Calls to overhaul Labor’s aged care assessment algorithm

Pressure is mounting on the federal government to overhaul its aged care assessment algorithm after data revealed nearly a fifth of older Australians who contested their AI-determined home support received more funding upon human review.Shadow Aged Care Minister Anne Ruston secured support both from the Coalition and crossbenchers when she introduced the bill contesting the use of the Integrated Assessment Tool (IAT) on Wednesday, which she labelled a “cruel tool” (ABC).Experts, doctors, and aged-care providers have criticised the federal government’s use of the IAT, notably because assessors cannot override the algorithm’s decisions on participant funding (ABC).Despite the concerns from politicians and experts, Health and Ageing Minister Mark Butler said he remained a “strong supporter” of the assessment framework, and insisted there was still “a very significant role of clinical assessors through this process” (ABC).“We are seeing an increased use of automated decision-making in aged care, in NDIS … Once AI starts coming into the way government’s running its services, that will explode, and we need to get the basics right now before there is that change in the future,” said the independent member for Curtin, Kate Chaney (The Saturday Paper).Data from between November and March 31 shows 757 requests for a review of a Support at Home funding allocation under the IAT. Of those, 141 led to a change in outcome more favourable for the older person, resulting in eligibility for more services, a different classification or higher classification level, or a higher priority category (The Guardian).