5 Ways Senior Living Analytics Can Improve Staff Productivity

Every shift can feel like a whirlwind for busy senior living professionals. You probably spend most of your time racing from task to task as you try to keep your to-do list from growing out of control. But even the most efficient staff members often face external obstacles that limit their productivity. Issues like an absent coworker or medication errors can disrupt your carefully planned schedule and keep you from achieving your goals. 

Senior living analytics software helps communities prevent and address challenges that impact staff productivity. Cutting-edge technology uses powerful data analytics techniques to aggregate information from across your systems and examine every aspect of your operations, from billing to medication administration. Business intelligence tools like these enable you to identify inefficiencies, monitor workflows, and improve staff productivity. 

How Senior Living Data Drives Efficiency & Productivity

The ongoing staffing crisis has made senior living communities more conscious of the need for efficient workflows. According to a recent survey by McKnight's Senior Living, 92% of nursing home providers and 70% of assisted living communities are experiencing a severe workforce shortage. Additionally, 64% of respondents report that they haven't improved their staffing situations in the past year. 

Many communities are working diligently to increase staffing levels, but progress can take time and effort. In the meantime, senior care providers can leverage data analytics technology like ElderSmarts to improve their current staff's productivity. This proactive approach reduces staff workloads and alleviates stress, increasing employee retention. 

Analytics technology integrates with your existing software to harvest data about every part of your organization, such as occupancy trends and staff training completion rates. The platform uses powerful analytics tools to demystify your data and extract meaningful insights. 

Here are five use cases demonstrating how you can enhance efficiency with data and analytics. 

Allocate Staff Strategically 

Most senior living operators don't enjoy the luxury of having a full workforce at their beck and call. Data analytics helps you create the ideal staffing schedule to maintain a high quality of care even when you're shorthanded. 

ElderSmarts gathers key performance indicators (KPIs), such as: 

• Individual staff efficiency
• Resident acuity levels
• Medication turnaround time

Based on these metrics, the software uses predictive analytics to identify periods with the highest and lowest demands for staffing. ElderSmarts also generates valuable insights by recommending more efficient scheduling configurations so you can use your limited staffing resources effectively. 

Create Targeted Training Initiatives 

Data analytics enables you to assess various aspects of individual staff members' productivity, such as: 

• Time spent per task 
• Medication error rate
• Care plan adherence 
• Documentation accuracy 
• Order entry speed

Monitoring and evaluating this data allows you to pinpoint areas of improvement and provide personalized training if necessary. Say, for instance, data analytics software reveals that a skilled nursing caregiver takes twice as long as their coworkers to administer specialized medication with infusion pumps and syringes. You can refresh this staff member's training to help them improve their accuracy and efficiency with these tasks. 

Provide Data-Driven Decision Support 

The stakes can be high when it comes to healthcare decision-making. Staff often need to make snap judgments about resident care and respond quickly to emergencies. For example, a caregiver may notice that a memory care resident seems distressed. Or a nurse might observe that several residents show symptoms of respiratory illness. 

Leveraging data analytics helps caregivers make faster and more informed decisions when the seconds count. Pair ElderSmarts with risk management software to detect subtle changes in each resident's health in real time and determine if they need medical interventions. Additionally, ElderSmarts can develop tailored infection control protocols to prevent the spread of illness. 

Streamline Move Ins

According to NIC MAP Vision, occupancy rates have increased steadily in the senior housing industry for the past two years. Your sales team can efficiently manage rising demand by using data analytics and customer relationship management (CRM) software to expedite the move-in process. 

Here are three ways these tools can streamline move-ins: 

• Demand Forecasting: ElderSmarts uses historical data and industry benchmarking to forecast future demand. Use this information to anticipate busy periods and adjust staffing levels to ensure new residents get timely support. 
• Flexible Pricing Models: Data analytics allows you to adjust your pricing in response to market trends, the economy, real estate investment trusts (REITs), and other factors. This tactic saves staff time because they won't need to calculate new prices manually. It also improves financial performance by helping you gain a steady stream of incoming residents. 
• Lead Prioritization: ElderSmarts helps sales professionals prioritize leads based on their preferences and likelihood of conversion. For example, analyzing resident demographic data could reveal that people with certain incomes and health needs are most likely to move into your independent living community. This strategy allows senior living providers to devote more time and resources to potential clients who meet this criteria. 

Improve Medication Administration Practices 

Administering medication is one of the most time-consuming tasks for any caregiver. Speed up this process by using data analytics to detect inefficient regimens and dangerous workarounds. You can integrate ElderSmarts with your electronic medication administration records (eMAR) to generate actionable insights like these: 

• Increase Safety Measures: ElderSmarts can recommend methods to decrease adverse drug events (ADEs), such as using wristband barcodes to ensure residents receive the proper medication. 
• Implement Checks for High-Alert Medications: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Joint Commission have identified several high-alert medications, including opioids. ElderSmarts can suggest extra safety checks for these products.  
• Identify the Root of ADEs: Data analytics allows you to analyze trends in medication errors and pinpoint contributing factors. For instance, ElderSmarts could reveal that a caregiver doesn't understand common safety policies, enabling you to provide additional training. 

How To Track Analytics at a Senior Living Community

Workforce shortages remain a significant challenge in the senior living industry. However, data analytics tools like ElderSmarts address this obstacle by transforming raw data into actionable insights that boost staff efficiency and productivity. Accessible dashboards and customizable reports make it easy to understand the data you gather and share your findings across your organization. 

Contact Eldermark today to schedule a complimentary demonstration or request our guide and learn more about how ElderSmarts can streamline workflows, improve resident satisfaction, and enhance decision-making.