Summit Home Care is a licensed home care services agency operating with the mission to improve the quality of life for individuals aging in place. As Executive Director of Summit’s New Jersey branch, Melissa Meegan focuses on business development and oversees the agency’s day-to-day operations. Her role also involves finding the right tools for the company and managing the implementation of new technology and processes. Meegan’s love for change and for helping people drives her to seek the most effective ways to deliver the highest quality of care.
HHAeXchange recently sat down with Meegan to learn the various ways Summit has benefited from their use of the comprehensive platform.
“I came from a homecare facility where everything was on paper,” said Meegan. “There were no software programs. Even scheduling was on paper. We’d send out mass text messages to staff to fill open shifts. It was tough, it was draining, and it was more work than what was actually necessary.”
When Meegan made the move to Summit in 2017, she was pleased to find that HHAeXchange had already been implemented at the agency.
“I am all about change and making processes as easy as possible,” she said. “I’m on top of the latest technology. Healthcare is forever changing; there are always new rules and regulations, so you have to find a way to stay ahead. HHAeXchange is that partner for us.”
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AN AUTOMATED APPROACH TO COMPLIANCE
Meegan’s knowledge of and prior experience with the industry’s complex policies prompted her to implement HHAeXchange’s compliance module at Summit shortly after joining the agency.
“Now, everyone on our staff is using HHAeXchange in some capacity,” she said. “The compliance component is essential to the work we do in our clinical, billing, and human resources departments. Because we can track everything in real-time, we can spot any issues and correct them right away. We’re not letting anything slip through the cracks.”
ALL THE DATA, ALL IN ONE PLACE
The all-in-one aspect of HHAeXchange’s homecare management system particularly appealed to Meegan. “The platform is all-inclusive; all the software you need is right there for you,” she said.
For example, with HHAeXchange’s eDocs feature, comprehensive plan of care information is available in real-time.
“Without HHAeXchange, we’d be scanning paperwork, mailing things back and forth, the nurses would have to come in and pick up reports and packets of information,” Meegan said. “With HHAeXchange, we don’t need someone in the office to take in all that data, upload it into the system, print, and scan. The nurse simply signs into HHAeXchange, opens the visit, and sees all the information she needs right there.”
INSTANT CASE MANAGEMENT
Summit has also taken advantage of HHAeXchange’s Case Broadcasting feature, which allows agencies to broadcast open cases to caregivers in real-time. Without needing to call or email aides one by one, or rely on intricate Excel spreadsheets or documents, agencies can eliminate scheduling waste and free up time to spend on more productive tasks.
“New Jersey is a tough state, and we service all of it,” Meegan said. “We actually zoned the state through the HHAeXchange platform, so it’s easy for us to match caregivers to the appropriate region based on the criteria we set. To fill cases, we simply send a mass message to everyone we want to broadcast to in that location – it’s quick and so user-friendly.”
EVV FOR EVERYONE
Summit was among the first homecare agencies in New Jersey to implement EVV – but that’s not to say it was easy for them.
“Initially, we lost a lot of our caregivers because they didn’t like the idea of electronic tracking and it was new to the State,” Meegan said. “However, as an agency we pride ourselves on compliance and patient satisfaction – so EVV is essential for us.”
She continued, “Now, we spend a considerable chunk of our orientation process going over EVV. We stress to caregivers that in order for us to be able to pay you each week, there is a responsibility that you have: you need to clock in and out with EVV.”
The fact that HHAeXchange offers four different forms of EVV – telephony, mobile app, FOB device, and Bluetooth beacon – has helped to accommodate the diverse needs of their caregivers. Summit encourages their caregivers to simply use the form of EVV that is easiest and most convenient for them.
“There are different variables, like age and possible language barriers. The good thing is, HHAeXchange EVV comes in multiple languages; and for older caregivers who may not use smartphones, they can use telephony,” Meegan said.
She continued, “We monitor the HHAeXchange Call Dashboard daily, which provides a view of all EVV clock-ins/outs, so if we’re seeing that the same person is having issues clocking in, we will follow up. We are constantly counseling and helping caregivers, it’s just what has to be done. The EVV mandate is something all agencies and caregivers will need to comply with eventually.”
Meegan and the team at Summit are optimistic about the benefits of EVV. She said, “With EVV, everything is in real-time. We can ensure that everyone is getting the care they need. Visits are not billed unless they meet all compliance standards. It really makes our lives a lot easier, having everything in one web-based application.”