National Strategies to Overcome Direct Care Workforce Challenges

In recent years, hiring and retaining direct care workers has become a growing challenge. To discover the various reasons behind this challenge, a deeper look into the current state of the direct care workforce is a must. As a company that supports home- and community-based service programs (HCBS) and agencies, Direct Care Innovations understands the frustration that many of these organizations experience. We invite you to learn more about the direct care workforce and what is being done to address these challenges.

Addressing Challenges in the Direct Care Workforce

Before addressing direct care or HCBS employment challenges, the industry needs to identify critical gaps in hiring practices. In collaboration with the Biden-Harris Administration and Health and Human Services (HHS), the Direct Care Workforce Strategies Center is implementing technical assistance programs to help participating states identify these gaps and improve recruitment, training, and retention of direct care employees. In addition, the Department of Labor (DOL) and HHS recently released key data recommendations to assist in creating effective data infrastructures that can guide HCBS workforce practices and strategies. 

Identifying Employment Gaps & Weaknesses in HCBS Agencies

While a few weaknesses in hiring and retention practices for direct care workers have been confirmed, many others remain to be identified. Thorough and accurate data collection can detect these critical gaps. The valuable data acquired can lead to the development of policies that can positively influence the longevity of direct care workers nationwide.

Addressing weak and critical areas has the potential to influence the following changes for HCBS and direct care organizations and staff:

• Family-sustaining wages and benefits
• Improved safety standards
• Accuracy in time and payroll management 
• Access and compliance with job-related training
• Improved and personalized care management
• Decrease in Medicare/Medicaid fraud with EVV data aggregators

Key Data Recommendations to Improve Employee Retention 

Policies that strengthen the direct care workforce and improve care management are foundational to overcoming direct care staffing shortages. The HHS and DOL’s data recommendations were developed to accurately and thoroughly collect data on direct care and HCBS services:

• Establish and regularly administer a nationally representative direct care/HCBS workforce survey.
• Establish and regularly administer a nationally representative survey of the need for services and support for adults living with disabilities.
• Enhance consistent and systematic state data collection efforts and share evidence-informed best practices of state data collection on the direct care/HCBS workforce.
• Maximize the availability of existing federal data sources to produce additional information on the direct care/HCBS workforce.
• Maximize existing administrative data sources to provide direct care/HCBS workforce information.

Assisting Direct Care & HCBS Agencies across the U.S.

Direct Care Innovations was founded to streamline data processes and provide high-quality care management for direct care organizations across the United States. We reinvented HCBS administration so our partners can provide a higher quality of care, create user-friendly data management, and seamlessly run every aspect of their business. Contact us by calling (480) 295-3307 or request a sales demo today.

“Biden-Harris Administration Partners with States and Releases Data Recommendations to Strengthen the Direct Care Workforce,” 2024. https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/706518930/biden-harris-administration-partners-with-states-and-releases-data-recommendations-to-strengthen-the-direct-care-workforce