3 Tools Your Home Care Agency Needs to be Successful in a Consumer Directed Care (CDC) Environment

The Australian aged care sector is embracing change in 2017. Effective February 27th, the Consumer Directed Care (CDC) regulation is in full effect. The shifting environment presents new challenges for home care providers, but will ultimately result in improved client experiences and a truly client-focused home care industry. Here is Tracey Silvester, Executive Manager at Envigor Private Home Care, an AlayaClient, discussing Consumer Directed Care (CDC), its implementation and its implications to home care recipients on ABC 24 Australia-wide prime-time news bulletin:

In addition to Tracy’s recommendations, to ensure your agency is prepared and is providing the most efficient, client-focused services, an end-to-end home care software solution could be your key to success. Here are three tools and features you can find in the AlayaCare home care software platform that will ease your agency’s transition to the new CDC model:

1. Complex Financial Management

CDC will test the providers’ technologies to their limits, especially when complex rules are incorporated (e.g. Department of Veteran’s Affairs (DVA), Transition Care programs).

IT systems will require well thought-out architecture that must account for subsidized billing, split billing, and cascade billing. Furthermore, the billing unit could be either by visit or by hour or it may follow an outcome based pathway.

Compounding these challenges is the need for information to be simplified for consumers as they are controlling the funds. The consumer should be able to easily understand where their government sourced funding goes, how their co-payments are being applied and in the case of fee for service arrangements what they are paying for – hourly rates, weekly rates, monthly statements, etc.

2. Wearable Technologies

Wellness data such as steps, clinical information in vitals, fall detection and GPS location and streamed in real-time to the homecare EHR offers enormous potential to providers. Beyond the obvious persistent connectivity to clients the incoming data can be mined and used in big data settings to enable decision support scenarios. The peace of mind for family members when agencies offer virtual care can often permit clients to remain in their home longer and in greater comfort.

3. Web Portals

Imagine having the ability to invite clients, family members and physicians to gain access to a customized access view of operations, financial and health information. Modern systems such as AlayaCare incorporate Access Control Levels (ACLs) where data from systems are shared on a permission level to ensure key stakeholders have visibility into client care.

The days of using outdated systems and paper processes are long gone and are now being replaced with streamlined and flexible software solutions. Providers need to be able to stay on the track with the industry as it is constantly changing, so providers need a solution that offers the same amount of flexibility.

AlayaCare’s home care software platform is uniquely suited to support the shifting home healthcare environment. Our end-to-end solution offers the tools necessary for care providers and clients to plan, deliver and improve care.

Interested in learning more about how AlayaCare will impact home care agency operations in a CDC environment?

Request a demo of our solution today.

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