Episode of care—first service delivery date (community setting)

The date of first delivery of service to a person in a non-institutional setting.

The definition excludes:

• visits made to persons in institutional settings such as liaison visits or discharge planning visits, made in a hospital or residential aged care service, with the intent of planning for the future delivery of community-based services;
• first visits where there is no contact with the person, such as a first visit where no-one is at home.
• telephone, letter or other such contacts made with the person prior to the first home visit.

In situations where the first delivery of service determines that no future visit needs to be made, the date of first delivery of service and the date of last delivery of service will be the same.