As we approach the end of the year, it’s time to start thinking about setting goals for your home care agency in the new year! Setting goals helps to ensure that you’re working towards something specific, provides direction for your team, and helps to measure progress and success over time.
So, where do you begin? Start by taking a step back and evaluating where your agency is currently at. Are there areas that need improvement? Are there growth opportunities? Once you’ve identified these areas, it’s time to set some goals.
Make your goals “S.M.A.R.T.”
When setting goals, it’s important to make them specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. For example, a goal like “increase revenue” is too broad and difficult to measure. Instead, a specific and measurable goal could be to “increase revenue by 10% in the first quarter by expanding waiver types.”
Another strategy for setting goals is to break them down into smaller, actionable steps. For example, if your goal is to improve client satisfaction, you could break it down into smaller steps like sending client surveys, implementing client feedback, and providing training to staff.
With that being said here are 3 goals we recommend at GEOH to help make your agency successful!
1. Reducing Manual Check-ins.
Many agencies have a high manual check-in rate. The higher your agency’s manual check-in rate the higher risk your agency holds for being audited. Because of this, we HIGHLY recommend one of your 3 goals this year be to reduce your manual check-in rates! If your agency currently has a 50% manual check-in rate (Yikes!) Make a realistic goal to try to reduce this by at least 10%. (We recommend every agency to have a check-in rate below 10%, but you have to start somewhere.)
SMART Goal Example:
Reduce manual check-ins by 10% on February 14th.
Action item: Text every caregiver who had a manual check-in daily.
Action item: Provide technology training on “How To Check In”.
Action item: Come up with a manual check-in strike system for caregivers.
2. Reduce Active Visits
One way to increase your revenue is to improve your billing. Billing can be such a hassle! One of the most common billing mistakes is leaving end-of-day visits active and open! At the end of the day, we highly recommend making sure everyone is clocked out. This will keep you from going over the authorized units and keep you from leaving money on the table!
SMART Goal Example:
Have zero active visits by the end of the week.
Action item: Check for any active visits daily. Have 100% of caregivers clocked out before I go home every day.
3. Gain new clients
Every agency owner has a desire to grow their agency but how can you get there? When it comes to marketing a Home Care agency, there are a variety of ways to get your name out there and reach potential clients. One way is through social media, where you can create engaging content and connect with your community.
- Consider hosting a Q&A session or sharing heartwarming stories from your clients. Another effective strategy is partnering with other healthcare providers, such as doctors or hospitals, to establish a referral network. This can increase your exposure and credibility with potential clients.
- Additionally, attending community events, such as health fairs senior expos, and the Special Olympics. This will allow you time to meet those in need who may need help!
- Expand your waiver types! Look into adding more waivers to your agency to help you gain new clients.
- Encouraging your satisfied clients to refer their friends and family to your agency can be a powerful tool in growing your business. By utilizing these different methods, your homecare agency can thrive and provide compassionate care to those who need it most.
SMART GOAL: Grow my agency by 5 clients this month.
Action item: Post a customer story every Friday on social media!
Action item: Go to a Special Olympics on (date here) and have my business cards ready for any families that may need help.
We hope you found these goals useful to take back to your agency! Setting goals for your home care agency in the new year can help to provide direction and ensure success. By making your goals specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound, breaking them down into actionable steps, and tracking progress along the way, you’ll be well on your way to achieving success in the new year. Happy goal-setting!
3 Goals Your Agency Needs To Set This New Year
/in GEOH News/by Tom BumgardnerAs we approach the end of the year, it’s time to start thinking about setting goals for your home care agency in the new year! Setting goals helps to ensure that you’re working towards something specific, provides direction for your team, and helps to measure progress and success over time.
So, where do you begin? Start by taking a step back and evaluating where your agency is currently at. Are there areas that need improvement? Are there growth opportunities? Once you’ve identified these areas, it’s time to set some goals.
Make your goals “S.M.A.R.T.”
When setting goals, it’s important to make them specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. For example, a goal like “increase revenue” is too broad and difficult to measure. Instead, a specific and measurable goal could be to “increase revenue by 10% in the first quarter by expanding waiver types.”
Another strategy for setting goals is to break them down into smaller, actionable steps. For example, if your goal is to improve client satisfaction, you could break it down into smaller steps like sending client surveys, implementing client feedback, and providing training to staff.
With that being said here are 3 goals we recommend at GEOH to help make your agency successful!
1. Reducing Manual Check-ins.
Many agencies have a high manual check-in rate. The higher your agency’s manual check-in rate the higher risk your agency holds for being audited. Because of this, we HIGHLY recommend one of your 3 goals this year be to reduce your manual check-in rates! If your agency currently has a 50% manual check-in rate (Yikes!) Make a realistic goal to try to reduce this by at least 10%. (We recommend every agency to have a check-in rate below 10%, but you have to start somewhere.)
SMART Goal Example:
Reduce manual check-ins by 10% on February 14th.
