Senior care operators often grow site by site, with each residence or care home set up as its own company or cost centre. Over time, finance ends up consolidating spreadsheets, purchasing is inconsistent between sites, and leadership waits weeks for a group view. Dynamics 365 can give each site its own accounts while giving head office one consolidated picture. Here are the design decisions that matter.
Entity and cost centre structure
- Is each site a separate legal entity, or one entity with sites as cost centres?
- Do some sites have different ownership, partners or funding arrangements?
- How are shared services (head office, central kitchen, maintenance teams) charged to sites?
In Business Central, separate legal entities are usually separate companies, with consolidation into a group company. Within a company, dimensions such as site, department and service line give the detail without multiplying companies.
Chart of accounts
Use one chart of accounts across all sites. A shared structure makes consolidation automatic and comparisons meaningful. Differences between sites belong in dimensions, not in different account numbers.
Purchasing and supplies
- Central purchasing agreements with preferred suppliers.
- Site-level requisitions with approval limits by role.
- Consistent item codes for food, medical supplies and consumables, so cost per resident day can be compared.
Business Central approval workflows can route requests by amount and site, and our procurement controls guide covers the options in more detail.
Payroll and staffing costs
Staffing is usually the largest cost. Business Central does not include Canadian payroll as standard, so most operators keep a payroll provider and import summarized payroll journals by site and department. Design that integration early: which dimensions payroll must carry, how often it posts, and how accruals are handled.
Revenue and resident billing
- Private pay, government funding and other payers.
- Monthly billing with mid-month admissions and discharges.
- Deposits and how they are held.
Many operators use a specialist care management system for resident records and billing, integrated with the ERP for finance. Decide what each system owns.
Consolidated and site reporting
- Monthly site profit and loss, with budget comparison.
- Key measures such as cost per resident day and occupancy-driven revenue.
- Group consolidation, intercompany eliminations and management fees.
Controls
- Segregation of duties between site staff and head office.
- Consistent month-end close checklist across sites.
- Audit trail for all journal entries and approvals.
Next step
See how we configure Dynamics 365 for senior care operators, or request an assessment of your current entity and reporting structure.