There are many factors to consider before choosing a software package to run your facility.
Why do you need software to run your business?
Currently in the industry we are facing a number of issues that collectively make it extremely important if not mandatory that you use a fully integrated software system to run your business.
- # Labor costs even for entry level workers are increasing due to political pressure.
- # Health care mandates require coverage or more part timing
- # Regulatory compliance and licensure issues require more and more documentation
- # Audits
- $Technology costs are ever decreasing
- # Government and insurance reimbursements rates are ever decreasing
- # The US population is aging
- # New workers are already technically savvy (on line)
Here are some of the key benefits of implementing and using an integrated full featured assisted living software:
- Improve quality and consistency of Care
- Increase your freedom: remotely manage all your facilities.
- Eliminate redundant efforts, record keeping
- Automate work flow, on boarding for clients and employees,
- Save Time: Easy to use, schedule staff as well as resident care activities, easy electronic charting, instant reports and resident information views
- Reduce Expenses: Alerts, reminders, automated activities, accurate and timely billing
- Run you entire business: Care, schedules personnel, training, accounting, maintenance, billing, Etc.
- Increased profitability: less paper, no redundancy, no missed events, prevent audit fines, manage your operation in real time.
Who should use Assisted Living Software?
Senior housing facilities such as Independent Living, Assisted Living Facilities (ALFs), Residential Care Homes, Alzheimer’s care/ Dementia/ Memory Care communities, Rehab, Adult Foster Care, Senior care, Elder Care and Group Homes are the prime candidates to leverage the software to grow their businesses and manage day-to-day operations.
All staff members can confirm their performance of duties and record observations using tablets, wall mounted touch screens, PCs, Mac or even smart phones. This provides accountability with near real time tracking, and audit trail of who did or did not do what was required as well as when it was done.
Every employee/user should have an interface that provides only the tools they need and only the data for their charges. Their job descriptions, Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), documentation, support, and any and all needed forms should all be on line. If they need client file access it should be at their fingertips and their access should be recorded as part of the audit trail.
Assisted Living Software Components
Assisted Living Software should include business function modules for to run your entire practice to avoid buying or subscribing to multiple services.
- Marketing and Prospect management (Community Outreach)
- Resident move-in documentation and processing (On boarding)
- Employee (On boarding)
- Resident Assessments and Service Plans management (ADLs and clinical)
- Medication Administration Records maintenance (MAR)
- Resident Activities and Appointments tracking
- Automatic Billing generation based on Service plan and Care levels
- Staffing Schedule maintenance
- Integration with Devices: fingerprint id, bar coding, signature pads
- Web Portal: Family, Case worker, Applicants
- Meal Planning
- Facility Maintenance
- Accounting
- HRS: Training, Staffing, Time cards, Applicants
- Document managementYou should keep these critical features while assessing an assisted living software:
- Evaluation Features
- Available in the Cloud or on-Site – You should be able to choose which works best for you. There may be benefits of ownership vs. rent forever.
- Accessibility – from PC, MAC, Tablet, iPhone, droid etc.
- Easy to use: Staff use should be intuitive — with on line videos, user configurable home page and auto start : wizards, templates, FAQ, on line docs
- Fully integrated: All functions such as accounting, marketing, administrative, clinical, HRS, maintenance, meals and reporting should be included – though you may choose to use selective features only
- Web portal: for family, case workers, job applicants should be available
- Templates: The system should include usable, modifiable, configurable templates where necessary (ADL assessment, Health assessment, Bio Psychological Profile, Employee assessment, Applicant Screening, etc.). Check Lists, Logs, Info and consent forms.
- Reuse: all your word, excel and pdf (fill-in) documents should be readily reusable as templates in the system
- Back Ups: the system should automatically back up all your data
- Automatic Updates – the system should be updated automatically fixes, enhancements as they become available.
- Document Management – the system should allow all paper documents to be scanned and added to on line archives
- Preloaded with relevant data: ADL, IADL (goals and procedures), ICD Code tables, WHO drug listings, UDSA food and nutrition , GAF levels,
- Wizards: the system should have wizards to enable users to: set up, make their own forms, documents, assessments, field templates
- Quick and flexible implementation: The chosen assisted living software should be able to be implemented quickly and efficiently – to suit your requirements
- Price – the software should be priced competitively based on usage and or modules.
- Consulting services, integration and customizations – should readily be available and affordable.
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