Keeping Clients and Caregivers Safe
This week we’re highlighting how to protect your personal care agency by having a Disaster Recovery Plan in place. This will protect your business in case of an emergency, either person-made or a natural disaster. Your plan needs to include guidelines on how to safely serve your clients. The plan must also keep your staff safe in case of emergencies that don’t allow you to access your office.
The emergencies could range from floods and tornadoes to power outages in your building. At a minimum, you must store the emergency contact information in a HIPAA-compliant system for your clients and caregivers. For more information check out this article on the importance of being paperless. Likewise, you’ll want to ensure your system can securely (HIPAA compliant) store the Care Plans of your clients. That way if you have to send a caregiver unfamiliar with them during an emergency, the client will receive proper care. Triage your client list based on the severity of their needs. Ensure that a client with dementia receives care. Whereas a more independent client may be okay with a quick phone call to check-in.
Operational Blueprints: Document your Org Chart
Another way to look at your agency’s Disaster Recovery Plan is as a record for your operational blueprints. If you are the signer on your agency’s checking account, who will sign a check in your absence? If a bill needs to be paid immediately, or a caregiver is terminated, someone must cut a check.
Instead of deciding which of your admins will pinch hit for you right before you head out, have a detailed Organizational Structure for your agency. Make sure that each of your admins understands the process of escalation. Furthermore, they should know exactly what’s expected of their roles. Now, when you use your Disaster Recovery Plan, your staff will know how to proceed. No one will be stepping on each other’s toes, because everyone will complete their own tasks.
Operational consulting is one of our specialties here at Senior Care Business Advisors. We would like to meet with you and provide a second set of eyes on your operational structure. We’ll help you develop a Disaster Recovery Plan if you don’t already have one in place. Take advantage of our FREE 30-minute consultation to discuss your home care agency’s needs. To schedule an appointment visit us at www.seniorcareba.com or call me directly at 678-340-3649. We look forward to hearing from you!
