By Jill Scott, Manager of Member Services
The Academy for Private Duty Home Care
What do the leading companies in home care do that makes them successful? What have we learned from the leaders in the industry?
One of the lessons we learned from the members of our $5 Million Mastermind Group is the importance of systematizing your home care business. The members of this group who are in the top 5% of companies in this industry have all worked hard at putting 
systems in place to automate their businesses. We advocate that every home care company use the latest technology to make their office system more efficient. To help you do that we have partnered with a number of software and technology companies. They are the Resource Partners at The Academy for Private Duty Home Care.
A couple months ago we featured an article focusing on the capabilities of the HomeTrak Companion software. Well, since then HomeTrak has come out with some updates to their already robust software that uses new applications of technology to help you automate your business. Here are the updates that we have received from the folks at HomeTrak:
Are you ready to pay OT?
Effective January 1, 2015, home care agencies are required to provide overtime pay to any direct care worker you jointly or solely employ, regardless of the worker’s duties.
If you aren’t already paying overtime, HomeTrak Companion is ready and waiting to handle this for you. Don’t risk errors in paying your caregivers!
- Simple to set up and use
- Built-in reports and alerts take the guesswork out of when to pay overtime
- Handles uninterrupted sleep time perfectly
(In California? Our system is already set up to handle your unique overtime laws.)
Manage your home care business on the go!
HomeTrak’s mobile apps are free for HomeTrak clients and their staff and are compatible with all Android and Apple (iOS) devices.
You can access essential features on your tablet or smartphone from the field:
- Schedule caregivers and clients with our smart scheduling features
- Manage client intakes from the field
- Track potential clients and sync appointments and tasks with Outlook and Google calendars
Hire Smarter with New Caregiver Applicant Flow System!
With HireWise from HomeTrak you can streamline and simplify your hiring process via the new web-based application and questionnaire system with the following features:
- You’ll be able to accept online applications right from your company’s website.
- Use HomeTrak’s questionnaire or customize your own to screen qualified applicants.
- Receive notifications whenever someone submits an application.
- Track and manage all applications from one screen.
- Record all applicant interview results with the HireWise interview system.
Simplify communication with caregivers
There are three new texting features that are now part of HomeTrak Companion 5.0. The first is IntelliText which helps automate the scheduling process.
The second is the ability to automate reminders for caregivers regarding schedules and events. Caregivers will be able to receive text reminders to clock-in and clock-out, as well as give you the ability to set other reminders about upcoming scheduled visits and missed clock-ins. You can set as many reminders as you think your caregivers need.
And third is HomeTrak Chat which allows caregivers to communicate with the office using texting technology. You will be able to text caregivers and office staff right from your desktop and also track those messages and responses. You can also quickly relay important tasks and notes without worrying about lengthy phone conversations. And, HomeTrak Chat lets you manage your caregivers and other company business right from your own company chat room.
Not only do these updates help streamline many office procedures, but with the overtime readiness, it will help you stay in compliance when the new regulations begin in 2015!
If you would like to learn more about HomeTrak and all that the software has to offer, visit their landing page and fill out an inquiry form today!
