First Day Homecare Achieving greater compliance and operational efficiency with AlayaCare

Pediatric private duty nursing agency First Day Homecare has demonstrated remarkable resilience in overcoming various operational and compliance challenges. As a franchise private duty nursing agency, they have expanded across different states in the US while navigating the complex landscape of Medicaid and managing hundreds of private duty nurses. While faced with challenges such as manual secondary claim processes and an EMR system that did not fit their needs, they were determined to seek solutions to grow their franchise.

Challenge:

A process burdened with errors and inefficiencies in billing and clinical documentation

First Day Homecare faced significant hurdles with inefficiencies in billing, which led to the implementation of workarounds that proved time-consuming and inefficient. With Medicaid, they needed to process two claims for each patient. However, the process for a second claim was entirely manual, resulting in multiple errors and delays.

On the clinical side, the previous EMR system lacked the necessary clinical depth, making documentation and form completion a significant challenge. Consequently, the company had to search for a more comprehensive solution to meet their specific requirements.

“I thought I would be a broke business owner and had to be very frugal and I was looking at what the cheapest system that will get me by. Two weeks into the implementation, I realized what an awful mistake I had made. And I sent a Facebook message to one of the founders of AlayaCare, and I said, ‘Please help me. I’ve made a terrible mistake. What can you guys do to help me?’ And they came through for me. They really did.”

Emily Wiechmann, founder & CEO
First Day Homecare

Solution:

Select a software platform that enables fewer visit errors a simplified claim process 

First Day Homecare’s switch to the AlayaCare platform was motivated by it’s advanced clinical capabilities, comprehensive mobile app features, and the ability to create custom forms — all lacking in their previous solution.

Here are the results…

1. Improving data accuracy and compliance with a custom form builder for clinical documentation and care plans 

AlayaCare’s custom forms builder has proved to be a crucial differentiator for First Day Homecare, empowering the agency to customize its documentation processes for specific needs. This new process has significantly improved data accuracy, compliance, and operational efficiency.

“What I would say is the custom forms builder was definitely one thing that stuck out, and I was really surprised to see that a lot of other providers didn’t have that,”

Emily Wiechmann, founder & CEO
First Day Homecare

Wiechmann highlighted how the ability to personalize clinical forms and care plans helped them create different form templates that aligned with state-specific regulations. These templates allowed each franchise nationwide to effortlessly manage patients, develop customized care plans, and accurately document their visits while complying with state regulations. 

2. A mobile app with an intuitive user interface and dynamic scheduling: Everything nurses need right now in their pockets 

The mobile app‘s intuitive user interface and dynamic drag-and-drop scheduling features transformed First Day Homecare’s daily operations. Bright visit colors enhanced schedule visualization and contributed to a more user-friendly experience. Custom forms builder accessible on-the-go and streamlined communication and coordination among caregivers contributed to a substantial leap in overall efficiency.

The mobile app received positive feedback from field nurses, who even cited it as the reason for applying to work at First Day Homecare. Wiechmann mentioned how, since private duty nursing is a small community, they tend to hire nurses who have worked with their competitors:

“I’ve been in patients’ homes where we share the patient with our competitors. So, the other agency’s nurse is in the home while I’m admitting the same patient to our services, and inevitably, these nurses will say, ‘Are you documenting this admission on your cell phone?’”

Emily Wiechmann, founder & CEO
First Day Homecare

She explained how she would show the mobile app to the nurse which prompted the nurse to show her the system they have to use at the competitor agency. “They would show me, ‘Look at our system, this is awful, and this is what we have to do. And we’ve got this over here on my phone, and then we’ve got these papers.’ And I had one nurse flip open an accordion-style book- it was seven pages.” 

The mobile app has been an effective recruitment tool for the agency, as nurses want to work with agencies that make their job as streamlined and efficient as possible. 

“Inevitably, whenever I would be in that situation and show these people that app we’re using, that nurse would apply to work for us,” Wiechmann said. 

3. Precision in patient care: AlayaCare’s Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) system

AlayaCare’s Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) system was pivotal in enhancing precision and efficiency for First Day Homecare. Beforehand, Harvey Mathews, Co-founder and Chief Operations Officer (COO), had the tedious daily task of manually reviewing each visit document that was flagged as having inconsistencies and human errors. 

“Visit Verification has, of course, alleviated a lot of that and really reduced the number of visits flagged for something that’s inconsistent or whatever. Going through that whole process and switching over to the EVV and the billing item management catches a lot of errors or issues that may come further downstream, so we can take care of those before they even get to that point,”

Harvey Mathews, Co-founder & COO
First Day Homecare

The improvements to this process also reduced the chances of a rejected claim, improving their billing process and allowing staff to redirect their focus from manual error checks to more patient-centric tasks.  

4. A one-click claim workflow: Integration with WayStar

First Day Homecare experienced a paradigm shift in its administrative workflow with the seamless integration of AlayaCare with WayStar.

WayStar, an integration partner with AlayaCare, works together to simplify payment procedures. This allows agencies to effortlessly send claims and get paid directly through the AlayaCare platform.

This integration introduced an easier approach to claim submissions, simplifying a traditionally complex process. The one-click claim submission saved time and reduced the likelihood of errors, enabling the agency to allocate more resources to patient care while ensuring a transparent and efficient claim submission process.

“It’s just such a hands-off process for us. It just made it completely easy. I was sharing with Adrian [AlayaCare founder and CEO] at a recent summit in New Jersey that we are three and a half years into a multi-million-dollar single location business at this point, and I’ve never once filled out a manual CMS 1500 [used for medical insurance billing] because AlayaCare coupled with WayStar has just taken care of it for me. So, I have no idea how to fill out those claim forms, and I’m very proud of that,”

Emily Wiechmann, founder & CEO
First Day Homecare

5. Collaborative success: Transparent and invested in customer service

AlayaCare’s approach to customer service played a crucial role in the successful collaboration with First Day Homecare. The team’s transparent approach and down-to-earth attitude laid the foundation for a strong partnership for years. Their commitment to successful implementation and setting the agency up for success significantly impacted on the overall experience.

“It was one of the most refreshing sales processes I have ever gone through, and since signing with AlayaCare, I’ve been blown away by how invested every single person was. I don’t get that kind of love and support from any other vendor,”

Emily Wiechmann, founder & CEO
First Day Homecare

6. Future-ready expansion: AlayaCare’s versatile platform for franchise growth

The AlayaCare platform also provided First Day Homecare with a scalable solution for its franchise expansion. The platform’s adaptability enabled the agency to easily navigate different state regulations, payers, and operational requirements. The transferability of custom processes and detailed reporting streamlined the expansion process, making AlayaCare an essential strategic asset that supported the agency’s growth and ultimate success.

“I just feel like the platform is so versatile that we can make whatever we need as we grow and expand into franchising, no matter what state, rules, regulations, payers, or requirements. It’s a system that will grow alongside us,”

Emily Wiechmann, founder & CEO
First Day Homecare

Conclusion:

First Day Homecare is positioned for long-term growth and success in the private duty landscape 

First Day Homecare got to say goodbye to constant errors and inefficiencies. They opened their agency for future-ready expansion by leveraging the right software partner, where they worked together to create a better experience for their nursing staff on the go, a more streamlined billing system, and the versatility to expand their franchise across the country.

AlayaCare as their software partner has positioned First Day Homecare for sustained growth and success in the ever-evolving healthcare landscape.

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Note: quotes have been edited for clarity and grammar.