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IMPORTANT

31/03/2007 MDS 2 SUBMISSION UPDATES

NSW has now commenced data collection using HACC MDS2. NSW agencies previously unable to download the current TRACCS build due to NSW not being ready for HACC MDS2, may now download the normal TRACCS from the downloads page, and commence preparation for MDS2 as per the HACC MDS2 web page on this site, in conjunction with any instructions received from DADHC.

31/12/2006 MDS 2 SUBMISSION UPDATES

A number of changes and enhancements have been made to the HACC MDS reporting module of TRACCS to support changes in both National reporting and also specific dataset variations in NSW. Agencies should ensure they have updated to build 5.11.01 or later prior to submitting there MDS submission for 1st Quarter 2007.

18/10/2006 MDS 2 SUBMISSION UPDATES - RESPITE SERVICE

If your agency provides RESPITE SERVICES to CARERS under HACC you should read the following and if in doubt - update to build 75 of TRACCS to prevent possible rejection of CARER records for RESPITE CARE

A number of agencies have not set up there HACC Respite Services correctly in TRACCS, having originally logged the respite care directly to the carer instead of the recipient. As previously advised and documented - in support of RESPITE and the new HACC reporting requirements for CARERS - it is necessary to record RESPITE CARE as a direct service against the recipient in the first instance. This information is automatically reported against the CARER by TRACCS based on the CARER for RESPITE reporting established in either the ONI of the HACC MDS TAB in the recipient record.

In cases where an agency has not correctly allocated respite to a recipient instead of a carer – if the operator tries to change the carer for respite reporting code to correct the incorrect setup – TRACCS does not fully re-establish the link between the CARER and the RESPITE hours. This gives the effect that the carer record reports in the mds but does not have any respite hours attached. This results in a rejection of that record by mds repository.

Build 75 of TRACCS incorporates a change to force the appropriate reallocation of the hours to the carer where the agency has previously entered the respite incorrectly against a recipient.

Once updated to build 75 operators need to ensure they have properly selected the carer for respite reporting against each recipient involved. Then they should process the HACC MDS ensuring they have selected the checkbox in the other options page of the MDS to check respite integrity.

If this issue applies to your agency – you can either download build 75 of TRACCS or manually edit the HACC MDS csv file using notepad to enter the correct hours – or delete the record if it is not relevant.

If you are in doubt - please contact the ADAMAS help desk for further advice.

30/09/2006 MDS 2 SUBMISSION UPDATES

All agencies submitting HACC MDS 2 reports should ensure they have updated to the latest version of TRACCS - 5.10.63. There are a range of enhancements and corrections in the latest build, however items specifically addressing HACC MDS 2 issues are as follows

0407	In the HACC MDS 2 version of TRACCS the quarter for reporting is automatically displayed when you access the MDS. There is a typographical error in the September quarter default that prevents the HACC MDS from running. The combo box default displays as 3nd Quarter September 30^th. This should read 3^rd Quarter instead of 3nd Quarter. To run the MDS operators need to reselect the reporting period from the drop down combo list – where there is no typographical error. The default has been corrected in build 63
0404	The following correction has been made to the way the HACC MDS reports Home Modifications. A bug existed in builds prior to 62 where home modifications did not correctly display or report in the mds audit report or the submission file. This was due to an error in the calculation of dollars. This has been rectified in build 62.
0369	The following changes have been made to the HACC MDS creation. The HACC MDS items for functional profiles have been drawn from the details required for the ONI (ONI2). The items in ONI2 FP use scores to feed into the ONI priority rating. However these scores are not accepted for the HACC MDS. The HACC MDS2 requires codes of 1, 2 & 3 instead of 0, 1 & 2. A score mapping function has been added to the HACC MDS in build 50 to allow the MDS2 codes (not the ONI codes) to report to MDS2. Previously – TRACSC MDS error checking prevented the reporting of a client who was not a valid carer, carer/recipient or recipient. This however did not allow for the fact that in some instances – clients on waiting list also receive sporadic services – therefore WAITING LIST has been enabled as an acceptable type for reporting purposes.
0354	The following change has been made to the error checking process when running a HACC MDS. Previously TRACCS treated all fields HACC fields as mandatory regardless of whether the Client was a CARER or RECIPIENT. This has been altered so only the required NOT carer fields are mandatory. This makes no difference if a value has been recorded in a CARER record against a non mandatory field. It affects the error messages TRACSC produces where a CARER has missing demographic information. As a result of this change no error message will be displayed for non mandatory CARER fields if they are left blank.
0400	The following change has been made to the HACC MDS report. Previously it was the case in the mds2 version of TRACCS that you could not submit a statistic for someone who was not a valid recipient. This meant you could not submit mds statistics for REFERRAL’s or WAITING LIST people. This has been altered to recognise agencies may need to report on administrative support services even though the person does not end up becoming an active client for the agency.

