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Why automation is the key to efficient and effective care management
The most effective way to improve care management is by utilizing modern technology to increase the overall efficiency of your home care business, such as automation tools with your home care software.
In our blog, 3 ways to improve care management in home care, we talked about how improving care management within your home care organization can increase client satisfaction and quality of care, eliminate unnecessary costs by optimizing workflows and processes to allow staff and caregivers to deliver the best care, and overall increase the efficiency of the entire home care business resulting in growth.
To help you find the right automation tools to improve client care management, we’ve created a checklist you can also download to improve home care management through automation:
By downloading the checklist, agencies can quickly assess which automation tools are most suitable for their home care operations. Automation can make data management easier, increase productivity and improve the quality of care while reducing operational errors in home care services.
Other benefits include…
1. Streamlined scheduling
Missed visits or late appointments can put a dent in your client’s continuity of care and therefore care management. According to a report by Home Care Pulse, missed visits occur in 5.5% of all home care appointments. It also found that scheduling errors are 24% of the reason for missed visits. Automation can help streamline client scheduling and reduce manual administrative tasks. Tools that optimize caregiver schedules can help remove human errors, increase efficiency, and reduce the possibility of missed or late visits.
AlayaCare worked with an enterprise private duty client to implement schedule and route optimization, which led to significant increases in savings and employee utilization, ultimately improving the organization’s client care management. After implementing streamlined scheduling and route optimization, they found a:
- 46% reduction in travel time
- 48% reduction in mileage
- 24% increase in daily visits scheduled
- 24% increase in employee utilization
2. Enhanced communication
There are different ways to make sure your caregivers are providing effective communication with your clients. These tools can increase transparency for your clients and their family members by giving them access to parts of their client health records, and easy access to schedule information to view and request any changes.
“Consistent and quality communication with our families is crucial. Our families need to know who is working with their child, and how their child is doing. Having the Family Portal allows our families to have easy access to the information they need in order to feel comfortable and have confidence in the care their family is receiving.”
– Charles Wong, Founder & President, CarePros.
3. Increased efficiency
Adrian Shauer, CEO of AlayaCare,’s Top predictions for home-based care in 2023 report stated that it’s estimated that agencies spend as much as one-third of their gross profit coordinating and supervising the care being delivered and putting far too much effort spent on administrative tasks and not enough on what all home care staff should be predominantly engaged in decision-making and building relationships with clients and caregivers.
Automating processes can help reduce errors and increase efficiency in the client care process. For example, according to HomeCare Magazine, home care providers have reported increases of up to 40-70% in operational efficiency since implementing automation to manage their operational processes.
4. Improved tracking
Automation can help track key metrics related to patient health, providing professionals with real-time data to make informed decisions about treatment plans. Analytics and reporting tools can help home care agencies identify opportunities for improvement such as client outcomes, caregiver performance, and business operation process efficiency, enabling home care businesses to make data-driven decisions and implement necessary changes more effectively.
Learn more about specific key performance indicators (KPIs) that can really move home care in our blog, Key Performance Indicators: The Power of Data in Home Care.
5. Enhanced quality of care
Automation can provide more accurate data for decision-making, and lead to a higher quality of care for clients receiving services from providers. For example, according to a study by Berland A, Bentsen SB, automating processes in home care organizations has been shown to reduce medication errors by up to 50%.
By automating various time-consuming and costly administrative and care-related processes, home care software can help home care agencies work more efficiently and effectively, improving the quality of care provided to clients.
6. Reduced costs
By eliminating labor costs associated with manual processes, such as scheduling appointments, completing paperwork, and tracking medical records, automation can save on costs. For example, according to a study by McKinsey, healthcare providers have seen an average cost reduction of 20-30% after implementing automation systems for managing their operations.
Automated systems are also more reliable, allowing for accurate data collection and analysis that can help identify potential problems before they arise which can save you money in the long run. Automated systems allow for less time spent on the coordination of care and can save money by reducing the amount of time necessary for complete care coordination.
Overall, automation can improve client care management in home care by streamlining scheduling, enhancing communication between caregivers and clients, increasing efficiency in operational processes, improving data tracking, enhancing the quality of care, and reducing overall costs.
Automation and AI come hand in hand in improving operational efficiencies and client care management.
Learn about how machine learning and optimization algorithms are impacting home care delivery by watching our webinar Transforming Home Care with AI: How Machine Learning and Optimization Algorithms are Impacting Care Delivery.
