Technology synergy: Save cost and time with integrated solutions
Skilled nursing facilities use many technology tools to operate their business and help deliver high quality care to their residents. And often, organizations have added different tools to their systems over time in a piecemeal manner. Sometimes, this leads to tools that are not well integrated, requiring staff to handle manual and repetitive tasks such as entering resident data in more than one system.
To help reduce these inefficiencies, it’s important to choose an EHR system that can function as a central hub for your entire tech stack. Your EHR should be the backbone of your system, and it should include two key features. First, your system should offer strategic partnerships with other vendors that can support enhanced collaboration among your entire staff. And second, your system should allow information to flow back and forth freely between your various tools, team members and referral partners—what we often call interoperability.
How your EHR should support your tech stack
The first consideration when building out your tech stack is to make sure it’s easy to use. Workflows should be intuitive. The tools should be easy to connect and maintain. The data needs to be accurate. All of this is important, because if tools are not easy and accurate, your team members won’t use them. Removing barriers to entry through ease of use will increase adoption and give your staff the chance to use new tools and technology effectively, which will help them save time.
Some examples of well-integrated technology tools are options like single sign-on (SSO), which lets users skip having to type in a username and password every time they need to use a different platform. Another example are tools that allow reports to be shared without the extra steps of exporting from one system and importing into another, saving not only time, but also helping improve data accuracy. Voice technology is another up-and-coming tool that will simplify work and save time when properly integrated with your existing technology.
How integrated solutions can help your facility
Many facilities use several different systems. They may have an EHR from one vendor, a billing solution from another, and a referral management tool from yet a third. But choosing an EHR vendor that offers fully integrated tools can make a real difference in several ways:
- Staff satisfaction: Because they won’t waste time on duplicate data entry, your staff will have more time to focus on caring for residents.
- Data accuracy: Integrated tools reduce the potential for human error or lost information.
- Familiarity with tools: People generally want to keep using tools they’re used to. An EHR that integrates with tools already in place lets your staff use tools they know, and can also speed up onboarding.
- Improved communication: Integrated technology helps improve communication between all caregivers because they can easily share resident information. Data updates in real-time keep everyone up to date no matter their location.
- Cost savings: When your staff works more efficiently, that leads to cost savings due to lower administrative overhead, fewer errors and optimized resources. What’s more, when residents have better outcomes due to more staff attention and better team communication, that can also contribute to lower costs.
- Security and privacy: Integrated technology helps you better protect resident data. Using centralized data management with robust security protocols is easier and more effective than managing security across several disparate systems.
Data is key for ongoing improvements
Data is the new currency. Strategic partnerships with tech vendors will be the way forward in this new world. When all of your technology tools work together seamlessly, you have the opportunity to drive better outcomes not only for your patients, but for your business as well.
Find out how MatrixCare’s partner integrations can help with every aspect of your business, to save time, reduce costs and optimize resources.
Eric Silverman
Eric brings more than 25 years of technology experience and over 15 years of experience in the long-term post-acute care space on both the provider and vendor sides of the industry. He most recently served as Associate Vice President of Client Services for the MatrixCare Senior Living Business Unit where he supervised Training Support and Implementation. He came to MatrixCare through its acquisition of Right Click Software, where he was Vice President of Client Services.
Prior to MatrixCare, Eric was with Signature Senior Living as the Director of Technology and led the IT department during the implementation of many newly constructed Senior Living communities. Before Signature Senior Living, he served in various technology leadership roles with Assisted Living Concepts, VCPI, and Southwestern Bell Corporation.
Eric holds a BBA from the University of North Texas and many technology certifications.
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