The role of technology and IT support services in Aged Care and why you need it.
Technology and IT support services are enabling aged care providers to deliver operational efficiencies, increase customer service and staff satisfaction levels, and empowering business leaders to make more informed decisions.
Automated, streamlined administration
The age services industry requires extensive paperwork. To stay compliant and secure funding, providers need to complete large amounts of documentation and supply evidence of their performance and care outcomes. With the right technology in place, creating these reports regularly—and sharing them with the right people—can be done quickly and easily. Without the right systems, providers can face an administrative nightmare—especially when it comes to audits and compliance checks. Implementing a robust and agile technology stack will streamline the reporting and compliance process.
Data-led decision making
By putting the right systems in place to capture and analyse data, aged care providers can make sure their people can access data in real-time, enabling them to make accurate and efficient decisions. A Digital Workplace Solutions such as Microsoft Power BI, gives access to a whole raft of information, via real-time visualisations, data models and advanced analytics. Armed with these insights, your people can very quickly determine which areas of the business require attention.
Real-time data can also enable a home care provider to track the average time of home visits and build its costing model accordingly. Similarly, they could track the financial outlay associated with consumables, such as bandages or medication, to determine where and how items are being issued.
Supporting remote workers
Managing a team of remote workers can be both costly and difficult at the best of times and has now been made a little more challenging with COVID-19. With an appropriate technology solution in place, field service workers can update status and medical records in real-time, meaning providers can ensure workers are always allocated to the most appropriate or urgent jobs.
A carer who is doing an in-home visit for the first time could simply use their smartphone or tablet to check the address, estimate travel time, and view all medical records and client notes. Once at the home, they can easily update the person’s health records. This means that all healthcare workers associated with the same client can be more efficient and improve the overall level of care provided.
Another key element to consider is the type of IT support your people are getting. Given mobile healthcare teams do not typically work a nine-to-five day, it is imperative that they have access to IT support services 24/7, 365 days a year. Ensuring they can access critical data and systems in real-time is an area that should not be compromised as it can have real implications in patient care.
Backup and disaster recovery
For any organisation, having system downtime can be extremely inconvenient and costly, and for aged care this is no exception. Despite this, the data backup and disaster recovery systems and processes relied upon by many providers have been found to no longer be sufficient. To maintain business continuity and be ready for any situation, thorough planning and strategy are critical.. This involves having both a reliable data backup process, a disaster recovery solution, and partnering with an experienced IT support partner, who will implement the solution and continuously monitor your IT systems.
With technology changing rapidly, increased security threats, and a need to become more agile and more connected, all while remaining compliant and watching budgets, the importance of technology and IT solutions in aged care has been elevated.
Investing in an IT provider to assess your operations in order to review, plan and implement the right technology and IT support services for your business is bound to reap rewards, and providers who fail to do so may find themselves lagging behind
Want to find out more?
If you’re looking for a health IT solution, Brennan can help. Contact our team here or on 1300 500 000