Inefficient tools, unhappy staff members, a shortage of workers, compliance concerns and soaring costs. Those workforce and operational challenges are a recipe for operational disarray for the long-term care industry, according to experts.
In this webinar, “From chaos to calm: Streamlining operations to overcome labor challenges,” sponsored by Smartlinx, two industry experts detailed how taking a strategic, data-driven approach to staffing and reporting can lead to proactive planning and substantial across-the-board improvements.
A surge in demand for care services, coupled with a decline in nursing home sector employment, has created a “perfect storm” scenario for the industry, according to Baris Vural, chief revenue officer for Smartlinx.
In addition, he said, the need to keep pace with “ever-changing regulations and data collection and reporting can be a time-consuming and complex process and a huge time drain for staff members who already are stretched thin.” Nurses in long-term care facilities, Vural noted, often spend up to 20% of their time on routine administrative tasks.
Excessive workloads “take time away from what matters the most, providing direct care and building relationships with residents,” and the added pressures also negatively affect employee morale, he said.
“We’ve seen, in some cases, the facility suffers significantly from low morale, burnout and high turnover rates. That can result in substantial financial losses and operational inefficiencies and lead to compliance issues that put facilities at risk,” Vural said.
The answer, he said, is replacing inefficient, generic tools with purpose-built solutions specifically designed for senior care. “By investing in staff and providing them with the tools and the support they need, we can create a happier, more stable workforce that will help us expand our supply of qualified caregivers and give us the flexibility to offer a variety of care options,” he added.
“Technology can also be our ally in achieving compliance confidence. By automating processes and generating accurate reports, we can reduce the risk of errors and penalties,” Vural added. Streamlining operations and reducing waste also can help facilities regain control of labor costs, he said.
Evaluate the needs of the organization
Harnessing technology has been a life raft for scheduling challenges, but Brian Buys, chief product officer at Smartlinx, reminded attendees to stay focused on their goals and to take a “synergistic approach to gaining and keeping staff happy” when using technology.
By remaining tuned into how procedures affect staff members, providers that have migrated to solution-based tools have an opportunity to critically examine their processes, streamline those procedures and then evaluate them to provide an optimal experience for both employer and employee, he said.
Before deciding on a system, the experts advised, companies should “take a comprehensive look at your current technology landscape, identify systems that are working well and those that are hindering progress and pinpoint your specific workforce operational needs and challenges.” A technology provider that specializes in long-term care solutions can bring invaluable solutions to the table, Buys said.
“Working with partners that really understand the nuances of those segments is absolutely critical,” he added.
Buys explained that SmartLinx takes an “SOS” approach that focuses on supply, optimization and sustainment. “The benefits of a complete, focused strategy and toolkit is not just about finding the right tools. It’s about a strategy in each of the three areas,” he said. “Ensuring that your strategy in these areas is tightly linked is a very important opportunity.”
Real solutions, real results
Vural shared examples of operators that used specific solutions and tactics to improve operational inefficiencies in this tough market.
Saddled with an outdated system that made regulatory reporting a nightmare, and lacking control over labor expenses, Oriel Healthcare in Holden, MA, turned to Smartlinx to create a fully integrated labor management solution with automated census-driven scheduling and PBJ reporting.
“Within a few months, they started seeing impressive results and over time; costs plummeted by 25%,” Vural said. “Oriel successfully met the stringent Payroll-Based Journal reporting requirements mandated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and the new system streamlined scheduling. They basically freed up staff to focus on resident and patient care, which matters the most. This case clearly demonstrates the power of a robust labor management solution in driving efficiency.”
In another example shared by Vural, Tallahassee, FL-based SRI Management, a senior living management company with more than 40 communities, struggled with employee burnout and high turnover as directors were spending a staggering eight hours per week on scheduling alone. In addition, the company consistently exceeded monthly staffing budgets.
SRI worked with Smartlinx to adopt a centralized workforce management platform, which enabled better visibility and control over its workforce and led to impressive results.
“Scheduling time was dramatically reduced from eight hours to just one hour per week, and even less in some cases, and it freed up valuable time for the directors to focus on more strategic initiatives, such as expansion and improving efficiency of staff scheduling against budget,” Vural said.
Employee turnover also improved significantly among directors and staff members, leading to increased stability and improved staff morale, he said.
“By centralizing their workforce management, they achieved phenomenal cost savings and were able to stay within their monthly staffing budgets across all communities,” he added.
