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3 min
Are You Ready to Take Senior Care to the Next Level?
Prepare to Empower Older Adults with Newer Technology
Today’s senior living and post-acute care communities need to get ready for the next wave of technology-savvy residents and patients, as well as the clinical teams and family members who support and care for them. Keeping older adults healthy, independent and engaged is essential to aging with dignity. At the same time, clinician and staff needs must be met to prevent burnout, reduce turnover and enable them to provide the best care.
To provide an optimal experience all the way around, it may be time to revisit your IT strategy to ensure that it can accommodate the evolution of the industry – and changing end-user needs. Ask yourself these critical questions to make sure your technology is up to the task.
Key Considerations for Modernizing Your Digital Strategy
Do I have an executive sponsor to champion technology initiatives?
To be successful from the onset, you should have buy-in from executive leadership for your IT initiatives. Do you have a stakeholder who understands the importance of technology’s impact on the lives of patients/residents, clinicians and staff? Someone who can help build a business case for the value it brings to your organization from a business, operational and user experience perspective? Who is able to help defend your technology budget, endorse a new project and support a proper rollout?
Do I have an accurate pulse on the needs and expectations of all end users?
The varying needs and preferences of multiple audiences – patients/residents, family members, clinicians and staff – must be considered when evaluating technology. When was the last time you surveyed your end users to conduct a needs assessment? What type of IT is required to ensure an optimal digital experience and fully engage patients/residents? What do families expect in order to connect with their loved ones? How can clinicians improve workflow efficiencies, increase collaboration and spend more time with patients? Are they involved in the evaluation of new technology?
Is there a plan to train existing and new staff on technology?
The importance of properly training your staff and clinicians on new IT solutions cannot be underestimated. Typically, this occurs when the technology is first onboarded, but doesn’t stop there. Have you adequately prepared your workforce in advance of the changes to come? Evaluated the new technology in a pre-launch pilot program to test the waters? Developed a plan to train future staff on the solution as soon as they join your organization? Make sure clinicians are continuously trained as new features and updates become available?
Can my IT infrastructure support current and future demands?
Seamless, secure and successful technology implementation depends on a solid IT foundation. It’s no longer a nice to have, but a need to have. Your digital infrastructure must be robust enough to power current IT solutions as well as emerging innovations. Do you have reliable Wi-Fi connectivity and bandwidth to support new mobile devices as they are added to your network? Is there a data security plan in place to protect your investments against cyberattacks and ensure HIPAA compliance? Can clinicians readily access and enter patient data anytime and anywhere without delay?
Am I leveraging my Electronic Health Records (EHR) investment to its fullest extent?
Many senior living and post-acute care communities have invested in EHR systems but aren’t tapping their fullest potential. Are you familiar with all the functionality your EHR solution has to offer, or are you purchasing duplicative technologies? Do your clinicians understand how to use these features or are they still relying on old workarounds? Have you asked your EHR solution provider to do a gap analysis and identify areas of underutilization? Has your EHR partner taken the time to update you on any new releases or applications?
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