As we approach ITAC 2020 – the peak educational conference for technology in the care service sector, we talk to CEO of IT Integrity Scott Lawton about the drivers behind establishing the executive data masterclass event and his role in bringing Microsoft to ITAC.
ITAC 2020 (3rd-5th March 2020) is set to empower its delegates through exploring the theme: Transforming Independence Through Innovative Technology. In a rapidly evolving industry across consumer demand, capabilities that are being unlocked through technological advancement, and disruption in the sectors environmental forces, it is important for organisations to strategically and proactively manage these challenges and opportunities to ensure compliance, quality outcomes, and sustainability.
Over the last decade the care service sector has undergone significant change. From a sector that had an imbalance in supply vs demand where the dollar was readily spent on care capability, infrastructure, asset, and human capital, organisations are now operating in an industry surrounded by regulatory forces, funding challenges, facing fundamental changes in consumer awareness and behaviour, and navigating through an increasingly competitive landscape.
Care service providers are looking for smart investments to assist in lowering the administrative burdens of care provision, unlock better quality of care delivery, and manage more complex value propositions and engagements to current and potential clients.
Scott Lawton, CEO IT Integrity
The Executive Data Masterclass, and the ITAC conference will provide attendees quick win and strategic opportunities to evolve their business practice and drive future results within their organisations.
Demand for Data Education
IT Integrity CEO, Scott Lawton, was invited to join the ITAC Organising Committee in 2019, after 10 years of consulting specialisation in the care services industry and on the back of several in-industry award winning solutions.
Scott has a rich network of thought and industry leaders across aged, disability, and community care providers and services. On the back of his ITAC involvement Scott set to work canvassing his network to ascertain genuine needs and areas of interest that ITAC could leverage to drive value and find additional compelling reasons for industry leaders to attend.
In the many conversations that were had covering a wide range of interests, at some point in every conversation there was one element that was raised and discussed – “DATA”. With a greater spotlight on regulatory compliance, quality and safety, coupled with increasing consumer demand, competition and financial sustainability – the need for care service providers to create visibility and usability of live, accurate, and insightful data is more critical than it ever has been before.
The care service industry has undergone fundamental and rapid change over the last 10 years, and even more so in recent times. Historically, this industry has been associated with an underinvestment in technology and a laggard approach to new technology adoption.
Scott Lawton, CEO IT Integrity
Today, the industry is catching up. Supply and demand is levelling, more competition has entered the market and as a result, for some providers occupancy levels are down from where they used to be. In addition to this, care providers have disparate systems containing essential data and are often manually kludging data together for reporting, compliance and management.
The government is de-regulating the industry, the funding model is changing, and there is a shift from residential care toward home care and consumer-directed care. The disability sector followed the same trend, moving out of institutionalised disability into care in the home.
On top of these changes, the Royal Commission has placed a greater focus across all industries in the care services sector on governance, compliance, and quality standards, and the government are asking for more and more data from providers to substantiate the funding that they are receiving for the care services that are provided. There is a growing and significant administrative burden for those organisations that don’t have accurate, accessible data.
In disability for example, the government moved from block funding in advance, based on the total client base as a provider, to individualised funding in arrears, based on the evidence that the provider has performed the service.
This would have to be the toughest time that the Care Services sector has been through in decades – increasing compliance requirements, increasing cost of wages, increasing competition and consumer demands, along with reduced access to funding etc… Providers that don’t invest in technology and in particular don’t focus on using data to drive the culture of their organisation, simply will not survive.
Enter the Executive Data Masterclass
Considering the pain points of the care services sector, Scott consulted the ITAC committee and suggested the addition of an executive data masterclass. With the majority of committee members being C level Executives of such organisations in a similar situation, the Masterclass was unanimously accepted into the schedule.
Further to this, acutely aware that the majority of the sector uses Microsoft’s platforms to underpin their security, identity management and is where most provider’s data is inevitably sitting, IT Integrity engaged Microsoft to assist in educating the sector and contribute specifically to address the data challenges that are impacting providers.
With the event, providers and industry experts on board, the Executive Data Masterclass was born.
From Instinct to Insight
Currently, the care services industry is running blind and trusting instinct when what they need is current and accurate data to make the best decisions.
In the Royal Commission’s report, they discovered that 48 per cent of providers, particularly in the age community care space, are not making money. The disability sector is in a similar situation. Providers are struggling to remain sustainable. With fragmented technology and data, in a challenging commercial environment, many organisations are operating on instinct based decisions. Management teams and executive leaders don’t have detailed performance-based insights into the organisations of which they are operating.
Scott Lawton, CEO IT Integrity
Attending an event such as ITAC, assists the industries growth with collaborative learning and attendees will often walk away being able to talk about how they can improve the quality of care outcomes for their clients. An important component of this is to be able to report on what they are doing and make decisions in real-time to ensure the sustainability of the organisation through the use of technology.
It’s no good providing exceptional care if the business is not sustainable. Businesses must look to use smart investments that lower the administrative cost, align the workforce to the care requirements of their clients and where possible generate additional revenue through competitive user pays services.
Designed to educate Executives at varying stages of their data strategy and practice maturity, the Executive Data Masterclass will provide a key decision maker overview of what is possible and the steps they can take to make it happen. With the speed of technological advancement, data capabilities which were once associated with heavy investment, are now accessible on modern day platforms to help leaders shape their organisational fitness almost immediately at a fraction of what it would have cost even just 2 or 3 years ago.
By the end of the Executive Data Masterclass, attendees will have a good knowledge of the landscape and enough understanding to walk away with the knowledge on how to move forward with implementation of a data strategy and solution.
Via the masterclass panel, attendees can expect to hear some amazing stories about the data maturity journey and how they created a data driven performance culture. Each panel member is at a different stage in their journey, so each has the ability to connect with different members of the masterclass. It will give some genuine insight into what these organisations would do differently, what has worked for them, and why.
Topics covered from the panel will include:
- The impetus for using data to make decisions
- How they’ve engaged the business internally to really get the traction
- What challenges they faced
- How they use data to drive the business forward
- Where they’re at right now and what’s next on their journey
The Executive Data Masterclass is the forum where business leaders can learn techniques that are creating opportunities for organisations to adapt within a changing sector and go beyond to drive a digitally driven, efficient, and sustainable value proposition for their stakeholders. Listening to experts who have successfully navigated the challenges faced by many in the industry will be the first step away from instinct, and toward data driven insight.
Scott Lawton, CEO IT Integrity
Attend ITAC 2020 Conference + Executive Data Masterclass
Transforming Independence through Innovative Technology emphasises the importance of assistive technology supporting service quality and independence.
This conference will bring together the best IT leaders from Australia and the globe across the fields of community care, medication management and assistive technologies.
3rd, 4th & 5th March 2020.
Royal International Convention Centre, Brisbane.
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Attend the Executive Data Masterclass
Microsoft in partnership with IT Integrity and MOQdigital are sponsoring a dedicated masterclass event.
Delve into the world of care service businesses that have evolved decision making from instinct to insights.
Join Microsoft data specialist Henry Rooney, in-industry C-level executives and data gurus, as they share how their organisations defined data strategies during their digital transformation journey.
5th March 2020
Royal International Convention Centre, Brisbane
Redeem Promotional Offer Here
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