Technology Systems You Need To Run A Post-Acute Care Community

Are you thinking of starting a new community or revamping your technology stack to make operations run smoother? Look no further.

Did you know there are approximately 30,600 assisted living communities in the U.S.? As older adults continue to age into this level of support and expectations increase for the best resident experience, you and your team need an interoperable technology ecosystem that can scale with your facility’s evolving needs.

Whether you’re starting out with a coach or part of a larger chain of other communities, you still need the same elements in your post-acute care tech stack. We’ll go over platforms for:

Resident Care Management
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
Staff Management
Staff Training

Resident Care Management Platform

A resident care management platform is where you store all protected resident health information and where their care plans exist for access by your staff, family members, and other healthcare professionals.

A few of these include: Eldermark, August Health, PointClickCare, Yardi, and there are many others to choose from that will work to extract resident information into digital records for improved management of your facility.

Here are some key features that you should look for in a modern care management platform for your residents:

Federal and state compliance requirements
Billing and invoicing capabilities
Care plan and health information storage
Medication management
Charting capabilities
Simple, easy user interface and experience
Reporting features

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Platform

This is your place to store contact, prospect, and lead information that fuel your marketing and sales efforts. In order to grow and maintain occupancy, you need a streamlined way to send inquiry forms to the right salesperson and store basic information.

For example, new prospect information should include their name, email, phone number, referral source, why they reached out, notes, and other essential sections to help you shape and form your marketing and sales efforts.

Here are some examples of CRM platforms that you might be interested in:

Hubspot
Pipedrive
Salesforce
Zoho
Microsoft Dynamics365

These are some of the key features that you should look for in a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system:

Contact and lead management
Workflow automation
Reporting and analytics

Some of the care management platforms offer a complete, end-to-end solution, which can streamline workflows and condense platforms on your end, too. For example, Eldermark offers a one-stop-shop solution that combines care management and CRM features.

Staff Management Platform

A staff management platform or Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is your warehouse for all staff records and information. This type of system helps you assemble care team schedules, set pay rates, document onboarding and initial training, and more.

Some of the staff management platforms available in today’s market are:

Bamboo HR
Hireology
Paycom
ADP
UKG

Some key features you should look for in a staff management platform:

Career/application microsites
Interview scheduling features
Onboarding
Training documentation
Payroll information (or integration)

Most importantly, make sure that the platform is user-friendly and has a good user experience. If it’s hard to use or access on their phones, you might face challenges with staff members completing documentation or submitting things on time.

Training Management Platform

This is your warehouse for all things training. For compliance, onboarding, initial and continuing education, you need a resource that supplies current, role-specific education and gives you a place to review records and prepare for an audit, as well as other administrative functions.

Your assisted living community might use one of these training platforms:

CareAcademy
Relias
Activated Insights (formerly Home Care Pulse)

Some of the most important features you should look for in a training management platform for post-acute care are:

Comprehensive curriculum
Accessible, mobile-friendly content
Condition-specific certifications
System integration capabilities

On the back end, it’s also important to think about the downstream impact of the training you choose. Quality training means:

Higher-quality resident care
Staying in compliance with federal and local regulations
Maintaining cost-efficiency
Reducing hospital readmissions
Engaged, loyal staff members

Tera Rudloff, Vice President of Clinical and Education at Wind River Pinnacle Groves, shared: “CareAcademy has enabled our organization to achieve and maintain compliance across multiple states while managing these requirements electronically. Operating in various states with diverse guidelines and regulations, we rely on CareAcademy to streamline our training processes and uphold the highest standards of care for our residents. Our staff's request for enhanced training has been met through CareAcademy, allowing us to elevate our care quality and effectively address the needs of our residents.”

Training for your care team is a critical component of your ability to recruit and retain staff for the long-term and can positively contribute to resident health and continuity of care.

Start or grow your assisted living community with the right tech stack.

From the first interaction you have with a prospective resident on the phone to the time they move in, you are making an impression. Use this as a guide to power your assisted living community with the tools to create a smoother, interoperable business and empower your staff to make a good first impression (and maintain that momentum).
If you’re looking to add or switch to a new training platform in your tech stack, see how your care team can perform at their best by starting your free trial of CareAcademy today.