Can Bright Day Home Healthcare embrace tech innovation for strategic advantage?
Bonti Burgess, owner of Bright Day Home Healthcare, sat in her office deeply contemplating the complaints she routinely heard about how long HomeTrak, Bright Day’s CRM system, took to pull up client and caregiver schedules. With the glitches came a mandatory reboot of the server, disrupting the productivity of the entire staff. Burgess knew Bright Day’s technology needed to be addressed, but as the agency owner her calendar was full, and the timing was never right to address a technology change. Besides, operational disruption meant time away from sales, clients, and caregivers, and Burgess had built the company’s billable hours with the goal of selling the company. She’d been engaged in preliminary talks with three interested parties already. Burgess wondered whether there was value in upgrading the IT infrastructure at this juncture.
Last time she searched, there were 101 home health agencies listed on FloridaHealthFinder.gov in the Sarasota/Bradenton area and the competition was fierce. She had spoken to a competitor and asked for his recommendation on scheduling software. He was non-committal, stating he was required to use what the franchisor dictated. Second, Burgess considered her field staff. She called Pinyorat, a 30-something caregiver she knew worked for another agency with a mobile app. Pinyorat revealed she never used it because it took too long to log on. That was telling. Last, Burgess considered her clientele. Her clients ranged in age from 75 to 100; they rarely used email, let alone a computer. For them, patient care meant who was coming to assist them each day, and it had better be their favorite caregiver!
Technological advancements were slow to be adopted in the industry, Burgess realized. Some of her competitors were using paper schedules, some had advanced to telephony-based systems, others used cloud-based, and some had even progressed to utilization of mobile apps that featured real-time clock-ins and completed tasks. However, many caregivers lived without smart phones or data plans and the work force had a high turnover. Burgess felt technological improvements were critical for future growth but questioned whether her current on-site network server was sufficient for now.
There was a decision to be made and Burgess mulled over options that would change the trajectory of Bright Day. She needed a plan in place, but what was the most strategic direction? Were there dangers to sitting tight pending a possible agency sale? What about equipment and installation costs: could they be recouped in a company sale? Would staff have the skill set needed or would they leave? How relevant would an upgrade be to patient care; would it cause a loss of billable hours?
Authors: Aydee Adames-Polanco, Bonti Marie Burgess, Gary Fournier, Jason Smith
Link: https://doi.org/10.28945/5290
Cite As: Adames-Polanco, A., Burgess, B.M., Fournier, G. & Jason Smith, J. (2024). Navigating the dynamic convergence of technology disruption and growth. Muma Case Review 9(3). 1-31. https://doi.org/10.28945/5290