Less paperwork, more care: Smarter agreements for aged care

One of the biggest administrative headaches in the aged care sector is resident intakes and admissions. How do we know this? We ran a straw poll in a recent webinar, and it was the overwhelming response.

Really, the result is no surprise. Aged care providers run a gauntlet of rules and regulations every time they bring a new client into their system. Compliance is becoming more complicated, with things like Support at Home price caps, the Higher Everyday Living Fee, and the Statement of Rights adding new pressure – and more paperwork – to already-stretched care teams. The good news? There is a way to ease the pressure and work more efficiently, so aged care providers can focus on delivering great experiences to the people they are caring for. 

All was revealed in our recent webinar opens in a new tab, produced in partnership with ECLEVA opens in a new tab, a Microsoft Solutions Partner. Featuring a comprehensive demonstration of an end-to-end client journey through the admissions process, the webinar showed how connected, intelligent agreements help aged care and community care teams cut manual admin, stay compliant, and spend more time on care. Below, we unpack the key steps in the process. For all the details, you can watch the full webinar.

Simplifying the admissions process for all involved

Step 1 - Alex enquires about available beds

Alex has started looking into aged care for his mother. There are many ways he could submit an enquiry with the aged care provider – a Docusign web form, email, phone, in person. No matter which route he chooses, Alex’s enquiry is captured and entered into a central system of record: Dynamics 365 CRM. 

In this back-end system, the enquiry is routed to an AI queue. The AI agent looks at all the underlying data – daily movement sheets, facility availability, alternative offers, waitlists – as well as Alex’s enquiry to make an assessment. The agent sees that there’s an available bed at a facility near the one that Alex requested. This insight may not have surfaced if Alex’s enquiry was only handled by the first facility. The qualified assessment is then sent to the admissions team with the appropriate priority assigned.

Step 2 - An admissions pack is generated

Now that the admissions team has the enquiry, they can automatically generate an offer and admissions pack, pulling in all the relevant data from the original enquiry. Once they’re happy that the offer is correct and complete, the admissions team can send it off via Docusign to Alex with the click of a button within Dynamics. 

Step 3 - Alex completes the admissions forms

To start the admissions process, Alex simply clicks the link on the email, which takes him into the Docusign system to start the process. This form uses branch logic to dynamically adapt the form depending on who’s completing it (for example, the content would change if Mary was filling it in herself). This helps simplify what the applicant sees, so they don’t have to sift through a 10-20 page form. 

Step 4 - The application is internally approved

Once the application form comes back, it doesn’t just sit in a shared inbox waiting for someone to action it. Instead, specific areas of the form can get routed to the right people for approvals. For example, the form indicates that Mary has behavioural needs and requires a clinical assessment before being admitted. Using Docusign Agreement Desk, this component can be automatically sent to the Clinical Manager at the facility, who then makes sure the appropriate support and planning is in place. 

Step 5 - Alex and Mary sign the admission forms

Now, it’s time for Alex and Mary to actually sign this document. Digital identification is simple within Docusign workflows, and is sovereign so it’s all Australian-based. Signing the forms is all digital, too. Once the document has been signed, it comes back into the central system of record and is stored in SharePoint. Here, there are many controls that can be applied to ensure that only the right people can access and view PII and other details. 

Step 6 - It’s time for onboarding

Now that Mary has been accepted into the facility, it’s time to get her admitted. A work order is automatically generated with predefined tasks based on the agreement that had been signed. For example, Mary needs a clinical assessment for her behavioural issues, so the system books that in. This, along with all the onboarding and admission tasks that need to be completed, are assigned to the relevant people within the facility so that everything is set up and ready for Mary when she arrives.

Step 7 - Mary settles in

With Mary now admitted, she settles in and Alex can relax. Behind the scenes, the management team at the aged care facility can take a look at the admissions performance dashboard to see what worked and what didn’t during the admissions process – and make necessary adjustments to protect care quality, compliance and financial sustainability.

Step 8 - AI-powered agreement management

As a final, ongoing step in the process, the aged care facility continues to use AI to query and interrogate the information across admissions documents, client CRM records and contractual information from Docusign. Using AI to connect information across both Docusign and Dynamics delivers valuable insights, fast.

Using AI, they can ask questions like, “Which health agreements are expiring in the next month?” Or, “Which agreements have statements of right clauses in them?” Or even, “What are the termination periods on our subcontractor agreements?” Instead of someone having to go through loads of documents to find answers to questions like these, the AI surfaces answers immediately. What’s more, it can also analyse trends and provide meaningful insights to help organisations make more proactive business decisions. 

Supporting every step in aged care

The key takeaway from the webinar? Together, Docusign and Microsoft Dynamics 365 make things easier for both aged care administrators and the people trying to secure care. By centralising and standardising all the agreements across aged care – and by automating key steps within these agreement processes – aged care teams are freed up to focus on the human element of care. 

Transforming the Care Continuum Diagram

Importantly, these solutions help:

• Elevate the care experience 

• Improve workforce capacity

• Ensure continuous compliance with aged care quality standards

For a more detailed breakdown of the eight steps above, including live demos of the Docusign and Dynamics portals, watch the full webinar here opens in a new tab.

Or, to learn more about how we could help your aged care organisation, get in touch with Docusign or ECLEVA opens in a new tab.