Intermediary management device, intermediary management method and program

Abstract

To provide an intermediary management device, an intermediary management method, and a program that can increase motivation of caregivers and reduce the burden of labor costs at nursing care facilities by a new scheme.SOLUTION: An intermediary management server 1 that is used by an intermediary agent acting as an intermediary between multiple nursing care facilities and multiple caregivers working at the respective multiple nursing care facilities includes: a usage fee receiving unit 11 that receives fixed usage fees from the nursing care facilities; a labor cost receiving unit 12 that receives labor costs for the multiple caregivers from the nursing care facilities; a labor cost allocating unit 13 that allocates the received labor costs to salaries in cash and points not in cash; a salary paying unit 14 that pays the allocated salaries to the caregivers; and a point registration unit 15 that stores the allocated points in a point storage unit 24 by associating them with the caregivers and the nursing care facilities.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an intermediary management device, an intermediary management method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] In Japan, the aging population has been increasing in recent years, and the number of people requiring care in nursing care facilities is on the rise. This has created a need for many caregivers to care for these people. However, with the declining birthrate, there is a chronic shortage of caregivers. In this context, a care mediation system has been disclosed that "uses a computer connected to the Internet to mediate services. With the support of software with a flexible usage fee structure, the requester is paid at a lower cost, and the provider (helper) is paid a higher wage, allowing them to work with peace of mind. For special requests that correspond to individual circumstances that are not fully covered by the nursing care insurance application regulations, the parties are left to make a free contract" (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-74058 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Meanwhile, intermediary agencies, including those using the system described above, typically collect fees for their intermediary services from nursing care facilities. In such cases, they collect the fees from the labor costs of each caregiver working at the nursing care facility. As a result, the wages paid to caregivers end up being less than the labor costs paid by the nursing care facility. At a time when the low wages paid to caregivers are already a social problem, this system only serves to reduce the number of caregivers available.

[0005] The present invention aims to provide an intermediary management device, an intermediary management method, and a program that use a new scheme to increase the motivation of caregivers and reduce the burden of labor costs at nursing care facilities. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention relates to an intermediary management device used by an intermediary agent that acts as an intermediary between a plurality of nursing care facilities and a plurality of caregivers working at each of the plurality of nursing care facilities, the intermediary management device comprising: a usage fee receiving means for receiving a fixed usage fee from the nursing care facility; a labor cost receiving means for receiving labor costs for the plurality of caregivers from the nursing care facility; an allocation means for allocating the labor costs received by the labor cost receiving means into a salary in the form of cash and points that are not cash; a salary payment means for paying the salary allocated by the allocation means to the caregivers; and a point registration means for storing the points allocated by the allocation means in a point memory unit in association with the caregiver and the nursing care facility.

[0007] In addition, in the intermediary management device, the points of the caregiver stored in the point memory unit may be a priority admission right that enables the caregiver and the caregiver's relatives to be given priority admission to the nursing facility associated with the points.

[0008] In the intermediary management device, the usage fee receiving means may receive the usage fee for usage within a unit period.

[0009] In addition, in the intermediary management device, the allocation means may change the allocation rate between the salary and the points according to the amount of the personnel expenses received from the personnel expenses receiving means.

[0010] In addition, the intermediary management device may be provided with an assistant information storage unit that stores assistant information including the assistant's employment period, and the allocation means may change the allocation rate between the salary and the points depending on the employment period stored in the assistant information storage unit.

[0011] The present invention also relates to an intermediary management method in an intermediary management device used by an intermediary agent that mediates between a plurality of nursing care facilities and a plurality of caregivers working at each of the plurality of nursing care facilities, the intermediary management method including a usage fee receiving step in which the intermediary management device receives a fixed usage fee from the nursing care facility, a labor cost receiving step in which the intermediary management device receives labor costs for the plurality of caregivers from the nursing care facility, a salary payment step in which the labor costs received in the labor cost receiving step are allocated to a salary in cash and points that are not cash, and the allocated salary is paid to the caregiver, and a point registration step in which the points are associated with the caregiver and the nursing care facility and stored in a point memory unit.

