QuickClaim for SIL
October 18, 2023
How to connect to the ndis API with quickclaim
October 18, 2023
Using a card with QR technology to process an NDIS claim after a therapy session, or scanning on and off when using an accessible vehicle to calculate the right fare and claim it from an NDIS fund isn’t just a vision of the future. The technology exists today!
Learn how QR codes can now be used to make NDIS claiming faster and easier for NDIS participants and providers alike.
What is a QR Code and are they secure?
Quick Response Codes, known as QR codes, are square two-dimensional barcodes or scannable patterns that are laid out in a series of black and white squares that transmit information between devices. They cannot be hacked and if they are altered the black and white pixels look different to the naked eye. Today, QR codes are most commonly used to securely direct people to a website, to download files or as a new method of processing payments.
How can QR codes be used for NDIS claiming?
The recent release of the NDIS API has empowered the disability sector with a powerful tool. Software companies are now enabled to build innovative solutions that communicate with the NDIS Portal more effectively.
As an official NDIS Digital Partner, quickclaim has recently developed the very first NDIS QR Code Payment Gateway which makes NDIS payments more efficient and more secure for both participants and providers. We have also developed the qc.pay and qc.card apps to give you easy and instant access to the payment gateway.
This payment gateway is similar to any other payment systems that we use everyday – like when we tap our debit card in a cafe to pay for our double shot almond milk latte. The difference is that the quickclaim gateway uses QR technology and, instead of the banking network, it is connected to the NDIS Portal.
How does it work in real life?
Let’s imagine two different scenarios where the quickclaim apps and QR code technology will make the process of NDIS service delivery and claiming easier.
Pat’s Story
Pat is a very busy speech therapist who loves working with her clients to improve their abilities and reach their goals. She is a sole practitioner and spends many hours each week on processing her NDIS claims – which is time-consuming, unpaid work. She is frustrated when she often finds that a client’s NDIS budget has already been spent and she can’t be paid for her services. She also finds it difficult to remember all of the services she has delivered because she tracks her weekly schedule in a paper diary.
Pat uses the qc.pay app on her mobile phone and tells her clients about the qc.card. With just her mobile phone, Pat is able to easily check client NDIS plans and can create a service booking for future speech therapy sessions, ensuring she never provides a service she won’t be paid for. She also uses the qc.pay app to process an instant claim at the end of every speech therapy session, meaning there’s no more NDIS admin at the end of a busy day.
Sam’s Story
Sam is a tech journalist who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair for mobility. He has a busy schedule but lives in a suburb without reliable public transport and requires assisted transport daily. Sam has found a great transportation service from a local disability provider, with friendly and helpful staff. Unfortunately, they find it hard to keep track of Sam’s changing schedule and he has to talk to the office staff every week to ensure they are claiming for the correct transport services he has received. Sam can’t imagine how difficult it must be for the provider to keep track of the NDIS claiming of the hundreds of other people with disability that they support.
Through Sam’s job he learns about quickclaim and realises the technology can be used to track and claim his transportation services. By simply scanning the QR code on Sam’s qc.card app every time he is picked up and dropped off by the disability provider, his information is accurately recorded by the provider and can be sent instantly to the NDIS portal for claiming, with no weekly calls to the office. Sam also feels secure knowing he can easily see every time they make a claim against his NDIS funding, giving him even more choice and control over his disability services.
How does the technology work?
There are two different ways that quickclaim uses QR technology to make NDIS claiming simple and safe – 1) a unique ID code for every participant and 2) single-use codes (tokens) that expire after a short period of time.
1. Unique ID Codes
A participant’s unique ID code is an encrypted and secure way of storing identity information, such as an NDIS number and date of birth. Instead of sharing these details with providers and letting them be stored within the providers’ system, the ID code can be used to let providers access plan and service booking data from the NDIS without sharing that private information. The key benefit of using the QR code is that participants can always see who has accessed their data (only with their consent) and can grant or revoke access at any time.
2. Single Use Codes
Single-use codes are like a digital signature that gives permission for a single, specific transaction. These QR codes are ‘disposable’, meaning they are only valid for a short period of time and will expire once they have either been used or the time period is up. These single-use codes can be used by participants to sign off on a payment request or accept an invoice and once they have been used they become invalid and cannot be used again. Single-use QR codes are the most secure and efficient way of processing NDIS payments for everyone involved.
Think of QR codes as a key
The easiest way to understand these QR codes is to imagine they are like a key that opens up a safe with your personal information stored inside. If you give your unique ID code to someone they can open the safe while they have the key but you can take the key away from them at any time, without letting them keep your important documents forever. You can also easily keep track of who has the key, what level of access they have and when they opened the safe. A single use code is like a key that allows someone to open the safe and access money stored inside but that key stops working as soon as it’s been used once or the time limit expires.
For participants, using QR codes keeps your NDIS budget secure by only giving out the key for specific payments, unlike the current system where it’s hard to change these permissions. For providers, scanning a QR code means that you have been handed the key and each claim you make is authorised and verified, bringing your claiming in line with the best practice for the sector.
How can I use the QR technology?
There are many ways to utilise the NDIS QR technology that quickclaim has already developed. Currently our technology is available to all providers, planners, participants and software providers who want to use it within their existing service booking and claiming processes.
QR technology for Providers, Planner and Participants
We have developed two mobile apps qc.card and qc.pay which are going to be launched very soon. The apps will give free and instant access to important information such as NDIS plans and service bookings and, most importantly, let you make instant NDIS claims. They will also allow participants to secure their data and change important permissions with the simple click of a button.
QR technology for Software Developers
Quickclaim has developed ‘QR code Issuer’ and ‘QR code Scanner’ APIs and they will soon be part of our published APIs, publicly available on our website. These APIs will allow you to establish a live two-way connection to the NDIS portal with the ability to get data from the NDIS, including information about participants’ plans and service bookings, and to post data to the NDIS, including processing a claim or creating a service booking
NDIS Payment Cards
As a digital partner of the NDIS, quickclaim has developed the first NDIS payment card, which uses secure QR technology. Participants simply download our app, fill in their NDIS details and they will be immediately issued with a digital card that allows for secure payments for NDIS services.
