By Todd A. Ward, PhD, BCBA-D
bSci21Media, LLC
Jennifer Kirby, M.S., BCBA, LBA, is the Clinical Director for Thrive Autism Solutions, which has three locations in Arkansas and Missouri, with a fourth opening soon. The company utilizes a hybrid business model that provides in-home, community-based, and center-based ABA therapy seven days a week.
Jennifer Kirby
Thrive started in late 2013 with the intention to become an efficient, paperless, company that leverages 21st Century technology to maximize their impact on the lives of the learners they serve. But the latter goals didn’t come easy in the early days. Much of the technology at the time just didn’t suit the specific operational requirements of Thrive’s hybrid business model. But that all changed in 2015, when Thrive adopted the CentralReach practice management platform.
Jennifer noted that “CentralReach was built for our industry,” and it is the platform that has allowed the company to scale without sacrificing the ability to communicate and coordinate across an ever-expanding service area. For example, Jennifer noted how the CentralReach scheduling interface streamlines the coordination of front-line staff with teams of learners. The platform integrates complex schedules from staff and family members such that the system knows who is able to work with a particular learner and when.
On the billing side, the platform allows Thrive to submit insurance claims quickly and with a minimum of errors, thanks in part to integrated billing codes specific to their funding sources. For strategic planning purposes, the platform also facilitates financial forecasting to help ensure a healthy growth trajectory for the company.
For the Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) at Thrive, all of the moving parts of their caseload are easily visible on the platform, which allows them to allocate their time accordingly. For example, if a staff member is filling in on a team who needs some extra training, the BCBA can immediately see when, where, and what type of support is needed.
Jennifer recommends the CentralReach platform to other ABA agencies due not only to the multitude of features built into the system, but also to the responsive customer service and technical support that enables a truly customized user experience.
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Todd A. Ward, PhD, BCBA-D is the President and Founder of bSci21Media, LLC, which owns the top behavior analytic media outlet in the world, bSci21.org. bSci21Media aims to disseminate behavior analysis to the world and to support ABA companies around the globe through the Behavioral Science in the 21st Century blog and its subsidiaries, bSciEntrepreneurial, bSciWebDesign, bSciWriting, bSciStudios and the ABA Outside the Box CEU series. Dr. Ward received his PhD in behavior analysis from the University of Nevada, Reno under Dr. Ramona Houmanfar. He has served as a Guest Associate Editor of the Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, and as an Editorial Board member of Behavior and Social Issues. Dr. Ward has also provided ABA services to children and adults with various developmental disabilities in day centers, in-home, residential, and school settings, and previously served as Faculty Director of Behavior Analysis Online at the University of North Texas. Dr. Ward is passionate about disseminating behavior analysis to the world and growing the field through entrepreneurship. Todd can be reached at [email protected]
Any thoughts to the relative cost of the platform? Last I checked it does require a significant monthly or annual subscription cost. Is that something being rolled into operating costs and then written in to future budgetary planning?