[0012] The present invention also relates to a program for causing a computer used by an intermediary that acts as an intermediary between a plurality of nursing care facilities and a plurality of caregivers working at each of the plurality of nursing care facilities to function as a usage fee receiving means for receiving a fixed usage fee from the nursing care facility, a labor cost receiving means for receiving labor costs for the plurality of caregivers from the nursing care facility, a salary payment means for allocating the labor costs received by the labor cost receiving means into a salary in cash and points that are not cash, and paying the allocated salary to the caregivers, and a point registration means for storing the points in a point memory unit in association with the caregivers and the nursing care facility. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an intermediary management device, an intermediary management method, and a program that use a new scheme to improve the motivation of caregivers and reduce the burden of labor costs at nursing care facilities. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating the overall configuration of an intermediary management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the intermediation management server according to the present embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a storage unit of the intermediation management server according to the present embodiment. [Figure 4]10 is a flowchart showing an intermediary management process of the intermediary management server according to the present embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example in which the scheme according to the present embodiment is compared with a conventional scheme. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, this is merely an example, and the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to this example. (Embodiment) [Overall configuration of the intermediary management system 100] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an intermediary management system 100 according to this embodiment. The intermediary management system 100 shown in Figure 1 is a system for improving the motivation of caregivers working in nursing care facilities who care for people in need of care, and for realizing a payment scheme to reduce the burden of labor costs at nursing care facilities.

[0016] The intermediation management system 100 comprises an intermediation management server 1 and terminals 4A, 4B, etc. In the example of Fig. 1, terminal 4A is provided in nursing care facility A, and terminal 4B is provided in nursing care facility B. In the following explanation, when the nursing care facility is not limited, it will be simply referred to as terminal 4. The intermediary management server 1 and the terminal 4 are capable of data communication via a data communication network N. The intermediary management system 100 realizes a new payment scheme for a plurality of nursing care facilities (nursing care facility A, nursing care facility B, . . . in FIG. 1) using the intermediary management server 1.

[0017] [Terminal 4] The terminal 4 is, for example, an information processing terminal provided in a care facility and used by the manager who runs the care facility, a general affairs officer who performs operations on behalf of the manager, or the like. The terminal 4 is used to register information about caregivers working at the care facility and to receive notifications about billing for usage fees in order to use the services provided by the intermediary management system 100, for example. Although not shown, the terminal 4 is equipped with a control unit, a memory unit, a display unit, an input unit, a data communication IF (interface), and the like that are equipped in a general computer. Note that the terminal 4 may also be equipped with a touch panel that integrates the display unit and input unit. Note that the terminal 4 may be a general-purpose terminal, and may also be used as a terminal used for, for example, internet banking.

[0018] [Intermediary management server 1] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing functional blocks of the intermediation management server 1 according to this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the storage unit 20 of the intermediation management server 1 according to this embodiment. The intermediary management server 1 is provided, for example, in a company or the like that operates the intermediary management system 100 (hereinafter referred to as an intermediary management company). As shown in FIG. 2, the intermediary management server 1 includes a control unit 10, a storage unit 20, and a data communication IF 29. The control unit 10 is a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that controls the entire intermediation management server 1. The control unit 10 appropriately reads and executes the OS (Operating System) and application programs stored in the storage unit 20, thereby cooperating with the above-mentioned hardware and executing various functions.

