Consumer Directed Services (CDS) are home-based health care services offered by Medicaid or Medicaid waiver programs where the consumer (Patient) can hire the caregiver and coordinate the services authorized. Consumer Directed Services are also known as Self Directed Care or Participant Directed Care. Consumer Directed Services programs will allow the consumer (Patient) to select and direct the caregivers to provide the services authorized by Medicaid or Medicaid Waiver Programs. The patient’s ability to choose a family member or a friend to provide the services needed will increase the trust and comfort level with the caregiver. Consumers will still work with a Fiscal Intermediary, usually a Home Care Agency, to manage the payroll for caregivers and billing for the services.

Medicaid beneficiaries are increasingly receiving LTSS through HCBS. Because states can limit enrollment in HCBS waivers, most states report having HCBS waiver waiting lists totaling over 665,000 people nationally. Proposed additional funding for HCBS will enable states to reduce their HCBS waiver waiting lists and add more people to HCBS. The need for HCBS services will continue to grow in the foreseeable future. Home Health Care Agencies looking for growth and expansion should consider HCBS services as one of the options.

This blog will discuss some of the essential features required in the software to manage HCBS Home Care Agencies efficiently.

Even though home care agencies use software for clinical documentation, they still face challenges in meeting consistent and quality documentation requirements in compliance with the physician's orders and plan of care. In this article.

Millions of patients receive home care every year. Providing quality patient care is critical for home care agencies for patient satisfaction and growth while complying with regulatory requirements. The quality and effectiveness of patient care is a collaborative effort from the entire organization. Communication plays a critical role in improving collaboration, quality of care, and compliance. Home Health Care Agencies need to communicate securely, effectively, and efficiently to ensure the highest quality and level of service.

A comprehensive, integrated software platform that can handle different services provided by the home care agency is essential for operation efficiency, quality of care, and patient/employee satisfaction.

Nurses providing Private Duty Nursing care work in longer shifts providing continuous care for the same patient. They need to collect and document Vitals and Measurements (Vent Settings, Trach Settings, Cough Logs, Seizure Logs, etc.) and administer medications and treatments multiple times during the shift. Providing continuous care in a longer shift creates unique documentation challenges for nurses and Private Duty Home Care agencies. A software platform should accommodate the challenges of Continuous Care Documentation for Private Duty Nursing Home Care Agencies.

Private Duty Nursing is different from your traditional home health as it requires skilled care for medically fragile patients. The care is typically provided in longer shifts from 8 to 12 hours and for a limited number of patients over a longer period of time. In the Private Duty Nursing field, the nurse or LPN gets to know the patient as a person and can really become quite attached to their patient. The care provided can be in multiple settings such as the patient's home, school, or even a group home setting.

CareVoyant understands the demanding requirements to manage Home and Community Based Services while managing other services like Private Duty Nursing, Non-Medical Personal Care, and Home Health. CareVoyant software platform provides tools that will help a home health care agency to effectively manage Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) along with other service lines.

Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) provide Medicaid beneficiaries opportunities to receive services in their own home or community rather than institutions or other isolated settings. These programs serve various targeted population groups, such as people with intellectual or developmental disabilities, physical disabilities, and mental illnesses.

Through 2021 and after, home care agencies need to identify key trends that will aid or hurt their business models and continually reconfigure themselves for success. In this article, we are bringing out the top home care predictions for 2021 and beyond.

CareVoyant’s partnership and integration with Waystar demonstrates our commitment to providing operational excellence for our Home Health Agencies, Private Duty Nursing Home Care Agencies, Private Duty Non-Medical Home Care Agencies, Outpatient Therapy providers, and Medical Billing Services providers.

Consumer Directed Services (CDS) are home healthcare services offered by Medicaid or Medicaid waiver programs where the consumer (Patient) can hire the caregiver and coordinate the services authorized.

With falling reimbursement rates, the rollout of PDGM, and increased compliance, Home Care Agencies are under pressure to do more with less. Improving the health of the revenue cycle is a complex process that needs both caregivers and financial administrator to work in synchrony to achieve optimal results.