Among web based home health platforms, Axxess is preeminent – Charles Sam Smith
Why are leading agencies subscribing to Axxess’ Agencycore, when there are more well- known platforms that have been in the market for years?
The 10 reasons are simple, but the context of the decision itself involves a series of very complex issues, clinical tasks, regulatory processes, administrative intelligence. An intelligently conceived, organized, workflow based platform must be chosen in order to master these complex tasks and processes in a cost-effective manner. Let’s face it…using Excel spreadsheets and paper forms to keep up with agency business is no longer viable to achieve high performance and regulatory compliance. An operating platform run by intelligent software is a key element for the highly effective home health agency
I. Ease of use promotes cost efficiencies– Once an agency has migrated to Axxess Agencycore, the marketers, point of care skilled nurses, therapists, caregivers, administrators, and billers immediately begin to master the platform. Aided by the cost neutral, unlimited training and support provided through Axxess’ subscription based model, coupled with true intuitive ease of use, end user mastery quickly ensues, and the agency begins to reap the cost savings of platform deployment. Agencycore home health software enables the accurate, consistent submission of thoroughly analyzed, scrubbed OASIS assessments, Care plans (485) and claims and this means less time to reimbursement, and more time to serve patients. Agencycore creates a workflow environment that is increasingly efficient and effective!
II. Reasonable pricing is, for Axxess, a competitive advantage – Agencycore is the most reasonably priced, client-friendly home health software platform in the industry. Axxess has a flat fee structure for setup, implementation and migration. With sliding scale pricing ranging from a low cost fee structure for start-ups and smaller agencies, to a unlimited user subscription rate for larger organizations. Axxess has enabled agencies a critical path which enables them to afford to grow continuously, and as they adapt and become more efficient, and enabled to accept more referrals and referral sources without acquiring additional exorbitant user upgrades masked by “per seat” costs of software deployment. Axxess is uniquely positioned to be very sensitive to the needs of “the little guys” and also accommodate the needs of the “big guys”. Start-ups who are anticipating receipt of a new license can begin to acquire training and skill in Agencycore operations prior to license receipt, for a reduced rate. Pricing is graduated as you grow the agency from 1-5 users, with a lower monthly cost, to a 5-10, 11-20, 21 to 40, then to the most cost effective “Unlimited” user level. What is admirable is that there are no additional hidden charges for any additional features or functionality. Although an annual subscription renewal is preferred, the company allows clients to vacate their services platform with a thirty day notice, yet allows clients databases to remain accessible. This unequalled and genuine generosity with its clients is a display of the confidence Axxess has regarding its product, and its service to its clients.
III. Agencycore is all inclusive – Familiar with ongoing contracted OASIS Analysis providers? Yes, they normally cost agencies from $400- $500/month which are billed as extra costs beyond the agency platform subscription. Not with Axxess. OASIS analysis services are all part of the platform subscription. So is additional training. So is access to Medicare Number Eligibility Verification, NPI and PECOS databases. It is truly an all-inclusive platform. Axxess culturally maintains a holistic viewpoint towards its client base, so that a standard subscription is all encompassing; including training, implementation, and continuously improving operational effectiveness through upgrades. As one Axxess client, Lisa Tabbert of Mobile Personal Services, Inc. in Florida, recently exclaimed – “I love Axxess cause they don’t ‘nickel and dime you’ to death!”
IV. Workflow orientation – Axxess developed the features and functionality of Agencycore in concert with actual licensed, operating home health agencies. These agency collaborators, along with Axxess’ experienced team of home health consultants, guided the original formative development of the platform. And Axxess still listens to its agency clients. Agencycore home health software is designed with effective workflow in mind, and provides its users with efficiencies in point of care, billing and productivity heretofore unachievable in the industry. Axxess enables timely and productive workflows by providing Integrated Clinical Teaching Guides, Integrated Drug & Allergy Interactions, integrated Visit Notes and Clinical Documentation, and a comprehensive Patient Relationship Manager…all included at no additional cost within Agencycore.
V. Excellence in Agencycore User Training and Support – Axxess believes in continuous improvement as part of its mission, and focuses its customer services operations on “the golden rule”, treating clients like they themselves want to be treated. The customer support queues huddle daily, and maintain in close communication and receive constant training. The support teams have rotating schedules to accommodate client’s needs from all parts of the US. Recently, Axxess completed an Online Training Manual which serves as a training tool to agencies who experience turnover (and don’t we all experience turnover?). This ever growing, ever improving compilation of key training topics, comes directly from past queries offered Axxess clients and can use to give a preliminary training model for new trainees so that they can gain an immediate resource, allowing them to get up to speed on the platform. More training resources are in the works, so continuous improvement is being applied in this arena as well. Calling or going online to the Training Manual for support means receiving the most friendly and knowledgeable assistance available from any provider in the industry. Period.
VI. Axxess’ cultural intelligence exudes confidence – Axxess is an organic, ideological company which believes in a set of philosophical values called The Axxess Way. This drives the way the company manages it business, creates its solutions, interacts with its staff and client base, and markets its products. Axxess truly hires and maintains a staff that consists of “Knowledgeable Experts“ who, as a team, care for the HHA client and the end-user recipient of services, “the patient”. The reason Agencycore was created was because Axxess saw the need for a cost effective web based alternative in the market, a home care software platform that reflects the firm’s focus on customer care. Axxess remains doggedly focused upon the direct and indirect customer, both the Home Health Agency, and the end user service recipient, the HHA’s patients. The Axxess Way is the standard at Axxess, and this is a primary reason why Agencycore is the preeminent platform for HHA operations in the industry.
