Caregiver Matching & Placement

Overview

Caregiver matching and placement is a core operational function at TheKey, governing how caregivers are identified, paired with clients, monitored for compatibility, and reassigned when relationships break down. Effective matching directly affects client satisfaction, retention, and care quality. TheKey uses a proprietary system called TheKeyMatch™ (also referred to as the Care Match program) alongside WellSky tooling to formalize the process. Placement also has a commercial dimension: third-party placement agents may introduce clients to TheKey under fee agreements, and the company explicitly distinguishes itself from acting as a placement agency for caregivers.

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Key People

• Aileen Ruffin — Involved in Canada daily shift reporting and caregiver match escalations; flagged client satisfaction issues with Caregiver Match Reports (2023–2024).
• Chuck Terlesky — Contributed to Canada shift report protocols, including reassignment and do-not-match procedures (2023).
• Sharon Speirs — Recipient and forwarder of Caregiver Match Reports; involved in ongoing match satisfaction monitoring (2023–2024).
• Audra Williams — Forwarded Caregiver Match Reports to the team; early adopter of the reporting workflow (2023).
• Danielle (last name unclear) — Highlighted Care Match program potential and suggested orientation improvements at the Client Success Roundtable [Client Success Roundtable Notes — 2025-06-10 — Abby Cnossen].
• Megan Edusada — Produces weekly clinical/quality recaps that include TheKey Match metrics [2/3: Weekly Clinical and Quality Recap — 2026-02-03].
• Brooke Justiniano — Handling Care Match Compatibility Profile updates in WellSky for Columbus clients (2025).
• Carol Miller — Noted the importance of recruiters understanding the right caregiver match through quality assessments [Re: Recruiter-Productivity — 2023-01-04].
• Will Reid, Steve Koyanagi, Tammi Franzese — Involved in negotiating and executing Placement Agency Agreements (2025).
• Timothy Thomas — Historical involvement in caregiver assignments and replacement decisions; approves fee waivers in Canada.
• Deeanne Flegel, Julie Sminchak — Coordinating Care Match Compatibility Assessment Form completion and WellSky uploads (2025).

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Processes & Policies

Caregiver-Client Matching

• TheKey uses TheKeyMatch™, described in sales materials as a proprietary system that pairs caregivers based on personality and emotional needs, not solely schedule or diagnosis [TheKey Sales Process Final.txt].
• The General Manager Playbook specifies: work with the CGM team to identify the right match using Carefinder in WellSky, reviewing each client's unique needs before start of care [General_Manager_Playbook.txt].
• A Care Match Compatibility Assessment Form must be completed, uploaded into WellSky, and the "Care Match Compatibility Assessment" profile tag added in WellSky for each client [Action Required: TheKey Mobility Fundamentals Training — 2025-07-02].
• Cultural and language compatibility are recognized matching criteria, particularly in the Calgary and Canada markets [Calgary_Home_Care_Access.txt].

Start of Care Introduction

• Prior to start of care, the Client Success Manager contacts the client to introduce themselves, confirm the start date, and verify first-shift tasks.
• A CSM or RN is present at the start of care introduction [Updated_SLA_Client_Experience.txt].

Monitoring Match Quality

• The Caregiver Match Report is distributed periodically (at minimum monthly) and shows client satisfaction with each caregiver who has completed a shift in the past 30 days [Fwd: Caregiver Match Report — 2024-08-20 — Sharon Speirs].
• Caregiver Ambassadors are directed to use this report as an action tool.
• Match quality is tracked as part of Medallia and Client Experience Alerts (CEAs), and will be incorporated into a forthcoming Quality Dashboard [Weekly Clinical and Quality Recap — 2026-02-03].

Reassignment & Do-Not-Match Protocol

• When a match fails, the supervisor must evaluate within 24 hours whether the caregiver is otherwise strong (→ reassign to a different client with a do-not-match note for this specific client) or unsuitable for any client placement (→ remove from active matching) [Canada - CG Daily Shift Report — 2023-06-12 — Aileen Ruffin].
• Replacement caregiver offers are made to clients when an assigned caregiver cannot fulfil a shift [Saturday — 2017-04-24 — Timothy Thomas].

