TORONTO (PRWEB) November 20, 2018
According to Adrian Schauer, Founder and CEO of AlayaCare, the leading cloud-based software for home and community care providers, integration of clinical and personal care, expanding applications of technology, and a focus on the caregiver experience will be key themes for the sector heading into 2019.
“With clients in the US, Canada and Australia, we have a unique perspective on how care providers are helping seniors maintain their independence and ability to age-in-place,” said Adrian Schauer, CEO, AlayaCare. “Applying technology to improve both the caregiver and patient experience will continue to help improve the quality of care delivered by home and community care agencies and promote better patient outcomes.”
“Agencies are offering more companion care services and looking to innovations, like remote patient monitoring, as ways to improve the quality of care. Regardless of whether care is delivered in-person or via technology, having an engaged workforce is a top priority for all home and community care agencies,” continued Schauer.
Integration of Clinical Care with Personal Care
To improve patient outcomes, delivery of personal care is often as important as clinical care. Working with a senior with at least one chronic illness, a companion who mitigates social isolation, helps prepare nutritious meals, and keeps a tidy home is as relevant to keeping that client out of hospital as is nursing intervention.
In the U.S., Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is putting its money behind this idea by embedding non-skilled in-home care in Medicare Advantage plans. In Australia and other markets that have moved towards client-directed care, clients are already facilitating this integration and developing plans that integrate skilled and non-skilled care.
Innovative Funding Models for Integrated Remote Monitoring
Increasingly, the question for home care providers is how to fund and where to apply remote patient monitoring. In some jurisdictions, like the Ontario Telemedicine Network’s COPD and heart failure program, RPM is already a silo of care. In Australia, RPM is near the top of the clients’ list when patients allocate the resources available to them and their preferred interventions.
In other areas, the move to Outcome-Based Reimbursement is accelerating RPM deployment and integration as it reimburses based on outcome, rather than each service delivered. In 2019, we will see funding and delivery models catch up to the idea that RPM within the business of home care is an efficient way to combine health coaching with hands-on care.
Labour Shortages & the Caregiver Experience
The home and community care business is based on relationships. For agencies to be successful, particularly with persistent labor shortages, they will focus on elevating the caregiver experience.
Leading agencies are mindful of employee engagement as client satisfaction rises when employees are more likely to refer their organization to friends. The care giver experience can be improved through operational enhancements like optimizing schedules, minimizing travel times and providing consistent hours, which helps providers achieve stable income.
To read more about AlayaCare’s perspective on 2019 trends, visit: https://hubs.ly/H0fx5h-0
About AlayaCare
AlayaCare's unique platform includes Back Office, Client and Family Portals, Remote Patient Monitoring, Telehealth, and Mobile Care Worker functionality in one integrated, highly robust and secure, cloud-based system. AlayaCare is providing the platform for Home and Community Care organizations to propel towards innovation and home care of the future. AlayaCare was founded in 2014. http://www.alayacare.com
For more information:
Media Enquiries: Amy Cole, amy(at)colecomms.ca, 647-287-0025
Client Enquiries: Brady Murphy, VP, Sales & Marketing, 647-477-4174 ext. 201
