Changes to PATS Eligibility Criteria
As part of the government’s commitment to improve regional health service provision in South Australia, the Minister for Health and Wellbeing, the Hon Stephen Wade MLC, has been seeking feedback to make PATS more flexible and accessible for country South Australians and reduce any negative impacts they may experience associated with the scheme.
In response to the feedback from the community, the Minister has approved the following changes to the PATS eligibility criteria:
- When patients undertake an emergency retrieval, their approved escorts will be subsidised to travel separately.
- Airbnb stays will become an eligible commercial accommodation option.
- The actual treatment location will be used to calculate the fuel subsidy.
- Consumers will be reimbursed an additional part land subsidy for travel over 100kms to reach their nearest airport, when medically authorised for air travel.
- Escorts will be able to work interstate, when supporting a patient who has travelled interstate due to treatment not being available locally.
These changes follow the initial changes to PATS announced in November 2019.
In addition, we are making the PATS Guidelines for Assessment, application forms and correspondence easier to use and understand, and improving how information is conveyed to clients, rural GPs and medical specialists to help them better understand the scheme and submit eligible claims. For example, we are developing:
- a new standalone PATS website with a searchable database for stakeholders to use to find out the closest available specialist services in regional South Australia
- a series of promotional and instructional videos for consumers, rural GPs and medical specialists
- updated brochures and posters.
We plan to make these available later this year.
If you have any questions, please call PATS on 1300 341 684 or email pats@sa.gov.au.