
Reliable Audits, Streamlined Review,
Actionable Data
Case Study: Transforming Certificate of Recognition (COR) audits for Continuing Care Safety Association


The Continuing Care Safety Association (CCSA)
CCSA is the safety association and Certifying Partner for Alberta’s continuing care sector. It works with members to achieve excellence in care, safety, and well-being, and supports organizations to earn their Certificate of Recognition (COR). Founded in 2005, CCSA is a small but mighty team of 10 employees and serves 375 member organizations and ~100 auditors. 106 members are covered by COR, covering an estimated 21,218 workers.

The Certificate of Recognition (COR)
The Certificate of Recognition (COR) is a voluntary, audit-based employer certification program in Canada. It is employed across provinces and industries and is intended to motivate employers to take a proactive role in occupational health and safety. The CCSA works in partnership with WCB Alberta and the Government of Alberta to manage the COR and Partners in Injury Reduction (PIR) programs for the continuing care and seniors supportive living industries in Alberta.
Challenge
The CCSA aimed to modernize its COR audit processes by transitioning from a complex Excel-based system that was causing a number of challenges:
Complexity and Errors: The Excel audit tool was prone to frequent errors, requiring extensive troubleshooting and corrections, and causing problems and delays to the auditing process for members.
Resource Intensity: Fixing errors and managing the tool took CCSA considerable time, diverting focus from strategic initiatives.
Scalability: The existing Excel tool could not scale effectively to meet growing needs and integrate advanced functionalities like year-over-year audit comparisons.
Dana Loeppky describes the challenges faced by CCSA and the decision to partner with AuditSoft.
Solution
AuditSoft is the most-widely used COR auditing software in Canada, and CCSA were confident they were moving in the right direction. Members and auditors, however, were accustomed to the old system, resulting in some resistance which would need to be considered throughout the onboarding and roll-out.
Onboarding
AuditSoft has a proven onboarding process with clear milestones to ensure a seamless transition. The first phase involved working closely with CCSA to tailor the software to their specific needs. This included customizing features to align with CCSA’s existing processes and ensuring that the new system could handle the complexities of their COR auditing requirements.
Change Management
Managing the transition required a strategic approach. Clear communication was crucial in addressing resistance to change. By explaining the benefits and demonstrating AuditSoft’s capabilities, the team reassured members and auditors about the transition. Additionally, CCSA absorbed the license costs for their members. This move highlighted the clear value AuditSoft brought and removed financial barriers, ensuring all members could benefit.
Dana Loeppky, Amy Fenton, Faye Gerrard describe the onboarding of AuditSoft and roll-out to members.
Training and Support
AuditSoft provided comprehensive, hands-on training sessions for both internal CCSA staff and its auditors. These sessions thoroughly covered all aspects of the new system, addressing specific concerns and offering practical solutions to build user confidence. On March 27th AuditSoft trained 95 internal auditors and they were fully rolled out the next day, with support available thereafter.
Streamlining COR Auditing, Submission, and Review
Automated Scoring
AuditSoft automatically calculates scores – saving auditors time and reducing errors for CCSA audit QA reviewers. AuditSoft delivers confidence in audit results.
Notifications & Tracking
AuditSoft tracks audit progress, flags missed sections, and provides tips throughout the audit – ensuring the final audit report sent is complete and accurate.
A Single Audit Document
AuditSoft generates a professional PDF report in one click. The report is well-formatted and contains links to all supporting evidence – streamlining review for audit QA reviewers.
Electronic Submission
Auditors can easily submit their final audit report to the CCSA from the AuditSoft app, removing the headache of sharing large files and simplifying the review process.
Results
AuditSoft’s user-friendly interface and streamlined workflow has made it easier for auditors to complete and submit their audit reports efficiently and accurately.
Standardized PDF reports capture all information related to the audit, simplifying review for CCSA audit QA reviewers.
CCSA members are now undergoing audits and will later have access to AuditSoft’s powerful audit Scorecard, providing new audit insights like year-over-year performance and peer-to-peer comparison.
CCSA Executive Director Dana Loeppky also no longer needs to spend time fixing errors in the Excel audit tool, and has gained back time to focus on strategic initiatives.