How do I know if I classify as remote?

It can be pretty tricky working out what prices you should be paying for supports – especially if you don’t live in the city.

The NDIS uses the Modified Monash Model (MMM) to classify whether a participant is non-remote, remote, or very remote. Each area in Australia is classified as one of seven MMM areas. You can determine where you are by following the prompts on this link here

Only tick the box that says ‘2019’.

For MMM zones 1-5, the price limits are the same for supports. For MMM Zone 6, prices are 40% higher than those in MMM1-5 areas. For MMM Zone 7, the prices are 50% higher.

NDIS has reclassified some of the areas on the map to be in remote (MMM6) or very remote (MMM7) areas – this applies to enclaves in:

• Hay, Balranald, Broken Hill, Ravenswood and Warren (NSW)
• Roma, Emerald, Moranbah, Dysart, Charters Towers (QLD)
• Merredin, Kalgoorlie, Kambalda (WA)
• Gunbalanya (NT)

Check out pages 25-26 of the Price Guide for more information regarding specific postcodes in those areas.

Provider Travel

Knowing what area you fall into will determine what prices that you pay under the NDIS price guide (if you’re plan- or agency-managed) and what your providers can charge you for. This is important when it comes to provider travel.

If you live in zones 1-3 (this means you live in a metropolitan or regional centre), your core supports providers can only charge for provider travel up to 30 minutes, only one way. Your capacity building providers can charge for 30 minutes, both ways.

If you live in zones 4-5 (regional areas), your core supports providers can only charge for provider travel up to 60 minutes, only one way. Your capacity building providers can charge for 60 minutes, both ways.

If you live in zone 6 and 7 (remote or very remote), you can negotiate an acceptable price for provider travel with your core and capacity building providers.

Which price limit do I look at?

It’s important to note that the relevant price limit is where the support will be delivered (i.e. at the participant’s home or school, or at the provider’s clinic). For example, if a participant who lives in a remote area (MMM6) visits a regional area (MMM4) to receive supports, the provider should charge the MMM4 price.

However, if you’re receiving supports via telehealth, it’s the opposite (just to keep you on your toes!). For example:

• John lives in Northam, WA (which is classified as MMM4 – Regional Area). John has a speech pathologist named Martha, who lives and works in Bibra Lake, WA (which is classified as MMM1 – Metropolitan). John and Martha have sessions via telehealth once a week. Martha must charge John at the MMM1 rate for speech pathology (which is where she is located), rather than MMM4 (which is where John is located).

The same principle applies for non-face-to-face supports – if Martha writes a report for John for his planning meeting, then Martha can only charge MMM1 rates for that report – not MMM4.

Need to know more, or still confused? Get in touch with us today on 1800 024 000, or hello@plancare.com.au. We’re here to help.