Sygnal has updated the way Plan Managers and billing contacts are managed.
The changes provide a clearer process for configuring Plan Managed, Self Managed and Agency Managed NDIS clients, while also simplifying billing contact management for Aged Care, iCare and Other/Private clients.
The updated billing configuration is also used when creating, approving and billing roster shifts.
1. Where can I manage Plan Managers?
Plan Managers are available under Administration → Plan Managers.
This replaces the previous Debtor view for managing Plan Manager organisations.
The Plan Manager list displays Plan Manager companies only and includes information such as:
- Company Name
- ABN No
- Active/Inactive status
You can search for a Plan Manager using the Company Name or ABN.
Selecting a Plan Manager from the grid opens its details, where authorised users can review or update the information.
2. How do I create or update a Plan Manager?
When creating a Plan Manager, enter the organisation's required information, including its Company Name and ABN.
Company names can be reused where required; however, the ABN identifies the Plan Manager and cannot be duplicated between active Plan Managers.
Mobile, Phone and Address are optional.
The Active/Inactive option can be used to control whether the Plan Manager is available for new client billing configurations.
Existing user permissions for creating, editing and retiring Plan Managers continue to apply.
3. What billing options are available for NDIS clients?
NDIS clients can be configured using the appropriate billing arrangement:
- Plan Managed
- NDIS Self Managed
- NDIS Agency Managed
The previous Shared Billing Contact and Custom Flag processes are no longer required for these billing arrangements.
The appropriate billing configuration can be created from the client's Billing Configuration tab.
4. How do I configure a Plan Managed client?
From the NDIS client's Billing Configuration, select Plan Managed.
You can then:
- Select the required Plan Manager Company
- Enter the relevant Name
- Enter the relevant Email Address
- Save the billing contact
The Plan Manager search and selection list displays the Company Name.
Only active Plan Managers are available when creating a new Plan Managed billing contact.
The Name and Email fields are mandatory and are initially blank so the relevant billing contact details can be entered.
More than one Plan Managed billing contact can be configured for a client where required.
5. How is a Plan Managed contact displayed in Billing Configuration?
Once saved, the client's Billing Configuration grid clearly identifies the Plan Managed contact.
The:
- Name column displays the Name entered when creating the Plan Managed contact
- Type column displays the selected Plan Manager Company followed by (PM)
- Email displays the billing contact email entered in the Plan Managed setup
For example:
Name: David John
Type: Sygnal Australia pty (PM)
6. How do Self Managed and Agency Managed billing contacts work?
When creating a Self Managed or Agency Managed billing contact, select the required Billing Contact Type:
- NDIS Self Managed
- NDIS Agency Managed
The Name field automatically displays the client's full name.
You can change the name before saving if a different billing contact name is required.
Once saved:
- The Name column displays the name entered in the billing contact
- The Type column displays NDIS Self Managed or NDIS Agency Managed, depending on the selected option
Mobile, Phone and Address are optional.
The Other option can continue to be used when a regular billing contact is required for an NDIS client.
7. What has changed for Aged Care, iCare and Other/Private clients?
Billing Configuration has also been simplified for these client types.
The previous Add Shared Billing Contact option has been removed, and users can create the required billing contact directly.
The previous Custom Flag is no longer required.
For Aged Care, the billing contact type is displayed as:
HCP – Home Care Packaged
For iCare and Other/Private clients, the billing contact type follows the applicable client subcategory. If a new subcategory is configured, it is also used as the corresponding billing contact type.
Mobile, Phone and Address are optional for these billing contacts.
8. How do these changes affect Roster Creation?
Roster creation continues through the existing Sygnal roster process.
However, where billing information is used for a shift, Sygnal now uses the client's updated Billing Configuration.
For NDIS clients, this means the shift billing information follows the client's configured arrangement:
- Plan Managed
- Self Managed
- Agency Managed
For Plan Managed clients, the relevant Plan Manager and billing contact details configured against the client are used for billing.
Users should ensure the client's Billing Configuration is correctly set up before creating and processing shifts.
9. How do these changes affect Roster Approval?
The existing Roster Approval process remains available.
When reviewing the Client Billing information for a shift, the billing details now follow the client's updated Billing Configuration.
This allows approvers to identify whether the applicable billing arrangement is Plan Managed, Self Managed or Agency Managed and review the corresponding billing information before approval.
Once approved, the configured billing information is used by the existing billing, invoice and reporting processes.
10. Has invoice tracking or the existing billing process changed?
No.
Existing invoice tracking and the overall billing process continue to work as before.
The main change is how Plan Managers and billing contacts are configured and identified throughout Sygnal.
Users should therefore make sure that the correct billing configuration is selected for the client before processing roster billing and reports.