California Groups Share New Home Care Matching Service Platform
Non-profit organizations across California recently adopted an online matching service platform called QuickMatch to connect independent care providers and consumers.
The Marin Center for Independent Living launched QuickMatch in 2010 to serve residents of Marin County. Since then, groups in six other counties have adopted the platform:
- Center for Independent Living Berkeley,
- Access to Independence of San Diego,
- Central Coast Center for Independent Living of Monterey and Santa Cruz,
- In-Home Supportive Services Consortium of San Francisco, and
- Community Resources for Independent Living of Hayward.
QuickMatch allows consumers to filter a list of local, available workers by relevant skills, weekly availability, and wage requirements. Workers can also record a short audio message for their profiles.
While the registry infrastructure is consistent across county lines, each organization controls registry maintenance for their respective service areas. They set worker listing requirements, collect registration fees, advertise the service, and deactivate profiles once a match is made.
PHI estimates Californians employ 376,000 consumer-directed, independent providers — more than all other states combined — in the state’s In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program. While over 70 percent of consumers in the program employ a friend or family member, the remaining consumers can find it difficult to find a compatible, qualified worker.
California is among the 28 states that offer online matching service registries, the PHI Matching Services Project shows.
— by Stephen Campbell, Policy Research Assistant
