Beyond the Basics. A Home Health Care Provider’s Move to HRMS.
In this second post of our HR tech adoption series (check out the1st one here), we follow a home health care provider that expanded rapidly and needed to evolve beyond its basic HRIS. With a complex mix of full-time, part-time, and field-based staff, the provider implemented a Human Resource Management System (HRMS) to streamline recruitment, track certifications, and improve performance management. This case highlights how HRMS tools can reduce compliance risks, support better staffing decisions, and strengthen workforce engagement in highly regulated industries.
Introduction
Operating in the home health care industry brings a unique set of workforce challenges – high turnover, part-time and contract labor, rigorous compliance demands, and geographically dispersed teams. For one small home health care provider, these realities began to stretch their existing HR systems to the breaking point.
The provider started with a solid foundation: a centralized HRIS solution implemented two years ago to handle employee records, payroll, and compliance. It was a game-changer at the time. But as the business expanded into neighboring counties, onboarded more specialized caregivers, and took on new Medicare-funded programs, the need for more advanced HR capabilities became clear.
Recognizing the Gaps
The company was now managing over 75 employees across a rotating roster of full-time, part-time, and PRN staff. Scheduling was decentralized. Certification tracking was done manually. Performance feedback was inconsistent and undocumented. Worst of all, recruiting new caregivers had become a reactive scramble, without a clear system for applicant tracking or onboarding.
Team leads expressed frustration about constantly re-training employees, re-verifying credentials, and lacking visibility into staff performance. It wasn’t about replacing the HRIS—it was about extending it. They needed an HRMS to manage people more dynamically across the full employee lifecycle.
What is an HRMS and What Functions Does It Perform?
A Human Resource Management System (HRMS) builds on the core functionality of an HRIS, offering tools to engage, develop, and manage employees more holistically. While an HRIS focuses on data and compliance, an HRMS enables more proactive, people-centered workforce management.
Here are some of the key HRMS features relevant to healthcare operations:
- Recruitment & Applicant Tracking: Manage job postings, screen applicants, and track the hiring pipeline in one system.
- Digital Onboarding: Automate orientation steps, documentation, and policy acknowledgments across roles and locations.
- Training & Certification Tracking: Assign and monitor training modules, and flag expired licenses or credentials before compliance issues arise.
- Performance Management: Set goals, conduct reviews, and track feedback in one place to support staff development.
- Performance Management: Set goals, conduct reviews, and track feedback in one place to support staff development.
- Employee Engagement Tools: Share surveys, communicate important updates, and reinforce organizational values across the workforce.
- Workforce Scheduling Integration: Sync HR data with shift scheduling tools to improve staffing efficiency and reduce burnout.
For regulated industries like home health care, these tools also support audit readiness and Medicare/Medicaid program compliance, helping avoid costly lapses.
Choosing the Right HRMS
The company turned to PeopleWorX for guidance. After reviewing the organization’s growth trajectory, patient care goals, and compliance risks, PeopleWorX recommended extending their current platform with HRMS capabilities that included:
- Applicant tracking and branded careers page
- Onboarding workflows customized by job type
- Training & CEU tracking with certification expiration alerts
- Digital performance review forms
- A mobile-accessible engagement portal for remote workers
Importantly, these features integrated seamlessly with their existing payroll and HRIS foundation, ensuring continuity and avoiding data silos.
Meeting CMS Requirements with PBJ Reporting
As a Medicare-funded provider, the company was also subject to Payroll-Based Journal (PBJ) reporting requirements mandated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). PBJ reporting requires providers to submit detailed, auditable data on staffing hours, by job role and pay type, on a quarterly basis. This data is used by CMS to monitor staffing adequacy, ensure compliance, and calculate quality ratings.
Before implementing their HRMS, the provider relied on a combination of timesheets, payroll reports, and manual calculations to compile PBJ submissions. It was time-consuming, error-prone, and stressful – especially as CMS began placing greater scrutiny on data accuracy.
By integrating time tracking, job coding, and payroll data, the HRMS allowed the provider to:
- Automatically map staff hours to the correct job roles and cost centers required by CMS
- Validate data accuracy before submission through built-in PBJ reporting templates
- Eliminate manual data entry, reducing errors and staff time spent compiling quarterly reports
- Stay ahead of CMS audits by maintaining a real-time, centralized record of all required workforce data
With PBJ reporting now automated and fully auditable, the provider gained peace of mind and freed up HR and finance teams to focus on more strategic work.
HRMS Implementation
With many field-based employees and a lean back-office team, the implementation needed to be phased and well-supported. PeopleWorX worked closely with the administrator, clinical supervisors, and HR coordinator to build workflows that matched existing processes, then gradually digitized them.
- Phase 1: Recruitment and onboarding
- Phase 2: Certification tracking and training assignments
- Phase 3: Performance reviews and engagement communications
Throughout each phase, PeopleWorX offered personalized training, quick-reference guides, and on-call support to troubleshoot issues.
Educating Employees on HRMS Adoption
Frontline caregivers were introduced to the new system gradually, starting with onboarding and training modules. PeopleWorX hosted live virtual training sessions and provided recorded demos for staff to access on-demand.
In addition, they offered hands-on training for supervisors and gave the HR team a direct line to a PeopleWorX HR expert for real-time issue resolution during rollout.
Employees appreciated having one mobile-friendly place to view certifications, complete training, and stay in the loop – especially those working in clients’ homes with limited desk access.
Clinical supervisors were given admin access and received additional training to manage reviews, track CEUs, and send targeted communications.
Results After 90 Days
Three months after go-live, the home health care provider saw measurable improvements:
- Time-to-hire dropped by 40%
- Training completion rates increased to 95% within 30 days
- Compliance alerts helped renew 100% of licenses on time
- Managers completed their first-ever digital performance reviews for all staff
The company also noted improved employee engagement and smoother collaboration between HR and clinical leadership.
Looking Ahead
Now that the HRMS is fully deployed, the provider is exploring ways to link shift scheduling and payroll even more tightly. The next step may include predictive staffing tools and compensation modeling.
But for now, the transition from HRIS to HRMS has created a more agile, organized, and people-first organization.
For home health care providers, investing in an HRMS isn’t about adding complexity—it’s about equipping teams to manage complexity. As workforce needs evolve, having the right systems in place turns reactive management into proactive leadership.
If you need help with workforce management, please contact PeopleWorX at 240-699-0060 | 1-888-929-2729 or email us at HR@peopleworx.io
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