There are a lot of factors and forces that come into play when making the switch to an Agency Management Platform.  One of the consistent forces is security and compliance.  This is not to say that you can't have a world class compliance and quality assurance program at your agency with manual and paper based methods.  You can and I've witnessed them firsthand.  But, compliance and QA goes beyond coming out of a clean audit.  While that's very important and software can absolutely help make that process more efficient, it's also important to look at the security of your clients' protected health information and private data that's only meant for the eyes of certain qualified employees.  So whether you just failed an audit and your manual methods are in disarray, or you run a tight ship and every 'i' is dotted and 't' crossed, there are still areas that a HIPAA compliant Agency Management Platform can help with.  Let's take a look.

The biggest mountain most providers face when implementing a technology that will replace manual processes, is the resistance to change that they will face with their staff.  Using technology in a provider agency doesn't always go together like peanut butter and jelly.  With the right technology, implementation strategy and executive leadership, that initial resistance usually melts away.  Resistance to change is totally normal and expected.  What's not good is if that resistance maintains or grows over time.  Taking a hammer to the computer, as pictured above, might be a little extreme, but the frustration that your employees feel is very real.  Remember, you didn't hire your staff to be experts on the computer.  You hired them to be caring, thoughtful, and responsible employees that you trust to take good care of your clients.  So employees will oftentimes feel threatened, anxious, and insecure of their job roles when technology becomes a part of it and they are not comfortable with technology.  It's your job during a transition to technology to nurture their learning and reinforce their value to your agency.  Here are some tips to overcome resistance.

Each year, The Arc brings together more than 700 staff and volunteers from our chapters, professionals and experts in the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and individuals with disabilities and their families for a National Convention. This annual gathering of the I/DD community is designed to inform and inspire with session dedicated to helping those who serve people with I/DD do their jobs better along with empowering advocates in the movement to make a bigger impact.