17/7/2006 MDS 2 SUBMISSION RESOLUTION

We have been advised by Fujitsi Technical Staff of a short term resolution to the issue with the error checking software. In short agencies should

Download build 36 of TRACCS from the downloads page and update there computer/s
Redo the HACC MDS and email the submission file to David.Quirk@au.fujitsu.com
In the email the subject MUST be "v2 mds submission for editing"

Below is an excerpt from Fujitsu regarding the reasons for this work around

"The issue with the quotation marks has been resolved in DEV but we are not going to roll it out until the end of submission period due to unknown effects that might occur in production.

If your clients send in their mds v2 files i can simply edit them using replace all and remove all the " marks enabling the file ready for processing.

So tell them to send them all in alternatively you can give them my email address to send them to instead of them getting rejection messages due to the " marks and i will submit them on their behalf after editing.

If you chose to take this path please ensure that the subject title is as follows v2 mds submission for editing.

Sorry for the inconvenience but we would rather handle it this way then rollout a change into production and have the whole system crash."

If you have any queries feel free to contact Adamas via email at support@adamas.net.au or by phoning 0892719192.

12/7/2006 MDS 2 SUBMISSION ISSUES

We have been advised by Fujitsi Technical Staff (Fujisti are the company who maintain and man the federal HACC MDS Data Repository) - that they are having some technical issues with the error checking software for MDS 2 files. As a result - though the export files being produced are correct - the data repository is unable to accept them at present. HACC/Fujitsu have advised us that they are looking into the issue with a view to resolving it as quickly as possible - however at this stage sites wishing to submit MDS 2 submissions should wait until further advise as to the ability of the data repository to accept the files. Please review this web site on a regular basis for further information on this matter. Once a resolution has been notified -sites will probably have to download a minor update to TRACCS to cater for changes made to the MDS error checking software in Canberra

10/06/2006 HACC MDS 2

If you have not already done so - you should seriously consider the ramifications of not having updated to the HACC MDS2 / ONI 2 version of TRACCS. Time is running out to convert your HACC MDS2 data with MDS1 no longer reportable after 31/12/2006. As we have previously warned - there are a host of major changes in the MDS, ONI and TRACCS generally. These changes require a significant effort in data entry to stay HACC compliant, as well as training resources to ensure you can get the most out of the new streamlined intake and assessment process.

10/05/2006 ADAMAS TRAINING AND INSTALLATION TOUR South East/North Queensland

Adamas staff recently completed an exhausting training and installation tour of Queensland from the Gold Coast through to Rockhampton (via Gin Gin). The rapid expansion of TRACCS has caught even ourselves by surprise. )It really has become the case that sites who do not get TRACCS are demonstrably decreasing their performance potential.) The skill levels of most TRACCS users throughout Queensland have improved so much in recent months it really is a credit to there ability to take on and get the most out of new technology. We cannot impress on sites enough the need for adequate training. I can say without single exception that any sites who are not able to maximize their investment in TRACCS are sites who have not kept up to date with training and releases. By the conclusion of the tour staff had visited and trained over 20 existing sites and installed an additional 6 sites ranging from 4 users through to 15 users. All in a very busy 5 week period.

Training and new installations will next be done in South Australia in May. followed by NSW in June, then back to Queensland in July/August.

Stay posted for more information as dates are finalized, or contact Julie on j.heady@adamas.net.au to inquire further about on site training for your organization. We are happy to provide references from dozens of satisfied sites, who will be more than happy to explain how the training really allows you to untap the full potential of the TRACCS product.

10/4/2006 HACC MDS 2 - As all TRACCS users would be aware - the latest version of TRACCS is fully HACC MDS 2 compliant.

Any sites wishing to upgrade to the MDS2 version may access the new version from the downloads page - however agencies should bear in mind the implications and resources required for updating existing data etc. Please read the HACC MDS2 update page by clicking on haccmds2 link at the top of this page - BEFORE you update to the HACC MDS2 version so you may familiarize yourself with the resources that may be required to make the necessary data changes in TRACCS, and the impact it may have on your agency.

Adamas staff are currently traveling around Australia performing MDS2 conversion training - a schedule of states is available for agencies that would like to take advantage of this training.

If you have any queries - please feel free to email support@adamas.net.au with any questions.