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Final Report on RREF 2001 - Department of Health

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Step 4: Opti<strong>on</strong>s for weighting need variables<br />

Part B: Development <strong>of</strong> Opti<strong>on</strong>s for a Revised <strong>RREF</strong><br />

4.1 WEIGHTING OF NEED VARIABLES IN RELATED FORMULAS<br />

Weighting to take account <strong>of</strong> the relative effects <strong>of</strong> different variables is <strong>on</strong>e <strong>of</strong> the most<br />

difficult tasks for any resource allocati<strong>on</strong> formula. Ideally, the effect <strong>of</strong> each variable <strong>on</strong> overall<br />

need would be assessed through statistical analysis <strong>of</strong> the relati<strong>on</strong>ships between the variables<br />

and a summary measure <strong>of</strong> need, or at least the cost or time <strong>of</strong> service required to meet need.<br />

The following examples dem<strong>on</strong>strate how different formulas have dealt with this issue.<br />

In the Resident Classificati<strong>on</strong> Scale<br />

The relati<strong>on</strong>ship between a number <strong>of</strong> resident characteristics that affect need for care and the<br />

cost and time inputs from care staff has been analysed and each questi<strong>on</strong> <strong>on</strong> the RCS carries a<br />

different weighting that reflects its effect <strong>on</strong> care needs. Each resident then receives an RCS<br />

score that takes account <strong>of</strong> their care needs, as measured and weighted by the questi<strong>on</strong>s <strong>on</strong> the<br />

RCS score.<br />

No such summary measure <strong>of</strong> need for HACC services is available by LGA however. No<br />

measure <strong>of</strong> need for post acute services was available for the development <strong>of</strong> the Post Acute<br />

Care Resource Allocati<strong>on</strong> Model, nor was a measure <strong>of</strong> need for disability services available for<br />

the Disability Program resource allocati<strong>on</strong> formula. Instead, as with the 1992 <strong>RREF</strong>, these two<br />

formulas have adopted arbitrary weightings <strong>on</strong> the recommendati<strong>on</strong> <strong>of</strong> advisory groups involved<br />

in developing the formula.<br />

In the 1992 <strong>RREF</strong><br />

• The <strong>on</strong>ly weighting was for rurality.<br />

• While density <strong>of</strong> populati<strong>on</strong> was measured, the decisi<strong>on</strong> to weight this variable by<br />

10, 20 or 30% was essentially an arbitrary resp<strong>on</strong>se to the view that rurality affected<br />

the need for services, but there was no clear evidence that did so by a factor <strong>of</strong> as<br />

much as 30%.<br />

• Although most <strong>of</strong> the LGAs in rural Victoria received the full 30% weighting, the<br />

effect <strong>on</strong> overall resource allocati<strong>on</strong> was <strong>on</strong>ly 6.8% as these LGAs accounted for<br />

<strong>on</strong>ly a small share <strong>of</strong> the total <strong>RREF</strong> base populati<strong>on</strong>.<br />

In the PACRAM<br />

• The PACRAM Reference Group recognised that older age and socio-ec<strong>on</strong>omic<br />

status affected the need for post acute services<br />

• The decisi<strong>on</strong> was made to double the weighting for these two variables in the<br />

PACRAM formula. However, there was no clear evidence to say that the two<br />

variables should be given the same extra weight or that they should be given twice<br />

as much weight as all the other variables.<br />

In the Disability Program<br />

• The Disability Program formula applies <strong>on</strong>ly to the populati<strong>on</strong> to age 65.<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>Final</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>Report</str<strong>on</strong>g> July <strong>2001</strong> 43

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