Minimum Data Set reporting for Community Care
All organisations that receive Commonwealth and/or State funding, from small providers to large agencies, are required to collect Minimum Data Set (MDS) data on a quarterly basis for submission to the National Data Repository (NDR).
The MDS is a set of nationally agreed data items about service users and the amount and type of assistance being provided. All data is de-identified to protect the privacy of individuals.
Collection of MDS data helps program planning and helps to create better outcomes for service users.
MDS reporting timeframes
- Quarter 1
- Collection period: 1 January—31 March
- Submission month: 1—30 April
- Quarter 2
- Collection period: 1 April—30 June
- Submission month: 1—31 July
- Quarter 3
- Collection period: 1 July—30 September
- Submission month: 1—31 October
- Quarter 4
- Collection period: 1 October—31 December
- Submission month: 1—31 January
Submission and validation of reports
Submit all MDS reports to:
- Email: mdssubmission@haccmds.gov.au
Once a submission is sent, a confirmation email will be sent back to the sender acknowledging the submission has been received. A validation report is then forwarded to sender as well as to the registered email address in the NDS database.
Late submission
If you are unable to submit an MDS report by the end of the submission month, advise your organisation's contract manager. If you don't have contact details for your contract manager, call Community Care Contract Management on (07) 3898 0100.
Validation reports
A validation report is a validation summary conducted by the NDR on submitted MDS reports. The subject line of the validation report email will contain one of the following messages:
- 'SUCCESS! Well done'
- 'PARTIAL SUCCESS—Some records rejected'
- 'ERROR—Submission not accepted'
You are encouraged to review the validation report, which may involve scrolling to the bottom of the page. A 'Success! Well done' response may still contain an invalid client record and result in that client record being excluded from your organisation's performance report.
If errors are identified from the validation report, it is important to correct them and resubmit while the revision month is open.
Revision sweeps
Revision sweeps provide an opportunity for HACC/Community Care funded service providers to submit any misses quarterly submissions or to revise any previously-sent MDS data to the NDR.
Revision sweeps happen outside of the routine submission months and may not always be available. Data should be routinely submitted within the specified submission periods.
Update MDS contact details
Advise MDS Queensland of any changes to your organisation's contact details:
More information
MDS collection and submission requirements are outlined in the Home and Community Care Program National MDS User Guide:
Other MDS online resources are also available.
Further MDS enquiries can be directed to the MDS National Helpdesk:
- 1800 638 427
- mdssupport@haccmds.gov.au
