Rehabilitation at Home services
We’re here to help you get your life back on track after your transport accident. To help you with your transport accident injuries we will pay for rehabilitation services provided in your home setting.
Rehabilitation at Home is a service that allows you to undertake part or all your rehabilitation program at home. Rehabilitation at Home, sometimes known as Rehabilitation in the Home (RITH), is an alternative to in-patient hospital-based rehabilitation services and can be offered for your transport accident injuries, if you are medically stable and you have a rehabilitation treatment goal.
Rehabilitation at Home services are designed to be short-term and delivered generally up to an 8-week duration, depending on your rehabilitation needs.
In the first 90 days after your accident, we can help pay for these services up to a pre-approved amount without the need for you, your hospital discharging team or your Rehabilitation at Home provider to contact us for approval first. The TAC will send you an approval letter for your Rehabilitation at Home program.
What does a Rehabilitation at Home service do?
To help get your life back on track after you leave hospital, your treatment team may recommend that you can do a rehabilitation program from home.
TAC Rehabilitation at Home services can include a mixture of the following services:
- Rehabilitation coordination
- Physiotherapy
- Occupational therapy
- Nursing
- Social work
- Rehabilitation physician
Your Rehabilitation at Home provider will coordinate your services to ensure that the rehabilitation services and treatment plan is aimed at meeting your rehabilitation goal/s and the outcomes you want to achieve from your rehabilitation program. Your coordinator will also be able to liaise with your GP and any other relevant clinicians to ensure your rehabilitation service continues to meet your injury-related needs.
If you require additional services as part of your rehabilitation (e.g. personal care, dietetics or psychology), a request can be made to the TAC by your Rehabilitation at Home provider, your GP or other health professional for these or any other recommended rehabilitation services. Rehabilitation services in addition to those offered under the Rehabilitation at Home program will need to be approved by us.
Access our Medical and expenses page for an outline of treatments and services that may be required in addition to your Rehabilitation at Home program and our requirements for approval.
When can I access Rehabilitation at Home services?
The hospital treatment team will discuss your rehabilitation goals with you and make a recommendation outlining the most suitable rehabilitation treatment option for you. If Rehabilitation at Home is deemed a suitable option for you, the hospital you are being discharged from will make a referral to your choice of TAC-registered Rehabilitation at Home providers.
The referral will outline the type of Rehabilitation at Home services you require, with the rehabilitation goals that you have outlined with the hospital before heading home.
We will pay the Rehabilitation at Home provider for the services, including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, social work, nursing and rehabilitation physician, to treat your transport accident injuries.
Prior to your discharge from hospital, your hospital treatment team will also discuss your injury-related equipment needs for a safe discharge home and arrange the supply of any recommended equipment.
We will, where appropriate, work with your Rehabilitation at Home provider to ensure that you receive the rehabilitation services you require as a result of your transport accident. We may contact a member of your Rehabilitation at Home treating team to discuss your progress to make sure that:
- You have access to appropriate treatment and support.
- You are getting proven, evidence-based treatment and not receiving treatment that isn't helping you recover.
- You are moving towards getting your life back on track or being able to live independently.
Your safety
We take your care, safety and wellbeing very seriously. Rehabilitation services conducted in your home should be delivered in a way that makes you feel safe and respected. For more information, please refer to Your Care.
Provider requirements
TAC Rehabilitation at Home services are provided by registered organisations offering a range of services through a multidisciplinary team of health professionals. Rehabilitation at Home provider organisations must be registered with us before they can provide services in your home. These providers have met minimum standards for the qualifications of their treatment team and their work practices, and we monitor providers to ensure that these standards continue to be met.
When you need to contact us for approval
You or your Rehabilitation at Home provider need to contact us for approval of these services if:
- It is more than 90 days since your accident, and you have not already started RAH services.
- You require an extension to your initial pre-approved Rehabilitation at Home program for further services and/or to extend the duration of your program beyond 8 weeks.
If you are already receiving a RAH program and the timeframe since your accident reaches 90 days or more, you can continue your current RAH treatment plan without the need to seek TAC approval.
How rehabilitation services are paid for
We pay for your treatment:
- Directly to your Rehabilitation at Home provider, when you have provided them with your TAC claim number
- Related to your transport accident injuries
We pay for your services in line with our responsibilities under our guiding legislation, the Transport Accident Act 1986.
How much we will pay
We will pay for Rehabilitation at Home services up to a maximum amount directly to your choice of provider. Treatment sessions will generally be between 40-60 minutes depending on your rehabilitation treatment plan.
Treatments and services we can't pay for
We can’t pay for services that:
- Do not treat your transport accident injuries.
- Are not reasonable, necessary or appropriate.
- Are not clinically justified, safe and effective.
For providers
Rehabilitation at Home providers should refer to our Rehabilitation at Home Provider Guidelines and Service Standards.