Action item: Text every caregiver who had a manual check-in daily.
Action item: Provide technology training on “How To Check In”.
Action item: Come up with a manual check-in strike system for caregivers.
2. Reduce Active Visits
One way to increase your revenue is to improve your billing. Billing can be such a hassle! One of the most common billing mistakes is leaving end-of-day visits active and open! At the end of the day, we highly recommend making sure everyone is clocked out. This will keep you from going over the authorized units and keep you from leaving money on the table!
SMART Goal Example:
Have zero active visits by the end of the week.
Action item: Check for any active visits daily. Have 100% of caregivers clocked out before I go home every day.
3. Gain new clients
Every agency owner has a desire to grow their agency but how can you get there? When it comes to marketing a Home Care agency, there are a variety of ways to get your name out there and reach potential clients. One way is through social media, where you can create engaging content and connect with your community.
SMART GOAL: Grow my agency by 5 clients this month.
Action item: Post a customer story every Friday on social media!
Action item: Go to a Special Olympics on (date here) and have my business cards ready for any families that may need help.
We hope you found these goals useful to take back to your agency! Setting goals for your home care agency in the new year can help to provide direction and ensure success. By making your goals specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound, breaking them down into actionable steps, and tracking progress along the way, you’ll be well on your way to achieving success in the new year. Happy goal-setting!
5 Ways to Make Your Agency Stand Out For Caregiver Recruitment
/in GEOH News/by Tom BumgardnerAs a leading provider of home care software, GEOH has seen first-hand the struggle that the home care industry faces regarding caregiver recruitment. And unfortunately, the pandemic has only made this situation worse. We here at GEOH understand how hard it is to find caregivers. That’s why when you do find the caregivers, it is important to make your agency stand out as their top choice this will help with your caregiver recruitment!
Here are some ways to help your agency stand out against the others!
Make sure that your website and marketing materials clearly outline the training programs that you offer. This could include everything from basic caregiver training to advanced certifications and specialized training for dementia or hospice care. In the interview make sure to tell them how you will train them to make the onboarding process feel more comforting.
When promoting your agency be sure to emphasize the benefits that come along with it. Benefits do not just have to be financial, (Although we do suggest offering a competitive wage too) they could also be focused on a great work environment. One benefit we highly recommend emphasizing is flexibility. We understand that many caregivers have families at home, and even the smallest scheduling conflicts can make a big difference. We suggest setting schedules two weeks in advance and letting caregivers approve them. This creates a better environment for everyone involved and increases the likelihood of caregivers showing up for their shifts.
3. Create a “Caregiver Jobs” page on your Website:
On this page start collecting reviews from your other caregivers on what it is like to work at your agency. We recommend collecting these reviews on Glassdoor.com. Put a smiling picture of the caregiver next to the review. Then list out your agency’s core values. Did you know that millennials are 86% more likely to choose a job that matches their values as reported by Linked In? Lastly, put your benefits (See above for some great ideas).
Two weeks can be a long time to go without a paycheck, once you find a great caregiver offer to start them as soon as they are able. This will ensure they are not without a paycheck for too long and will keep them from looking for another agency that can start them sooner.
5. Contact them before the first day.
Reach out to welcome your caregiver to the team before the first day and offer them as much information about training as possible. Workers with a great onboarding process are more likely to stay at a job for three years. So, you do not want anyone coming into training feeling alone or confused about what to expect!
For more caregiver tips on retention check out this blog post!
How To Market Your Agency
/in GEOH News/by Tom BumgardnerAre you struggling to grow your home care agency? You’re not alone! Many agencies like yours face the same challenge of getting the word out and attracting new clients. Fortunately, we’re here to help.
We’ve created a free e-book that will help you market your agency more effectively and stand out from the competition. This e-book includes valuable tips on website building, getting reviews and building social proof, building relationships with case managers, and blog posting. Each of these strategies is proven to work and can help you expand your client base while increasing your revenue.
Click here to download our marketing guide
First, let’s talk about website building. Your website is often the first impression people have of your agency. It’s crucial to have a professional-looking website that’s easy to navigate and provides all the information a potential client might need. In our e-book, we’ll show you how to build a website that’s both attractive and functional, so you can convert more leads into paying clients.
Next up, reviews and social proof. Positive reviews from satisfied clients are incredibly valuable when it comes to attracting new business. We’ll show you how to get more reviews and build social proof so that potential clients will see that you have a track record of providing outstanding care.
Building strong relationships with case managers is another essential aspect of marketing your agency. By nurturing these relationships, you can increase referrals and reach more clients. Our e-book provides helpful tips on how to build and maintain relationships with case managers, so you can establish yourself as a trusted provider in your area.
We know that growing your homecare agency can be challenging, but we’re here to help. We hope that our e-book will provide you with actionable strategies that you can start implementing right away. By following these tips, you’ll be well on your way to expanding your client base and increasing your revenue.
