Ideas + Insights

Homecare Agencies Have Many Choices in Home Health Software Providers – A Guide on Where to Begin

So your agency has just opened, you’ve gotten your accreditation, hired a good dependable staff, even done some basic marketing to get the word out using online tools like craigslist, google and Instagram. Now comes the all-important decision of what Home Health Software to go with. A quick Google search for the term “Home Health Software” yields “About 1,200,000,000 results” “as Google conveniently and instantly kicks out to your screen. Your monitor is riddled with a series of “Sponsored” ads from companies claiming to make your work easier, give you hundreds of features, let you focus on management or patient care, and a bevy of other promises. Right beneath that, as you scan the next 5 to 6 pages, you are greeted with dozens upon dozens of companies all with websites, videos, testimonials, case studies, product pages, and endless online sales pitches designed to make you purchase and often sign a contract to use their software.

The entire process can be a whirlwind, and yet, choosing the right software is a very important decision that can have waves of lasting impact for your agency and your staff for many months, sometimes even years to come. You want to make the right decision, be thorough, and give your business the attention it deserves. Here’s a few steps to add some organization to this critical process, in an age where time is the one thing we could all use more of.

NAVIGATING THE INTRACACIES OF PREPARATION, CHALLENGES, & UNDERSTANDING PDGM

The moment PDGM (The Patient-Driven Groupings Model) takes effect in the year 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) looks to see their new edict change the landscape of home health care operations, specifically with regard to double billing. With PDGM representing the largest wholesale revamp in many years, agencies and providers will need to dedicate significant attention to using this year to ensure proper preparation. With the number of changes in store, inevitably some agencies will contest specific aspects of PDGM’s new requirements.

With EVV Mandates on the Rise Nationwide, Two Companies Join Forces to Offer Homecare Agencies Compliance & Convenience

Sandata Technologies, one of the nation's leading providers of home care solutions designed to simplify the process of managing services for government agencies, Managed Care Organizations, and other home care providers, issued a national press release showcasing the recent team up with Alora to address the need for effective electronic visit verification solutions. While Alora Home Health Software has specialized in simple to use solutions for the home care industry since 2005, their development over the last few years of powerful tools for homecare agencies to verifiy visits including integrated EVV, Telephony, & AideConnect, places the company at the forefront of providers who focus on compliance paired with homecare technology.

As stated in the press release, their integration with Alora allows agencies using the Alora Home Health Software to maximize the benefits of Sandata's state sponsored EVV solution, while ensuring compliance with the 21^st Century Cures Act EVV mandate. 

To read the full press release click below:

New EVV Survey Raises Concerns Among Homecare Providers & Industry Officials

As the movement towards mandatory EVV on the federal level continues to march forward, officials at CMS have been steadily preparing for the possible rollout of a national electronic visit verification (EVV) survey. This survey would be a non-optional requirement for agencies providing many types of care, and is intended to strengthen agency accountability, patient care, and reduce the rampant fraud that recent reports have suggested is still on the rise in numerous states.