Attendees at the upcoming 2019 NIC Fall Conference will benefit from some of the best networking opportunities of the year, punctuated and enhanced by a full program of informative and insightful presentations. As with all NIC events, attendees are offered a wide range of subject matter and formats, carefully designed to be relevant, useful, interesting, and thought-provoking. Attendees interested in benefitting from the innovations, investments, and lessons learned from businesses operating in real-world conditions will fill the room on Wednesday at 4PM for a unique session titled “Innovations That Work.”
Seniors housing and skilled nursing markets are constantly evolving, often driving owners and operators to look to innovation to add value and improve margins. But, while often promising, and sometimes fruitful, not every innovation yields positive business results. Those that are yielding demonstratable results that create value for residents and owners alike offer extremely valuable lessons – and inspiration – to decision-makers considering their options. Investors and owners alike will find “innovations that work” to be well worth an hour of their time, as they aim to solve the most pressing challenges and take advantage of the greatest opportunities their businesses are facing today.
This dynamic hour-long session will focus on five separate case studies. NIC staff fielded dozens of applications from potential presenters, culling them down to the best examples of practical innovations that are working and yielding demonstrable, positive results in the marketplace today. Each presentation will cover the details of a day-to-day implementation and will include an analysis of operational and financial impact. Here is a brief overview of each of our “Innovations That Work” for 2019:
“Boosting staff engagement to improve retention and turnover”
Submitted by Denise Boudreu-Scott, President, Drive
A shortage of quality staff impacts everyone. Employees can’t keep up with extra tasks when there aren’t enough hands, sometimes becoming “burned out”. Managers spend their days filling open slots instead of working strategically. Leaders struggle with increased overtime and agency costs.
Drive is a consultancy that has helped over fifty aging services organizations improve the resident and staff experience, and the bottom-line, through more engaged leaders and employees. They look at the common threads between high performing team members and the reasons why they joined the organization in the first place. Presented by a leader from one of the properties they’ve helped, this presentation will reveal how a host of staffing metrics were improved dramatically at multiple organizations by using Drive’s approach.
Aided by data and analysis provided with the help of an Associate Professor at Cornell, and his students, case studies provide measurable results, along with details on how staffing issues were improved at different properties. In one case, the organization discovered that 95% of its high performing staff had been referred by a friend, and then was able to use that information to attract more people and reduce 90-day turnover. Data that has been collected since this solution came to market four years ago will be shared and analyzed, reflecting real-world improvements in staff retention and turnover rates.
“Increasing lead volumes with decision–science”
Submitted by Nate O’Keefe, CEO, Roobrik
Two intertwined problems are addressed by Roobrik’s multi-channel digital marketing platform: older adults and their families tend to wait for a crisis before making care decisions, and senior living providers struggle to engage with families earlier in the decision process.
Roobrik uses decision–science based assessments to help families get “unstuck” and connected to senior living providers. Their “Is it time to get help?” and “Is it the right time for senior living?” assessments use decision–science to reach families who are still in research mode and encourage them to move forward.
Over 350 communities have added Roobrik’s platform to their websites since it became available three years ago. Presented by an operator who has implemented Roobrik, data shows that the solution drives an immediate 20%-40% increase in online lead volumes, with each lead sharing 23 additional data points about their situation, concerns, needs, and readiness.
“Driving down depression – and costs – with voice assistant management”
Submitted by Erum Azeez, co-founder and CEO, Soundmind
Residents are dealing with the challenges of aging, such as social isolation, boredom, and illness while 90% of facilities are understaffed.
Less than two years ago, Soundmind launched a secure, HIPAA-compliant voice assistant management platform designed specifically for seniors housing. By centrally managing and customizing voice assistants in resident rooms, common areas, and staff offices, Soundmind-enhanced voice assistants are saving time, streamlining workflows, and positively impacting residents. They connect residents to their families through voice-based text messaging and photo sharing. They also provide secure access to music, news, podcasts, TV and other content.
An operator now using Soundmind will share their experience implementing the technology – and will present data supporting the company’s claims that their clients see a 95% adoption rate, five times more usage than average consumers, and a 44% reduction in depression scores, while driving down costs and helping top- and bottom-line growth.
“Slashing unnecessary readmissions with tech-enabled telehealth”
Submitted by Ray George, VP, Growth and Strategy, Third Eye
Residents sometimes need immediate medical care and attention at night and on weekends. Rushing them to the hospital is costly, inefficient, and does not always produce the best outcomes.
Third Eye Health is the nation’s largest post-acute telehealth provider with over 200 customers utilizing their solution across 26 states — helping nursing homes to reduce hospital readmissions and provide higher acuity care. Their tech-enabled physician telehealth service provides 24/7 and night and weekend medical care. With the company’s mobile-based solution (typically delivered via an iPad), when a patient or resident is in need of immediate medical care, with the touch of a button, the nurse can contact one of their specially trained physicians through secure video and text messaging.
One of Third Eye’s clients will share their experience, and explain how, on average, Third Eye is seeing a 25% reduction in unnecessary hospital readmissions across its customer base- leading to improved patient care and enhanced profitability for the nursing home.
“Optimizing resident engagement”
Submitted by Linked Senior
In senior care today, optimizing resident engagement is not considered to be correlated with a positive return on investment. Yet, research shows that highly engaged seniors are less prone to depression and behavioral issues. Tracking residents’ changing needs and preferences, as well as assessing real-time changes involves tedious paper tasks and is often an inefficient use of staff resources.
Established in 2007, Linked Senior provides a fully digital solution to programming and planning for over 50 properties, allowing staff more time for individualized and creative solutions. In 2017, Linked Senior partnered with the Responsive Group in Toronto and Western Oregon University to research resident engagement with funding from the Baycrest-led Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation. Over one year, data was collected from 3 Responsive memory care and long-term care communities. Findings suggest that being highly engaged in recreational activity (including the use of Linked Senior) is associated with a 3% increase in cognitive functioning, a 20% increase in social engagement, an 18% decrease in aggression, and a 20% decrease in antipsychotic medication use. There was also a $29,000 financial saving in staff efficiency.
A representative from Juniper Village at Brookline in State College, PA, will present how their team became more efficient and productive using digital technology, including Linked Senior, to track residents’ changing needs and preferences, increase program attendance, and see some real results. In just two years, they’ve seen increases in resident engagement from 12 minutes per day, per resident, to 21 minutes, and increased resident participation rates to 93%.