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Challenge
Care revenue gaps
Carefield Living’s executive team was frustrated: their staff was providing care that wasn’t accurately reflected in their EHR, their operational data, nor their billing. Despite operating with highly-experienced leadership and industry best practices, the full-service senior living company saw misalignment between the care services being provided and the care fees being charged. These discrepancies resulted in care revenue being left on the table.
A difficult EHR and billing delays
At the root of Carefield Living’s challenges was cumbersome EHR software. Caregiving staff avoided using the software because it complicated their workflows, resulting in inconsistent care documentation. Level of care changes were not captured quickly, causing months-long delays in care fee increases for care services already being delivered, and exacerbating care revenue gaps.
Inaccurate data
Irregular documentation of care services and care fee changes also resulted in inaccurate data, causing additional challenges for the executive team. Without reliable and timely care data, they had limited visibility into overhead costs and the business lacked predictability overall. “We had rolled the system [previous EHR software] out twice and still were not getting accuracy and consistency in our data,” describes COO Breck Austin.
Solution
Fully-aligned care levels and major revenue capture increases
After a seamless implementation, which Austin calls “one of the most stellar experiences of his 30-year career in the industry,” Carefield Living adopted August Health’s modern EHR platform. With August Health, Carefield Living was able to align levels of care across hundreds of residents and multiple communities within 3 months. Updated assessments accurately reflect care services being provided, and resolve previous care fee gaps, resulting in a 25-30% care revenue increase across the portfolio.
Timely billing
The August Health platform has been enthusiastically integrated into Carefield Living staff’s workflows, and staff can now easily document the care they provide. “The staff very much loves this system,” emphasizes Austin. Care data flows directly to Carefield Living’s billing, and level of care changes and related care fee adjustments can now be instantly communicated to families. This has led to a 50% reduction in billing delays, with care fee changes now often captured within the same month.
Better data and a better business
With staff now widely using the August Health platform and consistently documenting care, Carefield Living’s executive team now has accurate data on hand — providing more visibility into the business’s health and greater predictability overall. “We are more proactive and more confident in our systems,” notes Austin, “This is huge for us.” With plans to triple their portfolio in the near future, the Carefield Living team is well-positioned for expansion with August Health at their side.
