To ensure you manage your Consumer Directed Care packages efficiently and in accordance with prevailing legislation, having the right systems in place will help.
IN ACCORDANCE WITH LEGISLATION, YOU MUST PROVIDE CONSUMERS WITH:
- A Home Care Agreement
- A Care Plan
- An Individualised Budget
- Monthly statements showing the balance of unspent funds
THE SYSTEMS YOU NEED TO OPTIMISE THE END-TO-END CDC PROCESS ARE:
For the Consumer:
- An on-boarding system to generate the Home Care Agreement, Care Plan & Individualised Budget at the initial visit. This includes the ability to sign the Home Care Agreement immediately
- Statement generation, which includes the tracking of the consumer’s unspent funds, income and expenditure
- Billing and Receivables
For the Home Care Provider:
- A consumer database
- A staff rostering capability
- A kilometre tracking/route optimisation (i.e. GPS) system
- A Care Plan management system
- A supplier management system (this could include a purchasing system) including:
- Compliance
- Scheduling of services
- Recording & payment of invoices
- Reconciliation of actual income and expenditure to budget
- A financial system to correctly allocate income, expenditure and unspent funds
It would be ideal to find a system that does all this efficiently and cost effectively which is a big ask. Currently there are systems providing some elements of integrated functionality which do some things well and others not so well. Home Care Providers are better off utilising multiple systems that provide the best functionality for the service they’re providing, and establishing integration processes across platforms that are robust and readily reconcilable. This ensures optimal system functionality, while eliminating the re-keying of data.
Your staffing structure is also critical, as you don’t want your Care Advisors caught up with administrative tasks. Freeing Care Advisors of administrative responsibilities by employing appropriately trained administration staff to complete the following tasks is essential to achieve the cost efficiencies required in a consumer-driven, competitive marketplace.
- Setting up new consumers
- Rostering care staff
- Organising external services
- Completing supplier compliance such as agreements, police checks & insurance
To discuss your Consumer Directed Care processes, or to arrange a demonstration of Care Collaborator – specialist cloud based software developed to complete the on-boarding process at the initial consumer visit – please contact Debra Ward at Care Collaborator via the web page: www.carecollaborator.com.au, email debra@carecollaborator.com.au or mobile 0438 020 728.
