Questions To Ask When Researching Home Care

When you're researching home care companies it can feel pretty overwhelming. There are so many companies out there, and they all seem to offer the exact same service. However, since home care is not licensed in the state of Michigan, it means there are no standards on what makes a good home care company. This means customers need to do thorough research before making the life changing decision to hire a home care company. Below are basic questions that any reputable home care company should be able to provide you solid answers on.

What Is Your Hiring Process?

Quality home care companies should have a detailed hiring process, similar to our Care Pro Selection Process. It's very important to know whether or not they visually observe their caregiver's skills. Without this critical step you'll most likely end up with a caregiver in your home that's not capable of meeting your needs.

What Is Your Employee Retention Rate?

Happy employees are a key sign of a well-run home care company. The best home care companies pay close attention to their employee retention rate and make smart business decisions to keep their number as high as possible. The current industry average for employee retention is around 18%. For comparison, our employee retention rate is an outstanding 89%!

What Is Your Shift Fulfillment Rate?

Shift fulfillment rate refers to how many company-wide shifts actually get covered. The current industry average is around 80%-90%. In a service-based business there are rare unforeseeable occasions where a shift may not have coverage. The best home care companies should know this number very well and be transparent with you before entering into a business relationship together. Our shift fulfillment rate is an impressive 99.7% and we're continually working to improve that number.

What Insurance Do You Have?

For your protection any home care agency you decide to work with should be fully insured. This includes general and professional liability, workers compensation, and a bond. You can learn more about proper insurance coverage HERE.

How Do You Track Caregiver Time?

Keeping accurate track of caregiver time is a complex task many companies struggle with. Doing a mediocre job in this department results in billing nightmares, scheduling problems, and even fraud. You want to work with a home care agency who uses advanced GPS tracking. This allow you, the Client, to trust that you'll only be billed for services you actually received.

What Oversight Do You Provide?

The best home care companies will provide management oversight as often necessary. This includes access to a Nurse as well a dedicated Client Support Advocate. Depending on the complexities of your needs our oversight may happen a few times a year or several times a month. Oversight should be catered to your individual care needs. However, many companies put all their Clients the same oversight frequency "box", which often doesn't address the needs properly.