Click here to download our marketing guide
November 15th IHCP Edits
/in GEOH News/by Tom BumgardnerOn November the 15th from December the 15th the IHCP announced that they would be turning on edits for Indiana. These edits will check EVV for non-compliant claims. This means that you may have some claims that were previously approved that will now come back denied. This will mainly happen with claims that have EVV data not matching.
The IHCP edits are intended to ensure that all providers follow the EVV requirements. This is an effort to prevent fraud and abuse in the healthcare system. With these edits, any discrepancies between the EVV data and the claim will be flagged for review and will come back in a denied status. Providers must make sure that their EVV data matches with their claims to avoid potential denial of payment. Furthermore, providers should be aware that non-compliant claims may lead to recoupment of payments previously made by the IHCP
You can read more about the bulletin announcement here.
The bulletin above states:
“Beginning Nov. 15, 2023, and continuing through Dec. 15, 2023, the IHCP will temporarily turn on EVV system edits that activate claim denials for noncompliant EVV personal care services. For noncompliant EVV claim submissions, claims will be denied between Nov. 15, 2023, through Dec. 15, 2023.”
“The IHCP will temporarily turn on EVV system edits
that activate claim denials for noncompliant EVV personal care services.”
What does this mean?
When a non-compliant EVV claim is subject to a hard edit, it means that even if it was previously approved, it’s no longer going to be eligible. Instead, it’ll come back to you denied. This will happen when EVV data is not matching on a claim.
What does my agency need to do?
Billing with GEOH
We understand that claims coming back denied can be stressful. Here at GEOH we have a service that can do your billing for you. This can help you to get paid on time, and make sure your agency is in compliance. If you are interested in taking the stress out of billing set up a time below to speak to an expert that can help!
Are billing services only for large agencies?
No! GEOH can help any agency, any size with their billing and it is affordable.
Still confused?
GEOH can do your billing for you!
Click here to speak with a billing expert.
Tips For Caregiver Retention
/in GEOH News/by Tom BumgardnerDid you know retaining a caregiver could save your agency 3,000 dollars? According to a study by the Home Care Association of America, retaining a caregiver for just six months can save an agency over $3,000 in recruitment and training costs. In this blog post, we will discuss why home care retention is essential and provide tips on how to keep caregivers at your agency for the long term.
Click Here to Download our new e-book: The Ultimate Guide to Caregiver Retention
Tips for Keeping Caregivers at Your Agency
1. Offer Competitive Pay and Benefits
An obvious way is to offer competitive pay and benefits. A survey by the National Private Duty Association found that pay was the most essential factor when considering a caregiver job. Offering additional benefits such as health insurance, paid time off, and retirement plans can also help entice caregivers to stay long-term. The benefits could also be more creative! Try a Netflix or Spotify subscription. Have a smaller agency? Disney Plus will allow you to have ten profiles for FREE! Although, these are small benefits it helps when caregivers are between two agencies at the same pay rate. But, we get it higher pay is not always an option.
2. Provide Ongoing Training and Support
Caregivers want to feel valued and supported by their agency. But, as an agency owner you might hear these words all the time, but what does it actually mean? For onboarding, always call caregivers before the first shift! Discuss what you can and let them know you are excited to have them at your agency. This will keep them from going to another agency and get them to their first day! During training call them every day, ask how it went, and if they have any questions you can answer. Above all else, send out an occasional text letting your caregivers know that you are here for them.
3. Create a Positive Work Environment
A positive work environment can significantly impact a caregiver’s decision to stay long-term. Agencies should prioritize creating a supportive and collaborative workplace culture where caregivers feel connected to their colleagues and appreciated for their hard work. Showing appreciation is huge for your agency! Write handwritten thank you cards, and show appreciation whenever you send a text message. Caregiving is a hard job, and these thank yous can go a long way after a hard day.
4. Flexibility and Work-Life Balance
Caregivers often juggle caregiving responsibilities with their personal lives. Offering flexibility in scheduling and providing ample time off can help caregivers maintain a work-life balance and reduce burnout. Agencies can also provide support to caregivers who may need assistance with caring for their own family members. Something GEOH suggests is to build a schedule WITH your caregivers instead of FOR them. Show caregivers their schedule first and have the caregiver approve that they can be there.
5. Communication is Key
Effective communication is vital to keeping caregivers at your agency. Caregivers want to feel that their opinions and feedback are being heard. Regularly checking in with caregivers about their job experiences, concerns, and suggestions can help address any issues before they escalate. Providing clear expectations and transparency about job duties and agency policies can also build trust and prevent misunderstandings. We know that there is a lot to caregiver communication. GEOH held a webinar on this topic and you can watch it here.
Retaining caregivers is vital for maintaining consistency, quality of care, and financial stability for home care agencies. By offering competitive pay and benefits, providing ongoing training and support, creating a positive work environment, offering flexibility, and maintaining effective communication, agencies can retain experienced caregivers and provide exceptional care to their clients. For more retention tips and advice, download our free e-book- GEOH’s Ultimate Retention Guide today!