Technology & IT

Reducing falls by tackling incontinence

Many falls occur when high-risk residents attempts to toilet themselves, especially in the middle of the night.  A Baltimore SNF has become the first in the United States to test a new technology from Australia designed to predict incontinence and solve the toileting before a fall can occur. Read More »

ONC launches complaint process for EHRs

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) has created a form-based process to receive complaints about certified products that aren’t performing as expected, including electronic health records (EHRs). Read More »

Is teledentistry coming to a senior living community near you?

The University of the Pacific is working on a teledentistry initiative that aims to bring preventive dental care to underserved Californians in senior housing communities. Read More »

Targeting patient safety through IT

Long-term care organizations are eligible to apply for AHRQ funding to research the development of IT tools to improve resident safety. Read More »

Wearables tracking more than heart rate

A CONVERGE panel discusses developments and drawbacks of wearable devices for healthcare. Read More »

Yardi acquires Optimus EMR, steps into post-acute care market

Yardi expands its senior living software and steps into the long-term/post-acute care market by acquiring Optimus EMR Inc. Read More »

MatrixCare to release clinical analytics for CMS benchmarks

Electronic Health Records provider MatrixCare debuts new dashboard to measure and compare the most current CMS benchmark data. Read More »

IT: The bridge between care and outcomes

How detailed and integrated are your clinical records? Silvercrest Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation, Briarwood, N.Y., has spent the past few years creating an electronic health record (EHR) system that knows its residents almost as well as the staff does. Read More »

The buzz on granny drones

Technology has contributed to improved healthcare, communication and convenience, but is it going too far in devaluing the human experience? Granny may be seeing drones on the horizon. Read More »

LeadingAge CAST updates EHR selection tools

The organization has added several new items to its free resources to help providers choose the best electronic health record technologies and best medication management tools for their needs. Read More »

Rating app Yelp adds nursing home reviews

The popular rating app has partnered with ProPublica to add nursing homes and hospitals to its repertoire. Read More »

New app helps families and caregivers coordinate visits, tasks

CareMonster, a caregiving app startup, helps families take care of elderly loved ones, but also has a business model that can be adopted by providers. Read More »

FDA warns of infusion pump vulnerability

The federal Food and Drug Administration warns healthcare facilities using the Symbiq infusion pump system to be aware that the drug system is vulnerable to hacking. Read More »

IBM to buy Merge Healthcare for $1B

IBM continues its buying spree by capturing Merge Healthcare, bringing IBM's Watson data analytics technology to the world of medical images--providing new research data to improve electronic medical records, wearables, and more. Read More »

Technology advancements improve documentation and care

Point-of-care (POC) technology solutions reduce costs and improve quality of care for hospice, home health providers. Read More »

Brian Jurutka named new NIC president

The National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC) welcomes a new president with plenty of data analytics and strategic partnership skills.  Read More »

Improving your website on a budget

Three long-term care marketing professionals weigh in on the 5 things any community can do to make its website more friendly to prospective customers, even on a tight budget. Read More »

Online marketing for assisted living

More seniors and their families are using the Internet to evaluate and "window shop" for assisted living communities. What does your website say about you? Read More »

Partnerships@Work: 5 strategies for introducing staff to an EHR

Getting staff on board with a new electronic health record (EHR) can be daunting. A Connecticut provider shares how concerted training efforts with its EHR system vendor helped ensure a smooth transition for staff and residents. Read More »

ONC creates roadmap for Health IT Safety Center

An Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology task force has created a roadmap to improve identification and sharing of information on health IT-related safety events. Read More »

Proposed CMS rule would require health information exchange for LTC

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services wants all nursing homes and long-term care facilities to participate in health information exchange. Read More »

‘Smart’ patch could nix insulin injections

A penny-sized patch under development could replace daily insulin injections for diabetics. Read More »

Eldermark introduces mobile-based nurse call system

The system works online or offline with Apple, Microsoft and Android devices.  Read More »

American HealthTech launches RCM suite

Eligibility verification is step one in capturing revenue cycle management data to improve financial efficiency. Read More »

Bill would allow FDA to regulate medication information on social media

If the proposed bill is passed, drug information can soon be found on social media platforms.  Read More »

CMS won’t deny ICD-10 claims for a year

In response to requests from the provider community, CMS is releasing additional guidance that will aim to allow for flexibility in the claims auditing and quality reporting process Read More »

Word recognition tests for early-onset Alzheimer’s

What's the difference between "curtains" and "sgarnce"? Recognizing real words among nonsense words could help diagnose early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Read More »

HHS launches online tool for disaster readiness

The tool helps plan ahead to meet the emergency needs of community residents who rely on electrically powered medical and assistive equipment to live independently at home. Read More »

EHRs and predictive analytics help prevent falls in nursing homes

A study shows that eletcronic health record data combined with predictive analytics can help prevent falls in the elderly. Read More »

HIEs could improve patient outcomes for nursing homes

Communication through health information exchanges could help nursing homes improve patient outcomes. Read More »