Like every industry, home care has its challenges. But the beginning of a new year is the perfect time to reevaluate your home care operations and standardize your management processes.
Don’t wait until the middle of the year or the fourth quarter to implement the change your agency needs. And remember, changes don’t have to be huge. Start small and enact some easy yet meaningful changes in the first quarter of the year to get your agency off on the right foot for 2024.
Pay Attention to Payroll
The payroll process is something that should be reviewed multiple per year, not annually. That being said, the beginning of the year is a great time to update your processes that your home care agency plans to utilize throughout the year.
Reviewing billing and payroll processes could actually save your home care agency dozens of hours of manual work by the end of the year. By putting automated processes in place and streamlining your workflow, those hours could then be used for other things like:
- Caregiver recruitment
- Caregiver training
- Caregiver retention
- New client recruitment
- Sales efforts
- Branding and marketing
- Networking
Learn What You Don’t Know
There are too many agencies that are not fully taking advantage of their home care management software. Instead of waiting until your operations are stretched to the limit, reach out to your software vendor to find out what your agency could be doing differently.
The purpose of software like Rosemark is to make your workflow easier. By embracing automation and getting rid of old school manual processes, home care agencies are often surprised how easy it is to implement small changes that end up saving tons of time.
Evaluate and Review Your Key Performance Indicators
Every business should have key performance indicators, or KPIs, they use to measure success. KPIs for home care could include anything from profit margins to cancellations by clients or staff.
Using the reporting tools provided by your home care software is the best way to stay on top of your KPIs. You can read more about different types of reports and how they can be used to make effective changes for 2024 in this previous blog post.
If pulling reports feels daunting, remember that software systems like Rosemark have pre-built reports in place to make it easy for home care agencies to access their data. For a deeper dive or more customized report, agencies should feel empowered to reach out to their home care software provider and ask for help.
New Year, New Technology
We launched the new Rosemark Caregiver App last October, and it’s a game changer. If your agency has not looked into it yet, you’re missing out on a tremendous opportunity to implement the number one tool in your caregiver’s toolbox.
Let’s look at a few of the benefits of the new caregiver app:
- The new caregiver app does a more comprehensive job with location acquisition.
- In plain terms, the new app is more easy to use than the old caregiver mobile app.
- The user interface is cleaner and more directive. It encourages the user (caregiver) to use the app as it’s intended to be used and removes the guesswork.
- EVV is much improved with the new app, making the clock in and out process faster and more efficient.
- The new app is much better when it comes to logging tasks, completing tasks, and collecting signatures.
If you haven’t asked your caregivers to upgrade to a better app experience, here’s a step-by-step guide on how to download the app.
Simplify Your Agency’s Processes
When it comes to making your business run more smoothly and efficiently, sometimes making small changes can add up to significant time saving.
One example of that is setting up auto pay with your vendors. It might sound simple, but if you have to worry about whether or not your bill was paid, that takes time from your day and adds unnecessary stress to your life.
Most vendors this day and age offer or even require auto pay. Look through your bills and see if your home care agency has auto pay set up with each of them. If not, reach out to that vendor and ask if they offer it. Normally, the vendor will be more than happy to help you set up auto pay and might even offer a one-time discount if you sign up.
Again, it’s a simple thing, but how much time and effort does it take you to write a check or log onto a site to pay a bill that could be automatically deducted on a monthly basis? You might be surprised by how much time you save yourself at the end of year just by setting up these processes in the first quarter.
Goal Setting Like a Home Care Pro
The best way to kick off the new year right is to think about what you want your future to look like and determine the best way to get there.
That’s where goal setting comes in. It’s an important tool for any organization, big or small.
- Start by setting targets for your goals.
- Think strategically about what you want to achieve in 2024.
- Reach out to your software company to see if they can help assist your agency with any of your goals, especially if they relate to operations.
- Forecast your year based on reports and key performance indicators from the previous year. Reach out to your software company to see if they recommend and can provide you with customized reports based on your goals.
No matter where your agency ended in 2023, remember that 2024 is a brand new year. You’ve got a whole year’s worth of time on the calendar to implement, work hard on, and achieve any new goals you set for yourself and your home care agency this year.
Please reach out to your customer success team at Rosemark if we can help your home care agency kick off the new year right. We’d love to help you and your staff:
- Achieve your goals
- Streamline your workflow so your operations run more efficiently
- Or simply chat with you about strategies for the coming year