Current Events in the Industry

“THIS TECHNOLOGY WILL ALLOW US TO SEE WHAT WE ARE ACCOMPLISHING WITHIN EACH HOME AND ENSURE WE HAVE ADEQUATE HOURS ASSIGNED FOR THE TASKS AT HAND.”

One of the upcoming changes for the direct home care industry is the electronic visit verification for Medicaid waiver clients. This will be a mandatory software change for a lot of home care agencies that require electronic verification. It will monitor when caregivers arrive at the home, what they do at the home, and when they leave the residence. This verification process will be mandatory in 2021, which allows time for agencies to train their caregivers and become compliant with the state requirements. All Medicaid programs in the United States will have to upgrade to this particular way of verifying and the implementation of the process will be monitored by each state.

This mandate requires the use of an application on a smart device, where the caregivers can clock in and answer a series of COVID-19 questions regarding their current health condition. This application will also allow them to view and check off the tasks that are available for them to perform in the home every day. At the end of each shift, both the caregiver and the client will provide a digital signature through the application.

If some of our caregivers are unable to use a smart device or do not have a signal, we will make modifications. One option is to use a system called Telephony where caregivers can log in and out. This gives access to all of the same items without the need for a cell phone. The technology will allow us to bill accurately for Medicaid and see what we are accomplishing within each home. It will also ensure we have adequate hours assigned for the tasks at hand.

Another new change for Medicaid Providers is that we can no longer transport our Medicaid clients to the physician or medical appointments. Clients will need to access our Medicaid transportation providers in the area. We are still able to accompany them, but not directly transport them. We can provide other means of transportation to run errands and go grocery shopping, but if the transportation is for medical purposes, we will assist our clients in setting up specified Medicaid transport. Once they have their transportation set up with Medicaid, we can assist them if they need help with daily living or mobility.