Congratulations – you’ve successfully acquired a new community! Time to make the business yours and increase profit. Employees already know the business and all the materials are already there. However, are those materials and tools going to be effective in turning a profit?
Thoroughly explore the technology before buying, using the four key areas below.
Network Connection
Having a solid network is key to keep operations running. What is the availability of network connectivity? Are there multiple circuits? How are the communities connected? Additionally, as point-of-care increases, wireless quality must also increase. Have your provider conduct a wireless survey – is there a consistently strong signal throughout the building?
Why you should care: When your staff’s productivity and routine is affected, employee turnover and quality of care could suffer.
Hardware
Hardware you inherit such as laptops, desktops, kiosks, thin clients, tablets and printers may be inhibiting your staff from achieving high quality and productivity. The equipment your staff uses directly affects your costs. Do you have a refresh plan?
Why you should care: Unexpected replacement costs can add up quickly and hinder your business plans if you’re not prepared.
Data
Just like hardware, you should carefully survey the data you buy with the facility. This includes data from previous systems, applications that have transitioned over to you and procedural documents for specific departments, facility information and floor plans, plus email. Are referral emails being routed properly? Are all applications licensed properly?
Why you should care: You are now responsible for any data, including protected health information (PHI) on those devices. There also may be information there that you want or need for continuing operations.
Caregiver Technical Support
The most successful transitions have had active support from the acquirer. Transitions greatly affect staff and management, so you should aim to be available, be flexible and be there.
Why you should care: Staff productivity and morale can be adversely affected by change. Make sure your staff is properly setup for success by ensuring things like having access to the applications needed to do their jobs, they can print properly and all files used previously are still available.
When merging or acquiring a new community, it’s critical to look at what technology you’re inheriting. Knowing the answers to these questions could save you time, stress and money down the road.
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