Triple Threat – Compliance, Consumer Directed Care & Competition

Turn to technology for effective compliance management and timely data to improve outcomes and triumph over the threats.

The Increasing Choice in Home Care reforms has been a positive move for older Australians, giving consumers control over their choice of providers and flexibility on how their funding is spent. However, as a provider, you now have to contend with the threat of new competitors, reassess your service offerings for a consumer empowered market and amend your policies and systems to meet new compliance requirements.

Similarly, disability providers have undergone a massive adjustment with the introduction of the NDIS. In mid-2018, the Unannounced Reaccreditation Audits reforms on aged care homes rolled out. The transition to a single set of standards, the Aged Care Quality Standards, will undoubtedly be the next game changer.

If you are a provider across more than one sector, the challenges you face in each sector, whilst often common in concept, have subtle differences.  Keeping up with the changing requirements can be overwhelming, and it means that you have to be constantly proactive and creative.

First of all, look within your business to determine what you can control internally and set a solid foundation to facilitate compliance, transparency and accountability.

Don’t be afraid to seek external support; it’s impossible to battle alone in the journey ahead and expect to come out the other end unscathed. The important thing is to align yourself with organisations that are experts in their field, as they are equipped to help you overcome industry changes and assist you to make a smooth transition to new requirements.

A reliable IT system that is responsive to the latest requirements and has built-in compliance protection is a pillar of the foundation for any HCP, CHSP, NDIS or residential care business. It pays to have peace of mind knowing that your back is covered and you have someone to help you avoid non-compliance, while you’re freed up to address other issues, including changing consumer demands and mounting competition.

Compliance protection should be embedded into day-to-day workflow processes and should cover:

• Legislative updates
• Fee, price or rate updates
• Evidence based documentation for audits
• Timely, meaningful data that aid decisions to support quality outcomes
• Compliance reports

Equally important, ensure the IT organisation is able to offer ongoing support for continued compliance. Engage with key employees within the organisation to find out more about the company, their philosophy and their goals to determine if they plan to be around for the long term.

Check if they meet the following criteria:

• A proven understanding of the industry
• A qualified team on hand for in-depth advice
• Accessible local technical support
• Support for staff in the form of customised training, to keep up with compliance and software changes
• Ability to provide references to other care providers who are using their system
• Deliver solutions that represent value for money
• About e-Tools Software:

e-Tools’ software applications are built on over 30 years of real aged care management experience, and our consulting team is qualified to assist with compliance-related queries and financial viability. Updated regularly to respond to Department changes and industry expectations, our software solutions have helped many providers across Australia achieve positive accreditation outcomes and triumph over industry challenges.

Each software application in the e-Tools range is meticulously designed to help you accomplish a combination of the following:

• Generate compliant legal agreements
• Apply up-to-date fees, rates and prices
• Manage client scheduling and service bookings
• Track funding amounts to meet clients’ goals
• Produce timely data and reports
• Generate statements to provide to clients
• Track payments where relevant
• Simplify your claims process, including a bulk upload function in some applications

Visit www.e-tools.com.au or call 03 9573-3277 for further information.