Golden Heart Des Moines

Maximizing Growth through Technology Adoption with Aaniie

At the forefront of adopting a home care software like Aaniie, Golden Heart Des Moines was excited to move away from paper documentation. Not only did this save hours on paperwork, but Aaniie also made it easy to verify all required information needed for Electronic Visit Verification (EVV). 

“We needed a system to make sure we could grow. And one of the things I hated about the job was the paperwork. The paperwork was just unreal.”

— Stephen Stegall, Jr, Golden Heart Des Moines

Since Golden Heart primarily deals with state clients utilizing Medicaid, documentation and reports were necessary to get paid easily and pass audits within a tight timeframe. Without the software and collaboration from the team at Aaniie, Stephen says they would have been put out of business.

“As we got started with Aaniie, we were telling them about the things we have to do for the state,” Stegall, Jr says, “Aaniie proceeded to make a report to help us. It really was a collaboration. Then on top of that, they had EVV and the ability to track with GPS — Aaniie’s had that from the get-go.”

Involving the family in the family business

As a family business, Golden Heart Des Moines has not only involved each of their children in the business, but the kids each have their own role within the software too. With their oldest child in charge of IT, and their other three kids involved in office management and caregiver scheduling, the entire family is involved in nearly every aspect of the business.

Throughout the Stegall’s years of business, Stephen and Lorri have worked in nearly every role at the company, including caregiving. This unique perspective allows them to do the most good for their clients, as well as their staff.

“I really appreciate having been able to do the actual caregiving because, one, I do enjoy taking care of people and helping people,” Lorri says. “But then it also gives me the perspective of how I can help our employees take care of the clients. I can know for myself what can be done and what can’t be done in a certain amount of time so we can be realistic with our schedules and what our clients expect from the caregivers.”

Transforming the culture to fit the needs of caregivers 

At Golden Heart Des Moines, they integrate their core values of integrity, empathy, and kindness into everything they do. They focus on wellness and work/life balance to ensure their caregivers can do the most good for the clients, while still putting their family first. That’s why they were so excited to give back to their caregivers using Aaniie’s Caregiver Rewards program.

An integrated incentive program for caregivers, Caregiver Rewards allows Golden Heart to thank caregivers regularly — right within Aaniie’s home care platform. From picking up extra shifts to showing up for a shift on time, caregivers can earn points in exchange for rewards as an extra incentive for caregivers to do the most good. 

“Our caregivers are always wanting to pick up shifts,” Stephen Jr. said. “That really does help us grow our business.”

It also helps with retention as point totals build and caregivers can save up for their desired reward, such as PTO or restaurant gift cards. Stay with Golden Heart long enough, and you might be able to save enough points to be rewarded with a cruise — another token of appreciation from Stephen and Lorri.

Partnering with the right people is a recipe for growth

Golden Heart is a strong believer that partnerships are one of the most effective ways to increase their business’s growth potential. Involved with Home Care Evolution, Lorri and Stephen are a part of a Mastermind group where they learn valuable insights from like-minded businesses. They enjoy the time to “get away” from their business while immersing themselves in strategic business discussions to learn from and encourage them along the way. 

It was also through Home Care Evolution that they met Mike Nalley and formed a partnership with the team at Aaniie. Through developing this partnership with a reliable home care software provider, they were able to take on the next phase of their growth.

“Pick a software that’s going to help you grow,” Stephen Jr. advises. “That’s going to help you scale. Through our 9 years in business, Aaniie has been able to grow with us. It’s been able to expand with us and do the things that we need to do. It’s really been the backbone of our business.”

At the end of the day, the Stegalls say it’s all about how they can help someone to have a better quality of life. That’s why their future growth plan includes an empire of different businesses, designed to do the most good. This may or may not include additional home care businesses, but their goal is to use Aaniie as their business management technology of choice no matter where their next business venture takes them.