FLASHBACK! Transformation Journey of CareSmartz360 in 2020
“The journey to a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
2020 was a year of uncertainties, but we took this as an opportunity to multiply capabilities and features for CareSmartz360 users. The entire year of 2020 was like a hurdle race, but it evolved, adapted, and performed up to the dynamics of the home care service industry.
Today, our home care software has become a go-to solution for private-duty care providers to benefit from a growing client base and for streamlining day-to-day business operations. CareSmartz360 transformed to accommodate needs based on situation and business processes.
With productivity-enhancing features and capabilities based on the needs of caregivers and service providers, the technology team behind CareSmartz360 is always striving to improvise and enhance the overall experience for its users.
The Road to Perfection
In 2020, we added a bundle of new features and workflow improvements to CareSmartz360, embedding some of the most-requested functionalities and enhancements for caregivers, agencies, and clients. From UI improvements to comprehensive reporting, seamless scheduling & billing, EVV integrations, and custom payroll management. We have listed the key ones here that were introduced in 2020.
Scheduling
CareSmartz360 scheduling is intuitive and makes the complex process easier. It allows creating a schedule(s) in minutes with client details, time and duration of shifts, and caregiver tasks. To facilitate schedulers in fulfilling their unique demands and to empower them with the right tools, we enhanced the capabilities of CareSmartz360 with the following features and functional updates in 2020 –
- Find Caregiver from Open Shift(s) on Schedule Calendar
- Client or Caregiver Profile on Time Tracking Screen
- Delete Faulty Clock-In and Clock-Out
- Send Email/SMS Notification to Max 15 Caregivers in One Go
- Summary Notes to a Client Profile Visible to Caregiver on the Caregiver Portal & Mobile App
- Enable “Auto Clock-in/Clock-out” on Schedules from the Master Schedule Screen
- Create a Schedule from Client Profile without an Assessment
- For Open Shifts, make Bulk Status Changes from Time Tracking Views
- Add a Shift Decline Reason when Un-assigning a Caregiver from a Shift
- Remove Caregiver from Conflicting Shifts while adding Unavailability
- Change the Caregiver on One or More Shifts
Billing & Payroll
CareSmartz360 is integrated with advanced capabilities for faster invoicing and billing. It can automatically identify issues by searching for potential errors. As a result, the agency will be saving time, reducing errors, and increasing efficiency. The billing module is designed to be flexible and adapt as per the changing needs of agencies, clients’ preferences, and reimbursement processes. In 2020, the following enhancements were done:
- View Payable Hours (caregivers & other staff)
- Show Billable and Payable Hours on Time Tracking
- QuickBooks Integration – sync settings –
- Sync Expenses & Mileage under Expense Matching tab in QB Sync
- Option to Hide $0 Invoices
- Show Total Pay Units in Payroll
- Show Task(s) on an Invoice
- Three Decimal Places for Travel Time/Mileage Reimbursement Rates
- Configure 837P or 837I EDI File at Payer Level
- ICD 10 Codes Updates
- Export Finalized Invoice as .CSV File
- Exempt Specific Client(s) from Overtime Calculations
Reporting
When a home care business has access to comprehensive reports to determine valuable insights and up-to-date financial data, it helps to make an informed decision and formulate growth-focus strategies. In CareSmartz360, reporting is a separate module that grabs data from agency-wide functions and processes. There were several user-requested customizations completed including:
- Report Filter on EVV Report “Clock-In/Clock-Out Location and Mode”
- Canceled by Client Report
- Care History Report
- Caregiver Average Hours per Week Report
- Bill & Pay Status Filter in Schedule Billing and Payroll Status Report
- Updated Compliance Report
- Client Status Report
- Caregiver Status Change Report
- Caregiver Late Arrival Report
- Updated Client Authorization Expiration Report
- Client Status Change Report
- Client Status Filter on Caregiver Notes Report
- Client Bill Rates Report
- Client Statement Report to Reflect Deposits
UI & UX
CareSmartz360 users have a seat at the product development table, allowing us to personalize the software specific to their needs and future possibilities. Based on requests and suggestions, we delivered UI and UX experiences to the users while rolling out system updates and new features.
- Caregiver Running Late Notification for Agency
- Communication Widget on Dashboard
- Widget for Pending Confirmation Shifts on Dashboard
- Updates on Missed Clock-in/Clock-out Widget on Dashboard
- Global SMS Logs to Show Entire Conversation
- Show Total Hours in Daily/Weekly/Monthly Calendar Views
- Notifications for Late Clock-Ins
- Compatibility Type Filter on Find Caregiver Screen
- New Search Filter on Create New Invoice Screen
- Notify When a Caregiver Adds Unavailability
- Sync all Pending Offline Shifts
EVV and Compliance
EVV, a federal mandate, verifies and provides proof of service delivery, and receives claim reimbursements. To help agency owners in recording proof of service delivery and getting it submitted electronically for Medicaid, CareSmartz360 was integrated with several individual state system in 2020, allowing agencies to use CareSmartz360 as an EVV compliant home care software to bill for Medicaid benefits in the following states:
- EVV Integrations for the State of Oregon (eXPRS System), Ohio (ALT EVV System), Louisiana and Arizona (LASRS), Colorado, Indiana, Maine and Wisconsin (Sandata), Nebraska and Kentucky (TELLUS), Arkansas and New Jersey (HHA), Iowa, New York and New Jersey (Care-bridge), and Arkansas (Fiserv).
COVID-19 Shift Pre-Screening Module
An example of Caresmartz’s proactive approach and support to home care businesses during the Covid-19 outbreak, a “Pre-Screening” module was added in the CareSmartz360 mobile app. It is a questionnaire that is required to be answered before starting a shift to analyze and protect caregivers and clients against COVID-19 exposure.
Caregiver Mobile App
The caregiver mobile app comes in handy when an in-home care provider is out in the field, moving from one place to another, for care delivery. After receiving feedback from users, the app was updated with several caregiver-friendly utilities and features from time-to-time:
- Mobile App – Feature Improvements
- Mark a Break or Rest Period via the Smartphone App & Caregiver Portal
- Show Monthly & Weekly Views on the Calendar Screen within the Mobile App including Completed Hours by Caregiver for the Week
- Mobile In-app Push Notifications – Find Caregiver > Open shift request & Schedule Reminder
Caregiver Portal
CareSmartz360 for home care agencies is integrated with advanced scheduling and organizing tools assisting caregivers to perform their duties with maximum operational efficiency. Several capability enhancements were completed in the Caregiver Portal.
- Open Shift Notifications
- Mandatory Caregiver Notes for Shift(s)
- Voice Verification on Caregiver Web Portal
- Increased Character Limit for Caregiver Notes
The Journey Still Continues
We are still not finished. We have planned to embed a host of new features in 2021.
CareSmartz360 has evolved based on the feedback and requests from agencies, caregivers, and industry experts. It is our constant endeavor to bring in new features and enhancements, according to the dynamic needs of home care businesses and customers.
Visit caresmartz360 software update and keep watching this space to stay updated with the forthcoming CareSmartz360 software releases and updates.
Related blog posts:
Digital Strategies for Home Care Agencies to Navigate the COVID-19 CrisisHow AI-based CareSmartz360 is Empowering Private-duty Home Care Agencies?