There are over 600 Fiscal Intermediaries in New York State, and like any other business there are various differentiators that separate each company. Burd Home Health believes that its adoption of the Telehealth Model has provided superior service to its consumer base and separated itself as not only a superior Fiscal Intermediary but also one that is truly unique.The Traditional ProcessMany Fiscal Intermediaries incorporate more traditional methods to provide CDPAP services. For example, non-mandatory in-home visits to sign up a consumer on CDPAP are more costly to the Fiscal Intermediary thus more costly to Medicaid as well as being an unnecessary intrusion into the privacy of a consumer’s home. On top of this, when a consumer hires a personal assistant these Fiscal Intermediaries make yet another costly visit to the consumer’s home or require the personal assistant to come into the office of the Fiscal Intermediary in order to fill out paperwork for on-boarding. These practices limit the efficiency in which a Fiscal Intermediary can provide CDPAP services to a consumer in need and limits the impact CDPAP is able to have in underserved, hard to reach areas of New York State.The Telehealth ModelThe Telehealth Model is a term that encompasses the myriad of ways a Fiscal Intermediary can operate and provide CDPAP services to its consumers with the help of technology. Burd Home Health’s Telehealth Model includes smart phone apps for personal assistants to use to clock in/out and check pay stubs, electronic document signing via email for onboarding paperwork, and a dedicated Relationship Manager who is available to help 24/7 via phone call, text, or email. The use of these features eliminates the need for costly and intrusive in-home visits, speeds up the process to deliver CDPAP services to consumers in need, and allows Burd Home Health to have a more substantial impact in underserved, hard to reach areas of New York State.Burd Home Health Survey ResultsBurd Home Health recently sent a survey to all of its consumers, administrators and personal assistants regarding the Telehealth Model and the results provided resounding evidence of the effectiveness of and preference for the Telehealth Model. The survey first found that 90% of applicants have a smartphone, indicating that the vast majority of potential consumers and personal assistants have access to the technology that allows for electronic clocking in/out as well as the ability to complete documents electronically. Also, 97% of those surveyed said there has never been an issue that required an in-person visit from Burd Home Health, evidence to support the assertion that in-home visits are a costly, intrusive, and unnecessary process. The survey also found that 40% of Burd Home Health’s consumers live in rural areas, evidence that the Telehealth Model allows a Fiscal Intermediary to reach consumers in underserved areas. The value of a dedicated Relationship Manager was also made clear by the survey as it was chosen as the aspect of Burd Home Health that provides the best experience using CDPAP. Finally, over 70% of those surveyed said they prefer the Telehealth Model as opposed to in-home or in-office visits.Other Benefits of Telehealth Not included in the survey was the financial impact that Telehealth has on consumers and personal assistants. Since the Telehealth is much more cost effective for the Fiscal Intermediary and the ultimately the state, there is more funding available to positively impact consumers and personal assistants. The most notable of which is personal assistant pay. Burd Home Health offers industry leading wage rates which help consumers attract and retain higher quality personal assistants. Along with higher wage rates, the Telehealth models allows Burd Home Health to offer additional incentives such as overtime, paid holidays and paid time off. In 2020, Burd Home Health will be launching additional benefits to personal assistants such as vision, dental, life insurance and retirement plans.Burd Home Health and its Telehealth Model eliminates the inefficiencies many Fiscal Intermediaries experience as a result of their more dated approach to delivering CDPAP services to those in need. Coupled with a dedicated Relationship Manager, Burd Home Health provides a quicker, more efficient service while also providing a higher level of customer service which allows consumers, administrators, and personal assistant to have a better CDPAP experience.
Burd Home Health is a family run, fiscal intermediary serving self directed programs in New York, Missouri and Arizona. If you are interested in learning more about Burd Home Health's model for administering self directed programs and the benefits they offer, please reach out by phone at 833-HIRE-FAM or submit a form on their website at www.burdhomehealth.com and a member of their team will reach out promptly.