Innovative solution to give HCP clients more value for money
SPONSORED STORY – As many elderly Australians wait for Home Care Packages, Western Australia home care provider, The CareSide, created an innovative way to deliver more hours of care by lowering their administrative costs.
![<p>As of March, over 59,000 people were still waiting for packages, and over 44,000 people are receiving insufficient home care, with a package at a lower level than they need. [Source: iStock]</p>](https://agedcareguide-assets.imgix.net/news/articles/news/articles/Spon_story-CareSide-9_11_2020.jpg?fm=pjpg&format=auto&w=550&q=65)
As of March, over 59,000 people were still waiting for packages, and over 44,000 people are receiving insufficient home care, with a package at a lower level than they need. [Source: iStock]
Instead of a large administrative team, The CareSide built a proprietary technology system that automatically manages Home Care Package administration.
Due to the complex administrative requirements, most home care providers have to maintain a large back-office staff, requiring them to charge an average of 34 percent, and sometimes as high as 50 percent, in administrative fees.
Chief Executive Officer of The CareSide, Gareth Mahon, says, “We spent three years custom building an automated business management system”
“Our technology removes the need for large teams of back-office staff. This means we have much lower operating costs than other providers, and we can pass those savings on to our customers.”
Mr Mahon says the results speak for themselves with The CareSide charging only 10 percent in administrative fees, which means that most package funds go directly toward hours of care.
On 6 October, the Government approved a budget that includes $1.6 billion to create an additional 23,000 Home Care Packages that will be awarded in the next financial year. But for many elderly Australians, it’s still not enough.
As of March, over 59,000 people were still waiting for packages, and over 44,000 people are receiving insufficient home care, with a package at a lower level than they need.
Although this points to the need for more Government investment, it also indicates the high costs associated with the administrative needs of Home Care Packages
The CareSide is solving that problem with an innovative solution that keeps administrative fees low allowing for more care hours to be provided to their clients.
On average, The CareSide delivers 50 percent more hours of care than most providers. This means, for example, that a Level 1 package with The CareSide can provide more hours than a Level 2 package with most providers.
For older people who are awarded a short-term Level 1 package while they’re waiting for higher level package availability, those additional hours can mean getting the care they need now without the long waiting period.
As the coronavirus pandemic raises concerns about the close living quarters of residential care, ageing at home is even more important to many elderly Australians.
Increasing funding to make more packages available will be essential to meet both current and future needs for home care. In the meantime, The CareSide will continue to use innovative technology to make home care more affordable for elders who need it now.
For more information about The CareSide and how they can help you, head to their website.
At The CareSide, their mission is to provide the best value home care in Western Australia to the sick, injured, infirm, elderly and disabled. To the company, the best value means more hours of quality care for their clients and their loved ones.
For Home Care Package clients, this means receiving more services, including equipment and consumables, for the budget supplement that the Government provides. For private clients, this means less out of pocket costs for the care that is required.
