GEOH News – Page 3

Tips For Caregiver Retention

October 26, 2023/in GEOH News/by Tom Bumgardner

Did you know retaining a caregiver could save your agency 3,000 dollars? According to a study by the Home Care Association of America, retaining a caregiver for just six months can save an agency over $3,000 in recruitment and training costs. In this blog post, we will discuss why home care retention is essential and provide tips on how to keep caregivers at your agency for the long term.

Click Here to Download our new e-book: The Ultimate Guide to Caregiver Retention

Tips for Keeping Caregivers at Your Agency

1. Offer Competitive Pay and Benefits

An obvious way is to offer competitive pay and benefits. A survey by the National Private Duty Association found that pay was the most essential factor when considering a caregiver job. Offering additional benefits such as health insurance, paid time off, and retirement plans can also help entice caregivers to stay long-term. The benefits could also be more creative! Try a Netflix or Spotify subscription. Have a smaller agency? Disney Plus will allow you to have ten profiles for FREE! Although, these are small benefits it helps when caregivers are between two agencies at the same pay rate. But, we get it higher pay is not always an option.

2. Provide Ongoing Training and Support

Caregivers want to feel valued and supported by their agency. But, as an agency owner you might hear these words all the time, but what does it actually mean? For onboarding, always call caregivers before the first shift! Discuss what you can and let them know you are excited to have them at your agency. This will keep them from going to another agency and get them to their first day! During training call them every day, ask how it went, and if they have any questions you can answer. Above all else, send out an occasional text letting your caregivers know that you are here for them.

3. Create a Positive Work Environment

A positive work environment can significantly impact a caregiver’s decision to stay long-term. Agencies should prioritize creating a supportive and collaborative workplace culture where caregivers feel connected to their colleagues and appreciated for their hard work. Showing appreciation is huge for your agency! Write handwritten thank you cards, and show appreciation whenever you send a text message. Caregiving is a hard job, and these thank yous can go a long way after a hard day.

4. Flexibility and Work-Life Balance

Caregivers often juggle caregiving responsibilities with their personal lives. Offering flexibility in scheduling and providing ample time off can help caregivers maintain a work-life balance and reduce burnout. Agencies can also provide support to caregivers who may need assistance with caring for their own family members. Something GEOH suggests is to build a schedule WITH your caregivers instead of FOR them. Show caregivers their schedule first and have the caregiver approve that they can be there.

5. Communication is Key

Effective communication is vital to keeping caregivers at your agency. Caregivers want to feel that their opinions and feedback are being heard. Regularly checking in with caregivers about their job experiences, concerns, and suggestions can help address any issues before they escalate. Providing clear expectations and transparency about job duties and agency policies can also build trust and prevent misunderstandings. We know that there is a lot to caregiver communication. GEOH held a webinar on this topic and you can watch it here.

Retaining caregivers is vital for maintaining consistency, quality of care, and financial stability for home care agencies. By offering competitive pay and benefits, providing ongoing training and support, creating a positive work environment, offering flexibility, and maintaining effective communication, agencies can retain experienced caregivers and provide exceptional care to their clients. For more retention tips and advice, download our free e-book- GEOH’s Ultimate Retention Guide today!

The Guide That Will Help You Communicate With Your Caregivers

October 3, 2023/in GEOH News/by Tom Bumgardner

Hey there!

We have a free gift for you below!

We understand that one of the biggest challenges faced by home care operators is managing caregiver time effectively. This is why this week we’re offering you a free downloadable admin guide that you can use to optimize your manual clock-in process and show you how to communicate with your caregivers.

The guide delves into Sara’s story, a home care agency owner who struggled with manual clock-ins until she discovered a solution that worked. Read her journey and how she improved manual clock-ins from 95% down to 5%. This free guide will help you make the necessary changes and avoid the same issues faced by Sara.

We believe in empowering our agency owners, and we’re confident that this admin guide will make a significant difference in managing your agency efficiently. We want you to focus on what’s important- providing exceptional care to your clients, and growing your agency!

Click here to download our Free E-Book: The Guide That Will Help You Communicate With Your Caregivers

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5 Things You Need To Know About The Medicaid Rate Change In GA

August 3, 2023/in Agency Operations, Billing and Claims, GEOH News, Home Care News/by Bailey Anderson

1. The new rate changes are effective July 1st, 2022.

You may be missing out on money. That’s right – the new Medicaid rate increase went into effect on July 1st, 2022. This means that you may already be eligible for the new rates if you’ve been providing Medicaid services to your clients. However, it’s important to check the updated rate tables on the GAMMIS website to see the specific rates that apply to your agency. The bulletin says “ The Fee Schedules or Rate Tables for NOW and COMP providers are now updated in the Georgia Medicaid Management Information System (GAMMIS) with rates reflecting an increase with an effective date of July 1, 2022. “

2. You must download the changes to see the updates.

Don’t assume that the updated rate tables will automatically appear on the GAMMIS website. Instead, you must download the changes to see the updated rates. Be sure to check the provider manuals on the DBHDD website for the latest Medicaid reimbursement rates.

Here is the link to download the DHBHDD Bulletin.

3. You can only file a new claim for 90 days, but it is not required.

Claims can be adjusted within three months (90 days) of the original claim filing date and resubmitted. We know this is a confusing process. You may want to resubmit claims for the last 90 days to get paid quicker however, this is not necessary. DCH strongly recommends providers NOT void claims. Voided claims are set to recoupment by the system and any problems experienced in rebilling the original claims will result in a delay in a provider agency’s ability to quickly recover those funds. We are here to help at GEOH.

