Understanding the meaning and advantages of NDIS registered providers

 The service providers are individuals or businesses who deliver certain therapies or specific services. There are different kinds of providers available. Some of them are large companies and some others are small family run businesses or are sole traders. The examples of the service providers include the following:

·        Disability support workers

·        Physiotherapists

·        Occupational therapists

·        Wheel chair manufacturers

·        Support Coordinators

What exactly does NDIS registered mean?

The NDIS registered service providers are those registered service providers who have registered their services and the National Disability Insurance Agency has recognized and approved them to deliver NDIS funded services. Though the NDIS asks the service providers to register with them, however, not everyone does that. It is always better to opt for registered service providers for disability services.

To register with the NDIS, the service providers need to follow certain criteria that include the NDIS price guide, follow certain rules, agreements and regulations when they are providing the services. The NDIS registration process is also quite expensive and costly. It is for this reason that some businesses prefer to remain unregistered. You can either choose a registered or an unregistered service provider, if you are plan managed or self-managed; however, if you are agency managed or NDA managed, you will have to choose a registered service provider.

There are some services that the registered support workers are able to provide but the unregistered providers cannot. These include Specialist Disability Accommodation, Supported Independent Living, Behavior support or behavior management plans, Plan Management and supports that involve certain restrictive practices.

If you want to know about the benefits of availing the services of a registered provider, you can go through the points mentioned below:

·        The provider has gone through the entire registration process and has therefore met the NDA guidelines.

·        They are highly recognized and commit to a certain quality standard.

·        Invoices will be sent to the NDIS portal directly.

·        The registered providers will have to adhere to the price cap that has been set by the NDIA.

·        They will be able to deliver certain services that the unregistered providers will not be able to deliver.

Difference between registered and unregistered service providers

To know the difference between registered and unregistered providers, you will have to go through the points that have been mentioned below:

·        The unregistered providers who work with self-managing participants can set the prices but the NDIS registered providers have to adhere to the price caps.

·        Only if you have a plan-managed or self-managed NDIS plan, you can access the unregistered providers, but if you have an agency managed plan, you will have to opt for a NDIS certified provider.

·        If you self-manage your plan then the unregistered providers will send the invoice to you and you will have to manually claim the funds back from them using the NDIS portal. On the other hand, if you are agency managed, the NDIS plan manager will manage your account.

·        There are certain services that the NDIS registered providers can deliver but the unregistered providers cannot.