outpatient Base Grant for Metropolitan Health Services/Major Rural Regional Hospitals, or the General Outpatient Grant for non-VACS funded hospitals.

As with the VACS Base Grant, activity for this funding is not counted towards VACS variable funding.

Can nurse run clinics be approved under a VACS category?

At present all nurse run clinics are approved under VACS Allied Health. The only exception to this is with midwife run clinics which the VACS Panel originally approved under the VACS 402 Obstetrics category.

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Contact: Nermin Songur (03) 9096 7897 or Teresa Barton (03) 9096 7221