4. Here’s the number if you have some major billing questions.

If you’re unsure about how the new rate changes will affect your agency’s billing, don’t hesitate to contact GEOH. They have representatives available to answer any questions you may have about the billing process. Just give them a call to get the help you need. If you have any questions about the billing process, don’t hesitate to contact the Call Center: 317-495-6363

5. There’s a company out there that can do all of your billing for you!

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the thought of navigating the new Medicaid rate changes on your own, don’t worry – there’s a solution. At GEOH, we specialize in helping Georgia agencies with their billing needs, and best of all, our services are affordable even for smaller agencies. So, if you want to save time and grow your business, reach out to us today!

In conclusion, the Medicaid rate change in Georgia is exciting news for agency owners. But it’s important to stay informed about all the facts and changes to make sure you’re taking advantage of the new rates. Remember to check the DBHDD website for updates, file for reimbursement, and reach out for help if you need it. With these tips in mind, you’ll be well on your way to success in the changing world of Medicaid billing in Georgia

8 Ways to Keep Your Caregivers from Leaving Your Business

May 16, 2023/in Agency Operations, GEOH News, Growing Your Agency, Recruiting, Training and Retaining Caregivers/by GEOH

As a Home Health Care agency owner, you know that having the right quality and quantity of caregivers on your team is key to keeping your business successful. As anyone in this industry knows, turnover can be very high – often leading to decreased satisfaction among both clients and staff. It’s important that you create an environment conducive to hiring and retaining personnel in order for your agency to succeed.

Not only are you looking for trustworthy individuals who will provide quality service to your clients – they must also stay with you long enough to ensure continuity within your agency. To help combat turnover in your agency, it’s essential that you take proactive steps to retain existing caregivers and prevent them from leaving

In this blog post, we’ll provide tips on how to keep caregivers from leaving your business so you can focus on growing your agency.

1. Give caregivers a break every once in a while.

Taking a break is an easy, cost-free way to help boost the morale of your caregivers. So make sure you let them take some much-deserved R&R! A recommended break time is 15 minutes every 3-4 hours. Encourage them to take a walk, call a friend, or eat a snack. This will allow them to have time to rethink or even refuel their bodies with food and water. By taking a break, your caregivers can come back refreshed and able to provide better care – creating an obvious win-win situation. You’ll be happy with their improved focus.

2. Let them know their work is appreciated.

Thank-you notes don’t have to be complicated or expensive – but they can make a big difference. Our previous blogs explored gifts for caregivers, an admirable gesture of appreciation no doubt. But, sometimes just recognizing their efforts with a heartfelt thank you letter goes further than any amount of money could ever do! A simple thank you can go an incredibly long way, with proven boosts in staff morale and better retention rates! Don’t forget: saying ‘thank you’ not only lets workers know that their efforts are noticed but also makes them feel valued and respected. To get started on creating your own heartwarming expression of gratitude, here’s our tried-and-true template:

Dear

_____,

I wanted to take a moment to thank you for all of your hard work and let you know that it does not go unnoticed. Caregiving can be such a challenging job, but every day you are helping someone and making such a difference in their lives. It’s no small feat we know; it takes patience, resilience, and true dedication! Thank you for all you do. You’re awesome!

Sincerely,

___________

3. Provide proper training and support.

Providing proper training and support can be so important for retaining caregivers. There is no worse feeling than showing up to a new job and having no idea what to do. Make sure to have someone patient and kind when teaching your staff, someone who doesn’t mind showing them how to do things. Providing proper training and support could help someone stay with your agency.

4. Offer competitive wages and benefits.

Although this might not be feasible for every agency, having competitive wages or a bonus system might be a great way to handle retention. We know this may be hard for a lot of agency owners because they might not even be getting paid on time themselves, if this sounds like you, you may want to consider using GEOH so you can get paid on time and have more money available to your caregivers.

5. Give your staff a gift.

Sometimes a small gift for your caregivers can go a long way. You may want to consider giving your staff a gift. A cup of coffee from Starbucks, a customized cup with their name on it, and stuffing it with their favorite candy are some of our favorite ideas. Remember the key to this is customization make sure to get their favorite, not yours! Ask for their favorite candy and coffee order in advance so you can be prepared.

6. Respect their time off requests.

We’ve all been working somewhere where we would like a day off and your boss says no, or flat-out schedules you anyway. It’s no fun to miss your child’s baseball game, have to work when you’re sick, or have to stay working a schedule that is not feasible for you. When your workers request time off, honor their request the first time and then send them a note saying I am honoring your time off request for ______ and hope you have a restful day off. This may go a long way when you are competing against agencies that do not honor their time off requests.

7. Communicate well and often as the boss.

Communication is something that can make a workplace frustrating. If you have to change the schedule- send a text. If you make an office change, try sending an email. Just remember that you can’t over-communicate with your staff and they will appreciate your openness.

8. Consider allowing longer lunch breaks.

A longer lunch break can quickly seem like a luxury to someone who does not have a lot of time. Offering a long lunch break could be nice so your caregivers could grab lunch out, or take a moment for themselves, an added bonus would be nice if you could offer them a lunch break paid! This would be a good option for your agency to show appreciation to your caregivers if you could not afford to give them a raise.

The great resignation is something we have all been familiar with as agency owners. More than ever before, Caregivers are quitting their jobs to move into a new field or moving to a new agency. This makes keeping caregivers a huge problem for agency owners.

Most importantly, make sure to let your caregivers know you care. Showing that you appreciate their hard work will go a long way in making them feel like part of the team and make it more likely they will stick around through the good and bad times.

With the right mindset and by taking advantage of all the tools available to you today, you should have no trouble keeping your talented staff around for years to come!