How do you select the right home health care software for your business? It can be a challenge, but it can be done. There are a growing number of software vendors on the market and all have something slightly different to offer. We have identified six steps to keep in mind when selecting the right software with the best fit for your home health agency:

Step1: Know what you need

This is an important first step and should be put this at the top of the list in the selection process. What does your agency need to run more efficiently? Can you save time performing certain tasks? A needs assessment and analysis of your business is a critical step in the process. Are you involving all stakeholders in the selection process? You should. Your schedulers, billers and coders and providers each play a different role and will need to perform different tasks with the software. Find out what they are. Once those needs are identified, they will serve as a guide for evaluating various software available.

Step 2: Research, Research, Research

Federal mandates have required the implementation of electronic medical record systems across the healthcare field. As soon as this happened, there was an increase in the number of software vendors on the market. As with any other product or service, the need for evaluating a vendor or service provider’s overall viability and sustainability is important. Just like you’d consult Angie’s List before hiring a contractor, you need to consult software reviews, visit websites and ask for references when selecting home health software. Important to consider: make sure home health care is their market niche. A software vendor’s understanding of the homecare industry is critical in providing ongoing support, compliance and development of the software application.

Step 3: How much are you willing to spend?

For many agencies, cost is the single most important determining factor. Spending wisely means knowing exactly what you’re getting for your money. What are the installation costs? Is training free or do you have to pay? When your agency grows, do you have to pay to add more users? Remember that some software vendors require you to pay for the entire software package up front, regardless of the number of users, and some charge based on the size of your agency. It’s important to know the difference. Be ready to pay for the quality of comprehensive home health software. Remember, this is an investment that should lead to saving your agency money in the future.

Step 4: Seamless Implementation

Software implementation may be a little time consuming, but it shouldn’t be terribly difficult. Unless your agency is very large, you should need a dedicated IT person to implement the software. Review the implementation process carefully and ask questions. The software vendor representative should be able to tell you how long the implementation will take. Involve potential users of the software in the selection and implementation process so they can hit the ground running. Ask the vendor how much help they will receive during the

implementation process (remember, many vendors charge extra for support). Ask if someone will be available to answer questions and offer guidance during the implementation phase of the software. Needless to say, agencies should not select a software vendor that is unwilling to actively engage in and support their business during the initial implementation and training on how to use the software.

Step 5: Do Your Homework

References are important. Use them! You should request several references and recommendations to get a better picture of the vendor and product. References should consist of current clients who are actively using the software who you can speak to and ask questions. By speaking with current users, you gain insight into their own successes and challenges with the software.

Step 6: On-going Training & Support

On-going training and support will be vital to the successful implementation of software at your agency. Initial training and support as your agency grows and adds new users is important and this should be addresses up front. Make sure you’re not stuck training new employees as they join the agency, this will be a huge financial and time expense.

Ask the following questions:

How many training hours are provided?

How is the initial training provided? Via webinar, on-site, etc.?

Is there a fee?

Is on-going training available? If so, is there a fee?