[0019] The control unit 10 includes a usage fee receiving unit 11 (usage fee receiving means), a labor cost receiving unit 12 (labor cost receiving means), a labor cost allocation unit 13 (allocation means), a salary payment unit 14 (salary payment means), and a point registration unit 15 (point registration means). The usage fee receiving unit 11 receives a fixed usage fee from each nursing care facility. Here, the fixed usage fee is the fee for using the service provided by the intermediary management system 100, and is a flat amount per unit period, such as 3,800 yen per month. The usage fee may be a flat amount regardless of the size of the nursing care facility or the number of registered caregivers. Note that when the number of caregivers is small, such as at the time of introducing the service, the amount per unit period, such as monthly, may be set at a low price for a specified period. The labor cost receiving unit 12 receives labor costs for each caregiver from each care facility. In addition, the actual expenses may be received, for example, by transferring the amount from the nursing care facility's account to the intermediary management company's account using an Internet banking system, and the control unit 10 may receive a transfer notification and have the usage fee receiving unit 11 and the labor cost receiving unit 12 receive the amount.

[0020] The labor cost allocation unit 13 allocates the labor costs received by the labor cost receiving unit 12 between a salary in the form of cash or other cash equivalents and points in lieu of cash. Here, points have the same value as cash but offer benefits not available with cash. For example, points may be granted as priority admission rights, which allow caregivers and their relatives to receive priority admission to the nursing care facility from which the points are obtained. Priority admission rights may be activated, for example, when a certain number of points are acquired, and the points may be used to pay for admission to the nursing care facility. Having priority admission rights in points may motivate caregivers to improve the quality of the nursing care facility in which they or their relatives will be admitted in the future. This system allows caregivers to treat those requiring care more kindly, creating a virtuous cycle throughout the nursing care facility.

[0021] Furthermore, the labor cost allocation unit 13 may change the allocation ratio between salary and points depending on the amount of labor costs received. For example, the higher the labor cost of an attendant, the higher the allocation ratio to points may be set. In this way, a competent attendant with a high labor cost will be awarded more points, allowing them to receive the benefits of priority admission sooner. Furthermore, the labor cost allocation unit 13 may change the allocation ratio between salary and points depending on the length of employment of the caregiver. For example, the longer the length of employment of the caregiver, the lower the allocation ratio to points may be set. In this way, it becomes possible to increase the payment of salary after the caregiver has obtained the benefit of priority admission rights.

[0022] The salary payment unit 14 performs processing to pay the salary allocated by the labor cost allocation unit 13 to the caregiver. In practice, for example, the amount is transferred from the account of the intermediary management company to the account of the caregiver using an internet banking system or the like. The point registration unit 15 registers the points allocated by the labor cost allocation unit 13 in the point storage unit 24 in association with the caregiver and the care facility.

[0023] The storage unit 20 is a storage area such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory element for storing programs, data, etc. required for the control unit 10 to execute various processes. The storage unit 20 includes a program 21, a facility information storage unit 22, an assistant information storage unit 23, and a point storage unit 24. The program 21 is an application program for executing the various functions performed by the control unit 10 described above.

[0024] The facility information storage unit 22 is a storage area that stores information about each nursing care facility. In the example of items shown in FIG. 3(A), the facility information storage unit 22 stores facility names and the like in association with facility IDs (IDentifications) as keys. The store ID is identification information for identifying each nursing care facility. The facility name is the name of the nursing care facility.

[0025] The caregiver information storage unit 23 is a storage area that stores information about caregivers. In the example of items shown in FIG. 3(B), the caregiver information storage unit 23 stores the caregiver name, facility ID, employment date, etc. in association with the caregiver ID as a key. The caregiver ID is identification information for identifying the caregiver. The name of the caregiver is the name of the caregiver. The facility ID is identification information that identifies the nursing facility to which the caregiver belongs. The employment date is the date the caregiver was employed at the nursing care facility. The employment date can be used to obtain the employment period of the caregiver.

[0026] The point storage unit 24 is a storage area for storing points given to the caregiver. In the example of items shown in FIG. 3(C), the point storage unit 24 stores an assistant ID, a facility ID, and a cumulative point in association with each other. The caregiver ID is identification information for identifying the caregiver. The facility ID is identification information that identifies the nursing facility to which the caregiver belongs. The cumulative points are the cumulative total of points given to the caregiver identified by the caregiver ID and facility ID. In this example item, if the caregiver changes the care facility where he or she works, a new record is created in the points storage unit 24 and the accumulated points are stored therein.

