After more than a year, we are still navigating the obstacles of COVID-19. It’s been stressful and challenging for all of us. The good news is we’re starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel. Vaccines have become available, and appointments are easy to get through the New York State website. If you have any questions regarding the vaccine, feel free to reach out to us to discuss it.
Because the COVID-19 numbers have been decreasing, we have had more people here in the office. It’s been great to see more interactions between teams and, for the most part, it’s been very positive. (Except for the employees who pranked my office…you know who you are!)
During the past year, our operating system, EOS, has helped us get things done. One thing EOS can’t do, however, is facilitate the many impromptu meetings we used to have on a daily basis. Hopping on zoom is not the same thing as actually going into someone’s office and hashing things out in person. I’m hopeful we can get back to that as soon as we possibly can.
What happened in Q1?
Electronic Visit Verification (EVV): In order to comply with federal law, we’ve had to implement an EVV system. For us, switching from a paper to a digital format also meant implementing a new software. Although the transition has not been smooth, our ability to deliver services has not been interrupted, and we are now 96% compliant with EVV.
Staff Pay Rates: Bringing on new staff is a major challenge. The pay rates we compete with from places like Wegmans are very difficult. We’ve looked into ways we can increase pay rates, add benefits, or provide additional bonuses to keep ourselves competitive. I hope to have the ability to make positive changes for our field staff in the coming months.
AlayaCare: We’ve worked hard on developing our relationship with AlayaCare and pushing for the changes we need. Now, we’re seeing the results of that work. In fact, their latest products often highlight functionalities that we asked them to develop.
Quarterly Leadership Meeting: Our most recent quarterly leadership meeting was the first one we conducted without the guidance of our EOS guru, Jim Wardlow, and it was one of the most successful meetings we ever had. We’ve taken the training wheels off and are running EOS on our own!
What’s happening next?
CDPAP: In a few weeks, we hope to receive the contract information regarding our status as a lead fiscal intermediary. Depending on the information, we may have to make changes in how we operate the CDPAP department.
Brand Enhancement: If our brand enhancement project gets approved by the board, we will be moving forward with some exciting changes to the brand.
Health Homes: As we continue to grow our Health Homes department, we are looking to expand our coverage area. I’m always impressed with what that team brings to the table, and I can’t wait to see how far we can take this program.
Our most important goal is always to strive to make this one of the best companies to work for. We continually try to find ways to make work a fun and engaging place to be. We’re making sure that’s a part of our one-, three-, and ten-year goals. If we keep our eyes on the prize, keep setting those Rocks and moving things forward, we’ll end up where we want to