VII. Expert software conception and development: a state of the art, .Net platform – One cursory overview of the Agencycore platform reveals that the development team at Axxess uses the latest code base for web page development, not Cold Fusion. Axxess utilized the latest commercial software platform, .Net which fuses perfectly with not only your Windows operating system and every browser out there (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Opera, and the latest Apple browser (Safari)). This browser based delivery enables Agencycore clients to utilize Android based tablets as well as iPads, along with smartphones, laptops and desktops running either the Apple OS or Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7. Agencycore also enables the setting of specific roles and permissions for all your users including Physicians, Marketers, aides, therapists, administrators and billers. Security and privacy is built in. Another feature of Agencycore is the use of an Operations Dashboard which facilitates a rapid jump start of a team member’s workflow, directly from the home page.
VIII. The Point of Care (POC) system enables precise Regulatory Compliance – As the clinician or aide completes his or her assessment of the admitted patient, the completion of the POC serves to accurately document the encounter with the accepted, comprehensive, complete OASIS or Non-OASIS assessment, Face to Face encounter, and Plan of Care (485) standard, required reports, for rapid, error free digital transmission to Medicare or to the private pay/managed care insurer utilized by the patient. Axxess’ expert consultants made sure the system gets it right. The Quality Assurance module is a key step in the workflow of Agencycore, providing an ongoing process which assures quality care and compliance and provides a conduit for timely receipts of billed reimbursements. As a built in bonus, Axxess provides an OASIS analysis “scrubber” to capture logical and clinical inconsistencies in the OASIS assessment before it is completed and sent to CMS. This is an included service in Axxess, whereas, as an add-on, this service can cost over $500 per month with other web based providers. This enables Axxess clients to gain ever improving billing processes and reimbursement management while providing excellent, flawless regulatory compliance. Axxess is HIPAA 5010 compliant and has been confirmed by financial intermediaries that the platform is ready when the new standards are made mandatory. The platform conforms to all governmental regulations, including HIPAA, JCAHO, CHAP & ACHC. Axxess is fully compliant.
IX. Thoughtful scheduling and planning – The scheduling module in Agencycore is revolutionary. DONs, Case Managers, Schedulers and Administrators are able to create nurses, therapists and aides work schedules to optimize patient care and to eliminate over-booking of the visiting caregivers. Administrators are permitted to have direct vision into the schedules of all its on-site caregivers, creating balance in assignments and assuring timely service provision in regard to workloads and the general quality of patient care delivery.
X. A focus on revenue-improving billing methodology – Agencycore streamlines the process for billing Medicare, and other primary or secondary insurances in which all requirements of documentation for RAP’s, EOE’s and Recertifications are analyzed and scrubbed. After the scrubbing and analysis, then the billing can be submitted which means that collection of Medicare, Managed Care, and Private Insurance reimbursements can be drilled down to an exact science. With Agencycore you can achieve continuous improvement in your billing and collection workflow processes. Axxess enables and encourages your mastery in the art of efficient home health operations.
Axxess realizes there are providers who claim to provide everything needed to help agencies succeed in the home health marketplace. Perhaps, but can they deliver their solutions in as up-to-date, client friendly, regulatory comprehensive and as cost effective a manner as Axxess? The drive to improve, listen and improve more and more sharpens and heightens the internal urgency within the Axxess team to provide unequalled customer care. High performance agencies are choosing Axxess every day. The opportunity remains for your agency to become one of them.
C. SAM SMITH – BIO
With many years’ experience in community banking, and a lifelong interest in technology, C. Sam Smith has been in the technology and strategic consulting business since 1999. He serves as the CIO of RBA Texas* in Hurst, TX. Having been tasked with implementing tech solutions focused upon maintaining low technology related overhead, without hiring a full time IT staff, Smith has consistently delivered value to his clients. *RBA Texas is a commonly owned group of home health and hospice agencies located all across Texas, from El Paso to Texarkana, Denton, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Waco and San Antonio.
At the outset in the RBA engagement, Smith performed technology related consulting; including project management leading to the delivery of a centralized, CMS based web platform, a state of the art Exchange 2010 server, and data center based server hosting and management. Those projects were flawlessly delivered. In summer 2011, a collaborative software selection project was launched. The task was to optimize the overall company’s productivity by selecting a home health operating platform to enact Point of Care (EMR) services, Medicare and private insurance reporting / billing and overall managerial administration, enabling the company to be effectively managed centrally from headquarters in Hurst (DFW area) Texas, again with an eye to minimizing IT overhead costs.
Led by Ann Voss, COO, the selection process was launched. A team of 16 software systems users from across the company agencies was assembled. The team was composed of each agency role: i.e. intake clerks, nurses, administrators, and billers, from all over the company; A process was initiated, seeking to objectively research the leading competitive home health operational platforms and to choose the most suitable and cost effective platform to support the overall growth of RBA’s centrally managed group of agencies into the 21st century. Over the past few months, Smith has shared this saga, explaining how it came to be that RBA chose the Axxess platform, called Agencycore, over such name brands as Allscripts, Kinnser, Healthcare First and Home Care/Home Base. Smith has shared that the outcome of that search, research and implementation has led to confident and forthright Point Of Care services which fostered accurate and timely OASIS/485 and RAP submissions, which culminated in an efficiently improved billing and overall company cash flow.
Smith now is aligned with the team at Axxess, coordinating strategic marketing and business development activities.