[0027] The above-mentioned storage units are merely examples, and the data items stored in the storage unit 20 are not limited to those mentioned above. The data communication IF 29 shown in FIG. It should be noted that a computer refers to an information processing device equipped with a control unit, a storage device, etc., and the intermediary management server 1 is an information processing device equipped with a control unit 10, a storage unit 20, etc., and is included in the concept of a computer.

[0028] [Processing Description] Next, the processing of the intermediary management server 1 will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the intermediary management process of the intermediary management server 1 according to this embodiment. The control unit 10 of the intermediary management server 1 starts the intermediary management process shown in FIG. 5 on a fixed date each month, and in step S (hereinafter, "step S" will be simply referred to as "S") 11, the control unit 10 bills each nursing care facility for the usage fee. The control unit 10 may bill the terminal 4 of each nursing care facility for the usage fee, for example, by email. Note that the billing for the usage fee may be done by postal means such as sending an invoice, and the control unit 10 may consider the billing for the usage fee to have been made by performing the work by postal means.

[0029] In S12, the control unit 10 (usage fee receiving unit 11) of the intermediation management server 1 receives a fixed amount of usage fee from each nursing care facility. In S13, the control unit 10 (labor cost receiving unit 12) receives the labor cost of each caregiver from each care facility. In S14, the control unit 10 (labor cost allocation unit 13) allocates the labor costs received in the process of S13 into salary, which is cash, and points, which are cash substitutes.

[0030] In S15, the control unit 10 (salary payment unit 14) performs processing to pay the salary allocated in the processing of S14 to the caregiver. In S16, the control unit 10 (point registration unit 15) adds the points allocated in the process of S14 to the cumulative points in the point storage unit 24 in association with the caregiver ID and facility ID. Thereafter, the control unit 10 ends the process.

[0031] [Specific example] The above brokerage management scheme will be compared with the conventional scheme. FIG. 5 shows an example of a comparison of the scheme 50 according to the present invention with a conventional scheme 90. FIG. 5(A) is an example of payment by an intermediary using a conventional scheme 90. Nursing care facility A pays the intermediary 2,000 yen in labor costs for caregiver A1. Nursing care facility A also pays the intermediary 2,400 yen in labor costs for caregiver A2. Here, labor costs are calculated on an hourly basis, and the actual payment is the amount listed as labor costs multiplied by the number of hours. The same applies to the following explanations. For example, the intermediary will collect 30% as a commission and pay the remainder as a salary to the assistant. In the case of assistant A1, 30% of 2,000 yen, or 600 yen, will be the intermediary's commission, and the remaining 1,400 yen will be assistant A1's salary. In the case of assistant A2, 30% of 2,400 yen, or 720 yen, will be the intermediary's commission, and the remaining 1,680 yen will be assistant A2's salary.

[0032] In this way, in the traditional scheme90 by intermediaries, the intermediary collects a commission from the labor costs for each caregiver. As a result, the salary paid to the caregiver is significantly lower than the amount paid to the nursing care facility as labor costs. This leads to a vicious cycle in which the motivation of the caregivers declines and the turnover rate increases. Furthermore, even if the number of caregivers is increased, the commission paid by the nursing care facility increases in proportion to the number of caregivers, so the financial situation does not improve.

[0033] On the other hand, FIG. 5(B) is an example of payment according to the intermediary scheme 50 of the present invention. Nursing care facility A pays the intermediary a fixed monthly usage fee of 3,800 yen. Additionally, nursing care facility A pays the intermediary agency 1,700 yen in labor costs for caregiver A1. Here, nursing care facility A pays a fixed usage fee, so the labor costs it pays per caregiver are lower than before. In this example, a flat reduction of 300 yen has been made. Additionally, nursing care facility A pays the intermediary agency 2,100 yen in labor costs for caregiver A2. The intermediary collects a fixed usage fee of 3,800 yen as a commission, but personnel costs are directly used to pay the assistant. The intermediary converts 200 yen of the 1,700 yen into points and pays the remainder as the assistant's salary. In the case of assistant A1, 1,700 yen minus 200 yen becomes assistant A1's salary, leaving 1,500 yen, and 200 points are accumulated as assistant A1's points. In the case of assistant A2, 2,100 yen minus 200 yen becomes assistant A2's salary, leaving 1,900 yen, and 200 points are accumulated as assistant A2's points.

