The Power of Interoperability for Disability & Aged Care Providers

Easily and safely accessing and sharing client data can propose multiple challenges for disability and aged care providers. Having an end-to-end software solution that is interoperable as well as secure is no longer a luxury but a necessity in today’s digital world. 

The inability to easily access and share information can disrupt client care and organisational coordination. Data silos, inaccurate information, lost revenue and time wasted are just a few areas where a lack of software interoperability can harm your healthcare organisation.

The problem with data silos 

Data silos lock information away from users, whether technical, organisational or cultural. While disability and aged care providers often look to software to increase data accessibility, software systems that do not seamlessly “talk” to each other often only exacerbate the problem by creating multiple data silos.

Inaccessible information on clients, staff and the organisation can result in uninformed decision-making, poor performance and unnecessary inefficiencies. In the disability and aged care sectors, this can have a profound impact on the quality of care provided.

Four signs that demonstrate your organisation may be subject to problematic data silos:

• Duplication of data entry with inefficient business processes: Individual employees and teams store information in numerous areas (paper-based or digital) across the organisation.
• Poor care collaboration: Inefficient and inaccurate rostering, outdated contact details, incorrect billing information and inconsistent or inaccurate notes resulting in poor care coordination across the organisation. 
• Weak security management: Support workers use personal devices to store information, e.g. in personal notes, or operate from systems that have weak protection against cyber attacks and hackers. 
• Incomplete and inconsistent data sets: Framework for data is lacking, resulting in a greater risk of incomplete, inaccurate and inconsistent data sets.

Reduce human error and lost time

Human error can drastically increase when moving sets of data across multiple areas. A fully interoperable system reduces the chance for error and frees up more time to focus on your organisational priorities. Ensuring compliant claiming and delivering person-centred care should be top of mind when considering whether or not your systems are truly interoperable.

With one intelligent solution, there is a clear channel of communication from client intake all the way through to the billing department. Incorporating an interoperable software solution that supports compliance with funding bodies, such as the NDIS, HCP and CHSP, and automates claiming will not only save time but can increase data accuracy.

The value of a data ecosystem 

Interoperability provides you with the right infrastructure for a complete data ecosystem. With easy access to important information and analytics, you can make more data-driven decisions regarding your clients, staff and organisation. However, as beneficial as it is, it can be challenging to leverage when using outdated systems.

Bringing necessary change into your organisation may not initially be accepted by team members who have worked a particular way for several years. Getting buy-in from across the entire organisation is key for implementing effective change. If you would like to find out more, read our blog about successful change management.

Once the right data ecosystem is established, data can flow efficiently between all areas of the organisation. This type of “data liquidity” can substantially benefit your employees, clients and the entire organisation. With complete interoperable software designed to optimise care management, your organisation can benefit from a true data ecosystem enabling better client services management, increased performance and a vastly improved employee experience.

Better care management

Interoperability also provides you with a clear and holistic view of your clients. By placing clients at the centre of care, you can ensure they receive the best services possible. Updates on notes, alerts, schedules and medications can be quickly accessed from anywhere using an integrated care management software platform.

If a client moves to a different location, a seamless transfer of data in real-time helps maintain a single source of truth. You no longer need to rely on single individuals to provide accurate information—now your entire team is empowered with the ability to access information from anywhere at any time.

Performance, productivity and sustainability

With improved care management comes increased organisational performance. By enabling your support workers to operate from a single source of truth, you can free up their time and reduce client waitlists, thus improving your productivity. Better organisational data analytics brings a 360-degree view of each area’s performance and highlights areas that need more attention.

With Lumary, intuitive reporting and analytics gives you total visibility of your entire client base so you know exactly where those clients are from intake through to care delivery. Interoperable NDIS and aged care software also allows for greater profitability through better billing and compliant claims leading to fewer rejections.

With seamless integrations, whether with the NDIS itself or accounting software tools like MYOB and Xero, automations free up time and enable cleaner data by eliminating the need to enter data across multiple systems. This ensures disability and aged care providers receive timely payments, providing greater certainty and allowing them to operate with a more sustainable business model.

Improve your employee experience

Most disability and aged care providers are looking for ways to increase employee retention. Supporting your team to improve their work-life balance and reduce unnecessary frustrations helps your employees focus their attention on their clients. By investing in a better system, you invest in your employees and in return they invest in you. If you are struggling with employee retention, learn how effective solutions can support you to reduce staff turnover.

The power of an interoperable solution

Lumary is an interoperable care management software solution that allows you to gain a holistic, 360-degree view of your entire organisation. Our safe and secure cloud-based solution provides world-class security, with integrated API (Application Programming Interface) functionality providing the all-important data fluidity supporting a complete data ecosystem developed and designed for disability and aged care providers.

To find out how you can optimise your care management with software interoperability, reach out to the Lumary team today!