Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic the use of telehealth was a rising trend in Senior Living but had yet to reach widespread acceptance by both providers and patients. Even within early adopters the actual use was relatively low compared to the total resident population.
In the new age of technology everyone’s had that moment where they forgot their password. The moment everyone hasn’t had is when someone steals their password. Knowing that your account is compromised is a very scary thing. What makes it more frightening is when it is an account with sensitive information like your bank account, or even worse an application with Personal Health Information (PHI).
Collaboration seems to be the hottest buzzword in IT for the last 18 months and you can’t have a conversation without it since the escalation of the COVID-19 outbreak this past March. The funny thing is, collaboration was difficult before we were working from home, now that everyone is miles away working remotely, it is even more challenging. That said, the old saying “necessity is the mother of invention” couldn’t be more true.
Covid-19 as a Catalyst
The spread of Covid-19 has forced the already growing trend of working remotely to accelerate rapidly. Senior Living providers are certainly no exception to this as they are on the frontlines of the battle against the pandemic.
Telehealth Services
As the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve, CMS has announced that they are expanding telehealth Medicare coverage to nursing home beneficiaries and others as part of their strategy to address the crisis by leveraging technology. The idea is that providers can use chatbots, secure messaging, and video visits to conduct initial screening and triage of patients who may be infected.
It’s no secret that data analytics is prevalent in essentially every industry, but you may be wondering what the big deal about big data really is and how it concerns you as a senior living provider.
This home care coordination company has been with vcpi for about a year. Our team had helped them deploy equipment and train staff on how to use their new IT system prior to their opening date. Because our client had vcpi as their IT partner, our client’s leadership could focus on their care models and leave the IT needs to us. We currently provide this client with Service Desk support, Mobile Device Management, and software licensing. In the past year, our client experienced a phishing attack via email for which we implemented Multi Factor Authentication.
From caregiver mobile apps to "smart" homes, digital tools are becoming a necessity for seniors transitioning between types of care. As care goes more digital, it becomes more critical than ever for senior living organizations to protect their IT systems against data breaches and the costly HIPAA fines that come with them.
