As a Home Health Care Software provider, we find ourselves with questions about the nuances of home care services. Some of the questions we get asked are:
- What is Private Duty Home Care?
- Are RNs required for Private Duty Home Care?
- How is it different from Nursing Care?
- Do you need specialized software to manage Private Duty Home Care Agencies?
Aging is a reality and part of the cycle of life. The impact of aging and not getting through the day without support from others is a reality of life. Many health conditions make even younger people afflicted with chronic disease conditions require the continuous support of caregivers. The difference between hospital and home care services is that home healthcare agencies deliver medical and non-medical care in the patient’s home against a hospital setting. The importance of these services dawns upon us when we see ourselves or a loved one struggle in managing day-to-day tasks. Here’s where Private Duty Home Care services can help.
Home Care Services are one of the fastest-growing areas of health care. Home and Community-based Services (HCBS) are acquiring importance as America ages, and the demand for care services delivered in the home increases. A critical difference to note between Private Duty Personal Care and Private Duty Nursing is that Private duty Personal Care services focus on supporting the individual with their Activities of Daily Living – Bathing, Dressing, Grooming, Cleaning, etc. On the other hand, Private Duty Nursing is more specialized and focuses on delivering skilled healthcare services. Registered Nurses (RN) or Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN) typically provide PDN services.
Let’s now look at what is Private Duty Home Care service is.
What is Private Duty home care?
Private Duty Home Care is typically non-medical. It focuses on supporting the patient or the recipient of these services in completing daily routine activities. These tasks may include:
Bathing and feeding
Going to the bathroom
Grooming and dressing
Moving around the house
Fixing meals
Running daily errands
Medication on time
Driving to healthcare institutions for a routine check-up
Private Duty Home Care is non-medical care. Some, not all private duty caregivers, are trained. A few of them are certified, nursing assistants.
Private Duty Nursing
On the other hand, private duty nursing focuses on providing skilled healthcare services in patients’ homes. A registered nurse or LPN delivers these services, which can include elements of private duty home care services but are more skewed towards medical assistance.
Why do Home Care agencies require specialized software?
As with any operation, optimal management of resources is a priority. There are strict federal regulations around verification of visits, clinical documentation, and billing for services. Home Care agencies providing clinical and non-clinical services look for software that helps them schedule caregiver visits optimally and do more with fewer resources. Some of the functionalities that they seek from their software are:
Scheduling integrated with authorization, clinical, billing, and payroll
Employee time optimization
Multiple Schedule views to manage schedules from one screen
Intelligent matching to optimize employee selection
Manage overtime, shift differential, and split schedules efficiently
Publish schedules, shift offers, and open shifts
ONE employee for multiple services
Schedule Alerts to minimize errors
Real-Time Schedule Monitor
Electronic verification of visits
EVV using CV Mobile/Telephony
Point of Care Documentation
Employee and Family Portal
Caregivers are strapped for time, and software for Private Duty Nursing and Non-Medical Personal Care should help home care agencies manage resources better. It should also allow team members to make updates quickly, support clinical documentation, information needs of family members, and manage billing and payroll administrative tasks.
ABOUT CAREVOYANT
CareVoyant is a leading provider of cloud-based integrated enterprise-scale home health care software that can support all home-based services under ONE Software, ONE Patient, and ONE Employee, making it a Single System of Record. We support all home based services, including Home Care, Private Duty Nursing, Private Duty Non-Medical, Home and Community Based Services (HCBS), Home Health, Pediatric Home Care, and Outpatient Therapy at Home.
CareVoyant functions – Intake, Authorization Management, Scheduling, Clinical with Mobile options, eMAR/eTAR, Electronic Visit Verification (EVV), Billing/AR, Secure Messaging, Notification, Reporting, and Dashboards – streamline workflow, meet regulatory requirements, improve quality of care, optimize reimbursement, improve operational efficiency and agency bottom line.
For more information, please visit CareVoyant.com or call us at 1-888-463-6797.
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