mecwacare sizes its digital transformation

mecwacare, a not-for-profit Melbourne aged care services provider, is consolidating 17 core systems into one and redesigning over 200 processes as part of a digital transformation unveiled at the end of last year.

mecwacare's James Cramond

While a “single integrated platform” had always been the end goal, the scope of the work required to get there was only revealed at the Workday Elevate summit.

The aged care provider, which operates 22 homes, six villages, 80 affordable housing units and supports 15,000 clients with in-home care, has engaged Cognizant on the program, which is being called MCare360.

The new technology foundation is a combination of Salesforce and Workday. 

Executive general manager of strategy and transformation James Cramond said that decisions on the project are being made with a patient persona called “Margaret” top-of-mind.

“That persona is really the way we frame all of our decision points through what is best for Margaret, and the teams have really wrapped themselves around using that decision point as a way of really testing if what we're doing is the right thing,” Cramond said.

“Ultimately, the program will deliver a single platform across a number of systems that makes the life of our frontline workers easy, our backoffice staff even better. 

“But, ultimately, it's care that’s at the core [of the transformation].”

Cramond said one of the challenges of the program is to get the organisation thinking about “what tomorrow could look like”.

Again, anything developed has to be “better for Margaret,” Cramond noted.

Cramond said the changes so far had been well-received internally.

“The teams are absorbing it exceptionally well,” he said.

“They recognise it's going to be some significant change, but there is a big level of excitement about that. 

“There's nervousness [also] because processes obviously need to change and move to fit the new technology model, but I think there is a genuine level of excitement about the releases that are coming, and what that will do to the organisation as we proceed.”