Author: Jeff Bell

Why Should Senior Living Communities Start Planning for the Future Today?

Throughout their lives, baby boomers have been known for changing norms and revolutionizing the world. That will continue to be in their expectations for senior living. More than 10,000 baby boomers are flooding into retirement daily, and ultimately into senior living at some place in the senior care spectrum. They are accustomed to using technology to their benefit, and they will be expecting quality services that include all that information technology (IT) has to offer.

Senior living organizations that don’t keep up with these changes will face negative market implications, and won’t be in a position to survive in an increasingly competitive senior care environment. Senior living communities that recognize the importance of preparing for the baby boomers will require the infrastructure to support the technology that boomers are expecting from their senior living experience. Continue reading “Why Should Senior Living Communities Start Planning for the Future Today?”

Why Should You Convert Your Patient Data?

The last decade has witnessed significant growth in the adoption of electronic health records (EHRs). Simultaneously, health organizations have been looking for ways to change EHR providers while maintaining access to and integrity of patient data.

The two largest reasons for EHR provider changes for health systems, hospitals, and private practices are medical provider dissatisfaction and mergers and acquisitions. To prepare for these changes, many health organizations are turning to automated EHR data conversion.  Continue reading “Why Should You Convert Your Patient Data?”

What is EHR Data Conversion?

The concept of the Electronic Health Record (EHR), or the electronic record of patient information and physician encounters, dates back to the late 1960s. While progress was initially slow, the late 1990s and 2000s saw substantial progress toward adoption as a result of the convergence of technological advancements and new regulations. During the George W. Bush administration the budget for healthcare IT doubled, the National of Health Information Coordinator position was created, and there was a call for industry-wide adoption by 2014.

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Choosing Between Manual & Automated EHR Data Conversion

The case for adoption of medical records is compelling. The use of EHR systems opens the door to opportunities for federal incentives. Furthermore, EHR systems can help protect healthcare organizations from fines while maintaining compliance. Additionally, when chosen, implemented, and used appropriately, EHR systems can make healthcare more efficient, less expensive, and improve the quality of care by making patients’ medical history easily accessible to all who treat them.

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Passive Health Monitoring: Arming Caregivers With The Right Tools

In the past, alert systems have required residents to take specific action during a crisis (when their abilities might be diminished). These systems further, put a burden on caregivers to take a range of reactive measures to respond to a call. Depending on the circumstance, those measures might include a caregiver responding directly to a call. In some instances, it might involve the caregiver dispatching someone else. In turn, that person would need to either postpone an existing task or delay responding in order to finish an ongoing job.

Such active processes on the part of both the resident and the caregiver are altogether too much manual intervention. They are relics of inefficient systems with a lot of room for error, place an unwieldy burden on the resident, and add to staff members’ already heavy load. None of that is acceptable, especially when there are better, more technologically sophisticated solutions available. Continue reading “Passive Health Monitoring: Arming Caregivers With The Right Tools”

8 Ways Cloud Computing Has Changed Healthcare

Although cloud computing helps support healthcare trends and improve patient care, many healthcare organizations have maintained a deep-rooted aversion to its use, often citing security and privacy concerns. In recent years, regulations have been pushing the industry toward storage, collaboration, and accessibility. As a result, the cloud has become an even more attractive solution, since it is often safer and more versatile than on-premise options. Furthermore, health information exchanges are contributing to the need for interconnected medical record systems to ensure easy access to patient data. As a result, cloud adoption in healthcare is beginning to grow.

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5 IT Components Necessary to Support Clinical Integration

Clinical integration represents the collaboration between doctors and hospitals to use proven protocols and measures, in order to improve patient care, decrease cost, and demonstrate value. Following the passage of the Affordable Care Act and the rise of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) and other value-based care organizations, Clinically Integrated Networks (CINs) have been increasingly more prevalent. The proposed Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) rules have provided another push for health networks to maintain and grow their clinical integration efforts and work in greater collaboration with doctors and medical practices and to structure future acquisitions around their clinical goals.

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Why Cybersecurity is the Heart of a Senior Living Facility’s Success

Hundreds of healthcare organizations are hacked annually, affecting millions of American lives, according to a recent healthcare breach report issued by the federal government. Continue reading “Why Cybersecurity is the Heart of a Senior Living Facility’s Success”

The Importance of Data Security in Your Senior Living Community

In this data-driven age, the ability to safeguard personal information and digital business assets is critical. This is true across the business environment in general and no less so in the world of senior housing.

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