Leveraging Home Care’s Success with Big Data Analytics

Home Care Software’sAll-Encompassing Reports Ensure Care Team Efficacy (Part 1: Limitations of Compliance-Only Platforms)

While the home health care industry, specifically home care providers, eagerly await news of a possible delay of Electronic Visit Verification for Personal Care Services intended for January 1, 2019, many providers have already taken advantage of technology and the power that data analytics have on delivering quality, affordable home care.

Many articles, studies, and forums revolve around the topic of big data analytics within the healthcare industry and healthcare organizations, however, the home care/home health care sector lacks such dialogue.

The conversations about the importance and prevalence of technology in home care are well documented, as are the needs for proper training, application, and acceptance of technology.  Unfortunately, the focus on compliance and the Cures Act have overshadowed the potential of home care software reporting capabilities – Immeasurable benefits for patients, providers, and payers alike.

In comparing the larger data analytics involved with healthcare organizations to the smaller scale of home health care analytics, one can easily draw parallels.  In Wang, Byrd, and Kung’s article “Big data analytics:  Understanding its capabilities and potential benefits for healthcare organizations” from Technological Forecasting and Social Change, the impact big data is having and will have in healthcare is discussed, but at the same time, the article illustrates how some healthcare organizations do not utilize the data effectively.  

Investment in analytical capability for patterns of care, predictive capability, decision support capability, information sharing culture, training key personnel on using data and technology should be commonplace across the expansive landscape of continuum of care.  

The immense influence big data has on providing quality care at lower costs has a direct connection to the home health care environment, and to unique home health care software platforms.

So what data and reporting capabilities should quality home care technology platforms entail?  The best home care software avoids ‘compliant only’ data points.  EVV will be required to be compliant, but the outcome is equal to having a business license and only selling bottled water in a large grocery store.  

The potential to build a successful home care provider business, attract loyal, hard-working aides, reduce fraud, waste, and abuse, deliver quality, cost effective care, lower readmission rates, receive high HEDIS and STAR ratings, increase client approval ratings, develop holistic relationships amongst the entire care team, and become a model of excellence in the home care industry will only come to fruition when the awe of the potential is realized by providers and payers. 

Many home care software companies offer basic platforms that appeal to home care providers and personal care assistants.  Their tasks are completed, and they are compliant. Unfortunately, the perils of limiting one’s business to compliance-only software lie in what is being overlooked, and the cost of such oversights.  Hindsight and ‘after the fact’ logic will separate one provider over another when it comes to balancing quality and cost.

However, in the case of Sinq’s software, it is of no surprise to anyone that real-time collaboration, rich and robust reporting, provider portals, unique and customizable dashboards, payer specific data, designer performance charts, payroll and scheduling capabilities and interventions, team discussions, alerts, annotations, and many more attributes create a higher level of care, while being,at the least, ‘compliant by design’.

About Sinq Technologies         

Sinq’s collaborative software technology platform was built with purpose in mind.  Sinq’s Care Plan Transparency, Care Gap Management, EVV / EvS, and Change in Care Monitoring makes Sinq’s software stand out within the industry, and with Payors, Providers, and Plans.  We can help you become compliant, but our expansive software offers long-term solutions for the betterment of your agency and clients.  Call today for more information, a free demo, or a consultation at (847) 325-5007, or visit us at www.sinq.io