Finding the right software to fit your needs
Finding the right software to fit your needs
Many offer scheduling software for private duty
In this age of automation, and with so many new software packages coming on the market, it's no wonder that private duty agencies need assistance when it comes to finding the right software.
The biggest challenge is finding software that caters to the private duty industry and its specific needs. Some agencies just need scheduling, others need scheduling and billing. To help in your search to find the right software package for your agency, Private Duty Homecare has compiled a list of several vendors, which should give you a starting point. Keep in mind, this is not a complete listing of available software.
C3-Schedule People and Time.
Schedule People and Time is a schedule-only program that will interface with several different billing systems. Don Miller, executive vice president of C3 Inc., a home care software vendor in Bloomfield, CT, says the software's strong suit is its reporting module, with more than 200 reports.
"An agency does not have to buy other products just to get a good scheduling program," Miller says. "Because it is a stand-alone product, our resources are devoted to scheduling. We are not preoccupied by changes in regulations, which can tie some other companies down."
C3 offers several modular programs that can be purchased separately or together and include scheduling, management and clinical reporting, and verification and export to interface with billing programs. Costs for a small agency run about $2,900 for a single user. Multi-users cost about $7,800. The maintenance package costs $100 to $175 per month and includes unlimited support, software upgrades, and training.
"I find that the summary and detailed information I generate from the C3 software helps me to define my entire business," says Beverly Simone, MS, executive director of Caretenders Inc. in Danbury, CT. "I look at the reports to define what I need to improve and measure. These reports, which are customized to our needs, help me run a very tight automated process."
Resource Management Systems-Home Care Scheduling System.
Resource Management Systems (RMS) based in Milwaukee provides private duty agencies with a schedule-only software program. Mike Hunas, president and owner, says the product is simple to use.
"This has been the secret to our success," he says. "We focus on the scheduling component in a target marketplace - home care." He says that although many other scheduling programs generate an automatic schedule, the Home Care Scheduling System relies on a human scheduler to do the work. "It doesn't replace the scheduler but enhances his or her skills and better utilizes time."
How much is it?
The cost of the software program, which includes over-the-phone training, is $3,500 for a single user. A second station is $1,200; additional stations are $600 each. Yearly maintenance is 15% of the total cost of the package.
"We picked RMS because it was the easiest software for our employees to use. The menus are clear and information is easy to find," says Pat Johnson, RN, owner and administrator of Caring Hands Home Care Inc. in Sebeka, MN. Johnson says her agency was able to schedule more hours into an aide's or nurse's time to better utilize them.
"Our productivity increased. We went from 600 visits per month to 2,500 visits per month," she says, adding that her agency saves money on mileage, and staff and clients get more consistency of service.
Delta Health Systems-Home Care System.
Delta Health Systems in Altoona, PA, offers a Home Care System suited for a full-service home care environment. Delta has a separate private duty module that tracks rates, produces bills, and runs profitability reports. This module cannot be purchased separately. "Private duty agencies use the Delta system for the flexibility of the system and track negotiated pay rates on a patient-to-patient basis. Data flow through the system automatically," says Keith Crownover, national sales manager.
He says the scheduling system has built-in time tickets that, when verified, flow directly to the billing and payroll portions of the program. Crownover says a complete system, with up to 16 users, costs an agency around $17,000. The private duty module can be added for $4,500. The maintenance program costs $280 per month and includes support, training, and twice-a-year updates.
Sands Business Solutions-Scheduling Control System/Billing Control System.
Sands Business Solutions Inc., based in St. Paul, MN, offers three modules that can be integrated or stand alone: Scheduling Control System, Billing Control System, and Integrated Home Care Software.
The company focuses only on the home care environment and says that 50% of its client base consists of private duty organizations. "The scheduling program works off a master schedule that is based on what the client needs," says Rob Rude, president. "This is then stored as a template to create future scheduling." Rude says the scheduling program also tracks the availability of staff, staff skills, and client profiles.
A single user agency can expect to spend $4,000 for the scheduling module and $3,000 for billing. Up to five users will run $6,000 for scheduling and $4,000 for billing. Maintenance, which includes technical support, software updates, and new reports, costs 15% of the purchase price annually.
"I have found the software to be extremely user-friendly," says Roberta Parker, president of Compassionate Home Care in Minneapolis. "I use the scheduling and billing modules. There are many reports to choose from, and the company's willingness to create new reports as I needed them was impressive."
CareKeeper Software Inc.
"Our strength is our private duty focus and the schedule-driven financial management software package that we offer," says Dorothy Levy, president and founder of CareKeeper. "The software has the flexibility to meet the diverse needs of private duty agencies."
CareKeeper offers four levels of software to help private duty agencies become more efficient: scheduling, revenue management to integrate scheduling with bill and pay rates, branch management for multi-site operations, and one-step integrated software that integrates scheduling, billing, payroll, and client and worker management. The cost for the software, which includes 24-hour support and two days of training, is about $15,000 for a single-user license. Each additional user is $1,600. Yearly maintenance is 20% of the software purchase cost.
"CareKeeper has always accommodated our needs as a private duty agency," says Nancy Host, executive director of Visiting Nurse Extra Care, a private duty agency in Maumee, OH.
"It has grown with us and makes changes in the software based on customer input." Host says she uses the software's reports continually, referring to accounts receivable, profitability reports, and monthly spot checks on scheduling. She says the software helps the company control costs. "We have not had to add staff even while we experienced an increase in volume.
HBOC-Pathways Homecare.
"Pathways Homecare covers all aspects of home care, including private duty," says Monique Schnaath, marketing research and communications manager for HBO & Company, a home care software vendor based in Springfield, MI. The system does not offer separate modules for purchase but instead provides a fully integrated system for intake, office clinical, personnel scheduling, point of care, reimbursement, home care pharmacy, and home medical equipment. It includes a report package that highlights profitability and financial data. The cost of the software depends on an agency's size, number of users, and patient volume.
Michael Shifferd, director of information technology for the VNA of Western Michigan in Grand Rapids, says the HBOC software he purchased was worth the investment. "We had a lot of upfront work with the software to configure it to our agency," he says. "It has helped us to make our processes more efficient, especially the flow of information."
In his research, Shifferd found that HBOC was the only package that used a relational database - which pulled scheduling, billing, and clinical information from one place. "We have different views of the information for the many areas of the agency. It has common user access, and the learning curve is lessened."
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