Consumer Directed Care: There is more to itthan meets the eye

Jeremy McAuliffeGeneral Manager, Benetas Home Care23 February 2015

Overview – What’s Hot A brief introduction A CDC transition

experience Hot topics and burning

issues Clients, staff, finance,

systems, the future Lessons learned

About Benetas Anglican Aged Care Services Group was

established in 1948 by volunteers from the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne.

Re-branded under the trading name of ‘Benetas’ in 2003 (which means ‘a good age of life’ in Latin).

Services provided across Melbourne and regional Victoria - home care packages, respite programs, residential aged care facilities, independent living units, retirement village.

We support clients with a continuum of care from housing and home care through to specialist residential care.

1,400 employees and 400 volunteers.

Setting the Scene When driving a car you

encounter various speed limit signs, but these have changed over time and drivers have had to adapt.

Drivers look for signs and adjust accordingly.

CDC is a changed sign on the aged care roadway.

Like a speed sign, if you don’t read it right there are consequences.

CDC: Getting Started Transitioning from traditional

Home Care Package service models to new reform responsive and CDC aligned service models.

Revising program procedure and documentation to align with CDC and reform requirements.

Reworking job roles to enhance capacity to provide CDC responsive services.

Getting CDC finances sorted, thinking about competition, pricing and viability.

Client Expectation We set client expectations,

often from the moment of first contact.

The expectation we set will influence the customer experience sought by the client.

Client expectation can force unsustainable and non-competitive practice.

CDC doesn’t mean that you should create an expectation that you cannot fulfill.

Client Fees The client fee landscape is

different and so are conversations with clients about money.

The client fee equation = consumer co-contribution/income assessment + basic daily fee + administration/management charge.

Each part is different and each impacts at a different point.

Operational practice, along with financial and accounting process is impacted.

Consumer Co-contribution Clients, whether old or new

lack awareness and understanding of co-contribution.

It takes time to explain co-contribution and income assessment, time that is unfunded and may delay or block commencement.

Co-contribution is not good news to clients, and not good news for your finance systems.

Choice & Control Choice has focused on

client preference. Now it is multi-layered –

provider, service offer, flexibility.

Brand and service offer vs flexibility and range of services.

Duty of care or dignity of risk?

Advice or informed choice?

Client Agreement Traditional client agreements

focused on compliance. Client agreements should be

more about obligations. Consider CDC as a partnership

with shared responsibilities. What the provider will do,

what the client will do; and the consequences of not doing.

An agreement brings everything together.

Finance Individual budgets. Accounting procedures CDC

ready. Procedure to enable

contingencies and accrual of client surpluses.

Spreadsheets don’t talk to finance and client management systems.

CDC brings increased financial risk.

Does your CFO understand CDC finance better than you?

Commercial Practice Decipher service vs sales. Price your inputs and

measure your sales. Do you know your

product? Input driven or caseload

burden? Stand alone and

sustainable, not cross-subsidised.

Funded service refusal is a fee for service opportunity.

Staff Engagement Adapt to CDC operational

models and the changed job roles and new procedures and practices that underpin these models.

The challenge for staff is to see CDC as a philosophy of care and to adapt to the new ways of working that this demands.

Focus staff expertise on delivery of exemplary customer service and provision of an outstanding customer experience.

Next Wave of Reforms Commonwealth Home Support

Program (CHSP), transitioning programs, new guidelines, more CDC.

Screening and Assessment, common tools, Regional Assessment Service.

Portals – providers, assessors and clients - interface with central client records.

Client match and refer through myagedcare.

Program integration, individual funding, provider ratings????

Critical Lessons The sector is becoming more

commercial whether we like it or not.

Understanding CDC finances is more important than understanding CDC operations.

Business modelling is not program planning.

CDC is a service philosophy, not a program.

CDC is organisational business. Do not underestimate the scale

of change.

Questions

Thank you for your interest and attention.Contact me: jeremy.mcauliffe@benetas.com.auMore about Benetas: www.benetas.com.au