Placement Agency Agreements

• TheKey pays external agents a referral/placement fee for each individual (a) introduced by the agent and (b) who signs a client consent agreement with TheKey [Placement Agency Agreement — 2025-02-26 — Will Reid].
• TheKey's position: it is not a placement agency for caregivers — caregivers remain TheKey employees. Clients who later hire a caregiver privately are expected to pay a placement fee, as TheKey made the introduction [Re: Consent Agreement Concern — 2024-08-06 — Steve Koyanagi].

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Timeline & Key Events

| Date | Event |

|------|-------|

| 2017-04 | Timothy Thomas offers replacement caregiver to a client, establishing early substitution practice. |

| 2018-03 | TheKey (then Home Care Assistance) clarifies it is not a placement agency; caregivers remain employees. |

| 2023-01 | Carol Miller emphasizes recruiter role in enabling correct caregiver match through quality assessments. |

| 2023-04 | Caregiver Match Report workflow active; Audra Williams and Angie Markwell receiving reports. |

| 2023-06 | Do-not-match and reassignment protocol documented in Canada CG Daily Shift Report process. |

| 2024-08 | Caregiver Match Reports forwarded by Sharon Speirs; Aileen Ruffin raises concern about survey distribution to VCH clients. |

| 2025-02 | Placement Agency Agreement actively negotiated and executed (Will Reid, Steve Koyanagi). |

| 2025-06 | Danielle raises Care Match orientation improvements at Client Success Roundtable. |

| 2025-07 | Care Match Compatibility Assessment Form formalized in WellSky; Columbus team completing profile updates. |

| 2026-02 | TheKey Match metrics incorporated into weekly Clinical & Quality Recap; pending Quality Dashboard integration. |

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Key Decisions

• TheKeyMatch™ as a differentiator: TheKey has positioned its matching system as a sales and retention differentiator — personality and emotional compatibility, not just clinical fit.
• WellSky as the system of record: Care Match Compatibility Assessments and profile tags are stored in WellSky; Carefinder is the designated matching tool.
• 24-hour reassignment standard: A hard turnaround time for match failure response was established for Canada operations.
• Placement fee enforcement: TheKey asserts the right to charge placement fees when clients privately hire caregivers who were introduced through TheKey, regardless of whether an explicit placement-agency relationship exists.
• No mixing of pay/bill rate cards: Rate cards must be paired as intended; mixing is not permitted [Re: Canadian Rate Cards — 2023-04-19 — Chen Xie].

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Open Questions & Gaps

• Survey targeting (VCH clients): Aileen Ruffin raised the question of how to exclude specific clients (e.g., VCH-funded clients who are antagonistic toward the healthcare system) from Caregiver Match satisfaction surveys. No documented resolution found [Re: Caregiver Match Report — 2024-08-21 — Aileen Ruffin].
• Montreal recruitment constraints: A Montreal client preference documented as requiring Canadian citizenship and specifying racial/ethnic caregiver preferences [Montreal Recruitment — 2025-11-07 — Joey Taylor]. This raises unresolved compliance and human rights considerations.
• Quality Dashboard timeline: TheKey Match metrics are referenced as pending inclusion in a Quality Dashboard v2, but no launch date is documented [Weekly Clinical and Quality Recap — 2026-02-03].
• Care Match program orientation gaps: Danielle's suggestion to improve orientation to better align preferences was noted at the 2025-06 roundtable; no follow-up actions documented.
• Placement fee enforceability: The legal boundary between TheKey's position on placement fees and caregiver employment rights appears contested [Re: Consent Agreement Concern — 2024-08-06].

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Related Topics

1. Client Success Manager Onboarding & Start of Care

2. WellSky / Carefinder System Administration

3. Caregiver Performance & Disciplinary Process

4. Placement Agency Agreements & Referral Fees

5. Client Experience Alerts & Medallia Reporting