[0034] In this way, in the intermediary scheme 50 of the present invention, the intermediary collects only a fixed monthly fee of 3,800 yen. By paying the fixed monthly fee of 3,800 yen, the nursing care facility reduces the labor costs of each caregiver, but the salary paid to each caregiver is higher than before. Additionally, caregivers are awarded nursing care points that can be used by themselves or their relatives in the future. Therefore, nursing care facilities may have an incentive to increase the number of caregivers, as the fixed fee burden per caregiver will be reduced. Also, caregivers will be paid higher salaries than before and will be awarded points for caregiving that can be used by the caregiver themselves or their relatives in the future, which may increase the motivation of caregivers, reduce turnover rates, and motivate them to provide better care.

[0035] As described above, the intermediary management server 1 of this embodiment has the following advantages. (1) A fixed usage fee is received from the nursing care facility, labor costs for multiple caregivers are received from the nursing care facility, the received labor costs are allocated to a salary in cash and points in non-cash, the allocated salary is paid to the caregivers, and the allocated points are stored in the point memory unit 24 in association with the caregivers and the nursing care facility. Therefore, this new scheme, which is unprecedented in the past, allows intermediaries to receive low usage fees and distribute all labor costs paid by nursing care facilities to caregivers, thereby increasing the motivation of caregivers and reducing the burden of labor costs on nursing care facilities. More specifically, since nursing care facilities only pay a flat usage fee and actual labor costs, there is no need for the high intermediary fees that were previously required. Also, since caregivers can receive all labor costs in the form of cash and points, it is expected that their motivation to work will increase due to increased wages. Furthermore, because intermediaries can operate using flat usage fees, introducing the system to a wide range of nursing care facilities could become a profitable model.

[0036] (2) The points of the caregiver stored in the point memory unit 24 are used as a priority admission right that allows the caregiver and the caregiver's relatives to be given priority admission to the nursing care facility associated with the points. This can motivate caregivers to improve the care facility where they or their relatives will be staying, and also motivate them to work at the facility for a long time.

[0037] (3) Receive usage fees for use within a unit period. Therefore, the unit period can be set on a monthly or yearly basis, and the usage fee for that period does not depend on the number of caregivers. This can motivate nursing care facilities to employ many caregivers.

[0038] (4) The allocation rate between salary and points is changed depending on the amount of labor costs received. Therefore, for example, if a certain percentage of points is allocated regardless of the amount of labor costs, the salary will increase significantly if the amount of labor costs is high. This will motivate caregivers.

[0039] (5) The allocation ratio between salary and points is changed depending on the employment period of the caregiver stored in the caregiver information storage unit 23 that stores the caregiver information. Therefore, for example, if fewer points are allocated to caregivers with longer employment periods, the salary will increase with longer employment periods, which will motivate caregivers.

[0040] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Furthermore, the effects described in the embodiments are merely a list of the most preferable effects resulting from the present invention, and the effects of the present invention are not limited to those described in the embodiments. Note that the above-described embodiments and the modified embodiments described below can be used in appropriate combinations, but detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0041] (Variations) (1) The usage fees and labor costs described in this embodiment are merely examples and are not limited to these. Furthermore, the unit period can also be set appropriately.

[0042] (2) In the present embodiment, the points granted to the caregiver and accumulated are stored in the point storage unit 24. The points stored in the point storage unit 24 may be checked by the caregiver. For example, the terminal (not shown) used by the caregiver may be able to communicate with the intermediary management server, and the accumulated points may be displayed when authentication processing using the caregiver ID is successful.

