Staffing strategies that support value-based care

When clinicians can intervene in a resident’s plan of care before an adverse event occurs, they feel more empowered to take care of residents. Avoiding negative outcomes, such as a fall, can help reduce staff workload by avoiding the extra tasks and documentation involved in the additional care required. Technology that helps them prevent negative outcomes also gives them more time to spend with other residents.

Having the right tools to quickly identify and assess early changes in condition can also ease staff burdens. Tools that incorporate AI have the capability to identify subclinical changes  so staff can intervene more quickly and escalate issues as needed. These tools help clinicians make sure residents get the right care at the right time. From a value-based care perspective, this is huge: if we can detect signs of a worsening condition sooner, or identify patterns that indicate a potential decline, we can provide care earlier and achieve better outcomes.

Ambient technologies are emerging that hold so much promise—particularly in helping stretched clinical teams work more efficiently. Not only can they deliver the right information to clinicians at the right time, they do it without requiring the already overburdened staff to directly observe the resident and manually enter information into the EHR. These tools can identify subtle changes in condition, such as the resident getting up more often at night or showing unsteady movement patterns, helping clinicians provide proactive care without adding to their workload.

Care collaboration is another aspect of value-based care that can benefit from technology. There are tools available that make it easier to share the right data with the people who need it. A care team can loop in not just specialists and physicians but also social workers, dietitians, therapists, nurses, family members, or anyone else who should be involved. This helps make sure everyone is aligned on the care plan, all care team information is included, and that tests or other services aren’t duplicated.

Resident satisfaction is another aspect to consider. Tools that make human contact and care personalization easier are critical to value-based care. Technology that keeps residents in lowest-acuity settings appropriate for the resident condition or that facilitates direct conversations help residents feel connected and understood, and can lead to better resident satisfaction scores.