Hammond Company's Own Revolutionary Software Saw Them Through Ida's Aftermath

HAMMOND, La., February 21, 2022 (Newswire.com) - One of the state's largest in-home care providers, CARE, Inc., has recently launched an updated website to provide other provider agencies with an even more detailed look at Cura OS, a custom application more than 30 years in the making. Cura OS represents the first-ever comprehensive software platform created expressly for waiver and ICF/IDD providers in order to address a looming supply-and-demand crisis that has concerned many industry insiders for decades.

The CARE team, led by CEO James Griffith and COO Bridgette Willson, identified a major gap in the market all the way back in 1991, when they realized that most of the commercial tools available for business operations and management functions were inadequate or poorly adapted to the workings of their type of provider agency. Rather than try to piece together a clunky, costly network of separate applications, they elected to develop and test their own bespoke system within CARE, Inc. that could organize records and perform vital tasks related to seven foundational areas of their industry: Client Care, HR, Scheduling, Billing, Payroll, Compliance, and Training. Since that time, the development team has consistently refined and enhanced the platform to ensure that it effectively utilizes the latest technological advancements, remains fully compliant with HIPAA laws and guidelines, and is accessible and flexible for all the agencies who use the system in all situations.   

At no time was this latter benefit more critical than during the recent catastrophic damage and disruption caused by Hurricane Ida. Because Cura OS is a fully integrated, cloud-based platform, offices using the system were the only ones in the area that were able to respond effectively to the situation, communicate and prioritize needs for clients and employees, and resume operations to serve both groups within a matter of hours or days. COO Bridgette Willson explained, "We didn't have to worry about how we are going to work because we knew how we were going to work. Cura allows our staff to work from anywhere. We had people in Texas, Florida, Georgia, all over the south, and they were all working from their hotel rooms or wherever they were. And those people that stayed and had access were working from their homes. And so the focus of the people that were here and could help was to help our clients. And our staff, we were not worried about the business because we knew that the business was okay."

Willson continued, "When it came time for payroll, we still didn't have power, but it wasn't a  problem. We just did the payroll remotely by importing from [the Louisiana state billing system] with Cura OS. It was no problem. Then we paid our staff through direct deposit. What Cura OS allows companies to do in a time of crisis is focus on helping people instead of focusing on, 'How am I going to do my job?' That relieves so much stress, and we get to do what we're here to do, which is to help people."

CARE, Inc. CEO James Griffith added, "It's not just about these extreme events, though. The whole industry is facing this incoming wave of demand to provide care for a growing population of individuals with a disability and those who are aging. At the same time, many agencies are facing high employee turnover or can't hire enough quality workers to meet the demand even though the funding to provide these services is growing almost by the day. The bottom line for most providers is that they just haven't had the tools they need to actually run an agency in a way that's efficient and cost-effective and helps everyone involved feel valued. Most of the time waiver service and ICF/IDD providers aren't living in temporary chaos because there's been an unprecedented natural disaster; they're stuck in chaos all the time. They are struggling to keep their heads above water when instead they should be able to focus on their whole reason for being: providing care. To do that, you have to start within your own house. Caring for your team is of the utmost importance.  Without a healthy support system, including the tools to succeed, how can they provide care to others?"

In addition to providing information on Cura OS and its companion mobile app, Griffith, Willson, and their partner Dr. Laura Brackin share breaking news and insider advice as part of Home Care America, a weekly podcast expressly created for waiver service and ICF/IDD agencies and employees. Visitors to www.curaos.com can learn more about all the innovations Cura OS has to offer, see a quick demo, or find links to subscribe to Home Care America via their favorite podcast platform. 

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Source: Cura OS