Not every OT home assessment is equally useful to you. A good provider gives you clear recommendations quickly, protects your participants, and makes your approval process easier. A poor one leaves you chasing reports and rewriting scopes.
Use this checklist when you compare any OT home assessment provider, including us.
1. Are the OTs AHPRA-registered?
Occupational Therapist is a protected title in Australia. Ask whether every OT who visits your participants holds current AHPRA registration, and how the provider checks it. You can also verify any practitioner yourself on the public register of practitioners.
2. What does the report look like?
Ask for a sample report. Check that each recommendation links to an assessed need, and that the scope is clear enough for a tradesperson to quote from. See What should an OT home assessment report include?
3. Is the report clinically reviewed before release?
Ask every provider what review happens, and by whom.
4. What is the turnaround?
Ask for the time from referral to visit, and from visit to report. Then ask what happens if the provider can’t meet it.
5. How is consent handled?
No consent should mean no visit. Ask how consent is captured, who can give it for a participant, and how you will be told if it’s missing.
6. How is participant information protected?
Ask who can see participant information, where it is stored, and when access ends. Under the Privacy Act, providers must handle personal and health information carefully.
7. What happens when something goes wrong?
Ask about urgent safety risks found during a visit, no-access visits and late cancellations, and complaints. A provider with these written down is easier to work with.
8. What’s the scope, and what isn’t?
Be clear about what is included. For example, do they coordinate installation, or only assess and recommend?
9. Is there a single point of contact?
Ask who you call about scheduling, questions and invoicing.
10. What does it cost?
Ask for a flat fee per assessment, what it includes, and when you are invoiced.
Questions about working with us? Contact us or Refer a participant
A safer home starts with understanding the person
Every home is different. Every person is different. That is why the right approach starts with the individual rather than a list of products. At Home Access Group, we help coordinate OT home assessments that consider the person’s needs, goals, functional abilities and home environment.
The mission is simple: Help people stay safe, independent and at home for longer. If you or someone you care for is finding everyday activities around the home more difficult, an OT home assessment may be a useful place to start.
Your home should work for you – not the other way around. Reach out and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
Still looking to learn more about OT home assessments and home modifications? Try our quick links below:
Information about Support at Home and the Assistive Technology and Home Modifications scheme can change. Providers should refer to current Australian Government guidance when making funding and service decisions.
