LeadingAge24: How to Accelerate Innovation in Senior Living and Post-Acute Care

Skilled nursing and long-term care organizations are using sensor and remote monitoring as part of their workflow to mitigate staff shortages. Sensors and wearables are also being used in memory care and the assisted and independent living space to provide a more proactive approach to care and wellness. Remote patient monitoring and remote treatment monitoring are continuing to expand in post-acute and senior living organizations. RPM and RTM not only provide a more proactive approach to care and wellness but also can be an additional revenue source for operators. However, there are specific requirements that must be met. Telehealth.HHS.gov provides resources for operators and providers considering RPM and RTM. CDW also has resources and partners available to assist organizations with planning and implementing RPM and RTM services and deciding which solution will work best with current systems.

As healthcare continues to move toward value-based care, being proactive rather than reactive in providing care is vital. This is where AI can assist, in addition to automating rote tasks for administrative and clinical staff.

If senior living and post-acute care organizations want to better attract residents and clinicians while staying on the cutting edge of care, they need to understand how to implement innovative technology and ensure that their IT infrastructure can support innovation. This is a big focus of CDW’s at the LeadingAge Annual Meeting this year.

DISCOVER: These tips can help senior care organizations navigate innovation and AI.

Preparing Senior Living and Post-Acute Care Organizations for Innovation

There are varying levels of preparedness for AI adoption in the senior living and post-acute care space. Many organizations are still in the very early stages of implementing AI-driven solutions, and there are several factors that contribute to that, including technological infrastructure, workforce readiness, regulatory frameworks and cost considerations.

While AI is a huge buzzword right now, I see it as a great opportunity to improve efficiencies and workflows. However, it’s important to start with the basics.

To prepare, organizations need to remember that adopting AI and other emerging technologies should not be just an IT initiative but should include leadership and frontline care staff as well. At CDW, we recommend that customers starting this journey approach it through our “pillars of care” model, which entails the foundations of care, optimizing care and the future of care.

In the foundational stage, organizations should assess their network infrastructure,  the devices they have and what that supply looks like, data storage, security and reporting structures. All of these are foundational to the organization’s IT environment, and the organization’s leadership needs to ensure everything is in check before moving to the next step.

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Once the foundation is in place, senior living and post-acute care organizations can move on to optimizing care, which involves determining how to use data analytics and connected care. This is where the organization should begin to consider how it would like to use AI and machine learning, virtual care, sensors, wearables and smart home technologies. The organization should begin to find integration opportunities that optimize workflows and make them more efficient.

This process involves assessing how the organization is managing its IT and whether it has the right workflows and processes in place. Automating on top of ineffective processes won’t solve any problems. It’s important to identify where workflows and processes are breaking down, make the necessary changes, and then maximize systems and applications already in place before implementing automation solutions. Optimizing existing systems also helps with cost reduction, as the organization may be paying for an application that it isn’t using to the fullest potential.

However, it’s important for organizations to remember that optimization isn’t something that happens in six months or a year. It must be a well-thought-out strategy and could easily span three to five years. There are several steps that must occur organizationally and financially; modernization and innovation are not cheap, but they are worth it.

DIVE DEEPER: How are senior care facilities using tech to attract and retain staff?

Best Practices for AI Implementation in Senior Care

Once an organization’s IT environment is modernized and optimized, it can turn its attention to AI solutions. It’s important to start by considering where AI would be most effective.

A common way healthcare organizations approach AI implementation is to start with back-office operations before moving to a care setting. Don’t try to boil the ocean; rather, start with smaller use cases and work up to the big picture.

If AI is being used in a care setting to analyze data to support clinical decision-making, then it’s crucial that the data is accurate. That also means ensuring that strong data governance is in place so the data being pulled into the AI algorithm is of high quality. There’s an old saying that junk in is junk out, so quality and accuracy are paramount.

Using AI in a clinical setting is most effective when there’s a specific use case in mind. Does the organization want to use it for a certain diagnosis?

EXPLORE: How can AI and automation transform processes for senior care providers?

How Can Senior Care Organizations Benefit from Tech Partnership?

Our priority at CDW is continuing to assist senior living and post-acute care organizations in making the best technology choices and plans the future. It shouldn’t be a one-size-fits-all approach.

For many organizations, AI, remote monitoring and other technologies are still new, and many organizations still operate a lot like they did 15 or 20 years ago. From our standpoint at CDW, we focus on helping organizations transition in a way that works for their unique situation. We start with core IT and foundational needs, especially as this relates to infrastructure, security and data. Once those areas are modernized, with good procedures and governance in place, we can move on to enhancing operational and clinical workflows.

This article is part of HealthTech’s MonITor blog series. Keep this page bookmarked for our coverage of the 2024 LeadingAge Annual Meeting, taking place Oct. 27-30 in Nashville, Tenn. Follow us on the social platform X at @HealthTechMag and join the conversation at #LeadingAge24.