New York -- March 28, 2024
Whether you are starting a new home care agency or growing your established one, human resources and compliance are an important part of the agency. Being compliant with Department of Health regulations are absolutely crucial. In choosing a home care management system, you have to think about what is necessary for your agency and what software options can provide for you. Here are 8 things to think about when choosing a home care management software:
Do I even need HR features?
You might not think it is necessary for you to think about human resources, especially if you are a small agency. Maybe all you think you need help with is financial matters and scheduling. However having human resources tools in place can keep your agency running smoothly, and you can feel protected as your business continues to grow. Situations and needs change as time goes on, so with extensive features you can be prepared for anything.
Can I trust that a management system is secure?
Yes! Security is a top concern for many home care agency owners, especially because there is so much delicate information at play. With a less detailed system, there is the possibility that information could get leaked or deleted. You need a secure system that will protect your clients’ and your employees’ information.
Carecenta offers secure options for communications, handling your employees’ private information, and financial information. With Carecenta you can send out communications through email and SMS, and they would be secure. This way you can run your business and make sure your employees have the correct information but without worrying about whether the channels are at risk.
Do regulations vary by state?
Indeed they do. Every state has their own requirements for being in compliance and home care agencies must stay aware of how regulations might change and update. Without that, you put your business, your employees’ livelihoods, and your patients at risk. But how do you keep track of how your agency is compliant with regulations?
Carecenta has automated compliance monitoring and reporting, which means that with a click of a button you can see how your agency is faring in accordance with state regulations. You can read the reports and see where you need to adjust. Carecenta has automated compliance population based on your local regulation, which will support your efforts to be compliant.
Do I need to perform background and immigration checks?
Yes. This is because you want to have control over who is working for you, and who is representing you out in the field. Without a proper human resources system, you could put your agency at risk for one thing. But also you might just end up costing yourself more time and more money to fix an issue. With a properly integrated HR system, you can document everything, and have everything on file for when or if you need it.
Carecenta has fully integrated background and immigration checks. This way everything is one place and you do not need to worry about losing information. This is an amazing way to protect your agency, your staff and your patients. By keeping these matters under control you can focus on delivering care to your clients and evolving your business as you see fit.
How do I keep track of employee attendance?
With home care agencies you are putting trust in your staff to be where they need to be at the times they are supposed to be there. Patients rely on that dependability and need for their aides to be consistent. When running an agency, you need a system in place to monitor employee attendance. You can do that manually, perhaps with check-ins and spreadsheets. Those tools might be helpful but as your agency grows it will be too hard to keep up. This is why you need an HR and compliance system.
Carecenta counts among its features employee time and attendance management. The feature is integrated with other parts of the management system. Through this feature, you can stay on top of who is going where and what adjustments need to be made. Maintaining consistent hours is part of state regulations, and so this feature will help you in that regard as well.
What happens if an employee is out of compliance?
It happens! It could just be a mistake or something bigger, but sometimes employees are out of compliance. However if you have a manual system then you might not be able to catch it as soon as it occurs. And then there is a snowball effect, and suddenly there’s a big headache on your head. This is why you need a fully automated and integrated system. Because the system will flag problem areas for your review.
With Carecenta, you can send text and email notifications to employees who are out of compliance. This will alert them to potential issues and allow them to correct whatever mistakes they are making or let them know where they stand. With an automated system, there are ways to mitigate issues as they come up and allow for communications with staff to let them know what is happening and what they need to do.
How are my employees protected?
While most of these tips have been about how to protect your agency. But it is equally important to protect employees for a few reasons. You want to retain good employees, make your agency a safe place to work, and maintain a good reputation among your pools of talent. So you need to understand the Department of Labor requirements. Again this is something that you can keep track of manually, however it’s one other thing you have to do.
One of the features with Carecenta is that the system has automated Department of Labor handling. This means the system will keep you ahead of requirements under the DOL. This means workers compensation, overtime, fair wages, and other employee concerns. Carecenta can be a useful tool for you with these issues because it allows you to focus on other matters.
How can I keep my employees up to date with the latest training?
There are Department of Health requirements for annual training through InService. The requirements include training and performance evaluation. Your employees must complete these, and owners can seek out external venues for the training. However, those could cost more money and time.
Carecenta offers In-Service training options for your employees and staff. By using Carecenta’s training materials, your staff can have everything they need in one place. This integration allows for cost-saving and for you to feel comfortable as an owner that your staff is keeping up with requirements. Carecenta is focused on making sure its clients are at the top of their game and this feature is a surefire way to maintain that standard.
Carecenta’s many HR features are essential for your home care agency. What separates Carecenta from its competitors is that it features a variety of options that make your job as owner easier. Everything is integrated and automated, and Carecenta covers almost all aspects of the business.