[0043] (3) In this embodiment, points are described as having priority admission rights that allow caregivers and their relatives to be preferentially admitted to the nursing care facility from which the points were obtained. However, this is not limited to this. Points may also have priority admission rights that allow preferential admission to other nursing care facilities. Points are preferably priority admission rights for the nursing care facility where the caregiver works as a caregiver. However, it is anticipated that admission to the nursing care facility may become difficult due to unforeseen circumstances, such as a deterioration in the financial condition of the nursing care facility. This is a measure to prevent accumulated points from becoming invalid. Note that when priority admission rights that allow preferential admission to other nursing care facilities are provided, the point conversion rate may be different, such as being lower, compared to when priority admission rights are provided for the nursing care facility where the caregiver works as a caregiver.

[0044] (4) In the present embodiment, the intermediary management system has been described for a care facility, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can be implemented in welfare facilities such as childcare facilities, including nurseries. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 1. Intermediary management server 4. Terminal 10 Control Unit 11. Fee Receipt Department 12. Labor Cost Receipt Department 13 Personnel Cost Allocation Department 14 Payroll Department 15. Point Registration Section 20 Memory section 22 Facility information storage unit 23. Caregiver information storage unit 24 Point Memory Section 50 Scheme 90 Conventional Scheme 100 Intermediary Management System N Data communication network

Claims

1. An intermediary management device used by an intermediary that mediates between a plurality of nursing care facilities and a plurality of caregivers working at each of the plurality of nursing care facilities, A usage fee receiving means for receiving a fixed usage fee from the nursing care facility; A labor cost receiving means for receiving labor costs for the plurality of caregivers from the care facility; an allocating means for allocating the personnel expenses received by the personnel expense receiving means into a salary in the form of cash and points in the form of non-cash; a salary payment means for paying the salary allocated by the allocation means to the caregiver; a point registration means for storing the points allocated by the allocation means in a point storage unit in association with the caregiver and the care facility; An intermediary management device comprising:

2. 2. The intermediary management device according to claim 1, An intermediary management device in which the points of the caregiver stored in the point memory unit are priority admission rights that enable the caregiver and the caregiver's relatives to be given priority admission to the nursing facility associated with the points.

3. 3. The intermediary management device according to claim 1, The usage fee receiving means receives the usage fee for usage within a unit period.

4. 2. The intermediary management device according to claim 1, The allocation means changes the allocation rate between the salary and the points according to the amount of the personnel expenses received from the personnel expenses receiving means.

5. 2. The intermediary management device according to claim 1, an assistant information storage unit that stores assistant information including the employment period of the assistant; The allocation means changes the allocation rate between the salary and the points according to the working period stored in the assistant information storage unit.

6. An intermediary management method in an intermediary management device used by an intermediary agent that mediates between a plurality of nursing care facilities and a plurality of caregivers working at each of the plurality of nursing care facilities, comprising: The intermediary management device a fee receiving step of receiving a fixed fee from the care facility; a labor cost receiving step of receiving labor costs for the plurality of caregivers from the care facility; a salary payment step of allocating the labor costs received in the labor cost receiving step into a salary in cash and points in non-cash, and paying the allocated salary to the caregiver; a point registration step of storing the points in a point storage unit in association with the caregiver and the care facility; An intermediary management method, including:

7. A computer used by an intermediary that mediates between a plurality of nursing care facilities and a plurality of caregivers working at each of the plurality of nursing care facilities, A usage fee receiving means for receiving a fixed usage fee from the nursing care facility; A labor cost receiving means for receiving labor costs for the plurality of caregivers from the care facility; a salary payment means for allocating the labor costs received by the labor cost receiving means into a salary in the form of cash and points in the form of non-cash, and paying the allocated salary to the caregiver; a point registration means for storing the points in a point storage unit in association with the caregiver and the care facility; A program to make it function as such.

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