3 min read

[BLOG] Seasonal Suggestions for Seniors

By Prime Care Tech Marketing on Mon, Nov 06, 2023 @ 08:00 AM

Autumn is now in full swing and winter is right around the corner, so you may be asking yourself: How do I keep my elderly loved ones or my residents engaged this season? It’s not always easy to find ways to stay entertained on those dreary, cold, and rainy days, however, we have compiled a list of activities for you that may just fit the bill:

Puzzles

As the well-known phrase goes, if you don’t use it, you lose it. As you age, extra measures need to be taken to ensure a sound mind and body. Puzzles are a great way to maintain hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, and keep the brain active - and don’t limit yourself to the regular jigsaw puzzles either! Consider handheld brain teasers that require you to find a way to separate two pieces or strategy games like Connect 4. If you know somebody who is mathematically inclined or cruciverbalist, consider Sudoku or crosswords. Challenging yourself in such ways helps maintain vital connections between different areas of your brain.

Sports

When you hear the word ‘competitive’ does anyone in particular come to mind? Or do you know anybody who just likes to be included? Finding activities that everyone can partake in is not always easy when it comes to seniors, but there are still plenty of opportunities to get everyone involved, regardless of mobility capacities. There is something for everyone at an arcade, so don’t be afraid to get creative! Think jumbo ring toss, floor net basketball, indoor mini golf, giant ping pong, and even a dance party - all of which improve balance, flexibility, energy levels and decrease loneliness. Or, for those seniors who prefer something more relaxing, yoga, simple pool noodle exercises and swimming (if there’s a pool) comes with the same benefits as well. Long story short, make exercise fun and it will bring only good things! 

Arts & Crafts

Some days (and people) are just more on the quiet side, so how do you navigate this challenge, you may ask? Get creative, literally! Art takes many forms, including coloring, drawing, painting, sculpting and building. Provide residents with color (or paint)-by-numbers books, or lead drawing sessions that challenge them to use different drawing styles. Hold painting nights where residents can get familiar with different kinds of paint, or even set up your own “paint and sip,” where residents can follow an artist’s lead. If you want to take it a step further, you could even have an art exhibition, where residents can proudly display their work to others. When it comes to sculpting and building projects, consider clay (or Playdoh), and materials like Legos to help residents form their masterpieces! The benefits of art are as much mental as they are physical: from improving cognitive function, memory, self-expression and sense of community, to greater motor skills and coordination.

Music

The beauty of music is a universal experience, and any music lover will tell you how important it is in bringing people together. Ask residents what their favorite songs are and then play them for the whole group. You could even turn it into a game where other residents have to guess which resident chose the song, or guess which artist is singing the song! Not only will residents get a better sense of individual music tastes, but it will promote conversations between residents about songs, and the stories behind them. Since everyone will likely have different tastes in music, residents will walk away not only feeling more connected to their peers, but with new and refreshing music that could prompt personal exploration into a new genre. Another option is to hold karaoke or instrumental nights, where residents can sing out loud or play an instrument such as the piano. All the above has been shown to relax the body, lower blood pressure and improve sleep and digestion, as well as an increased sense of community and friendship.


When it comes to senior care, it's important to remember that everyone was young once, and the desire to feel included, to feel as though one's life has purpose, and to feel loved never goes away. Winter and autumn can be dark, cold and unforgiving, making seasonal depression an unwelcome guest to many. For seniors who are already living away from family and friends, this presents an additional challenge, as they are already feeling isolated from those they love. When considering activities for your seniors, consider those that are not only going to improve or maintain mental skills and bodily coordination, but, arguably more importantly, will build a sense of community and belonging that everyone strives for.

 

What are some ways that you are keeping your seniors active this season? We’d love to know -  email us or submit a comment below!

 

Topics: Prime Care Technologies senior living #solutions winteriscoming
3 min read

[BLOG] Staying Productive in a Down Market

By Prime Care Tech Marketing on Mon, Oct 30, 2023 @ 07:30 AM

Everyone knows that the current state of the economy is stormy. However, not everyone knows what it takes to build the best shelter. Many industries, healthcare included, are taking a hit, and it's important to note that while the financial uncertainty justifies any emotional volatility felt, it’s not a conducive business practice, and there are precautionary steps you can focus on in order to increase the chance of your business’s survival.

Being able to adapt to the changing economic environment is the key to weathering the storm. In the world of senior care specifically, adaptability takes many forms.

Here are six:

1. Fine-Tune Your Marketing & Sales Approach:

During a down market, many companies choose to scale back their marketing expenses. However, when it comes to senior care facilities, that’s not necessarily the best approach. The aging population of America continues to grow, and consumers are always on the lookout for their future residences. Thanks to the internet, research is easily had, and most consumers do plenty of it. After all, choosing a senior care facility is often an expensive, lifelong purchase. Therefore, it’s important to have a very strong online presence through a user-friendly website, newsletters, blogs, testimonial videos, and online reviews and ratings. You must make it clear what you are selling by touting the superior experience and level of care you provide to your residents compared to your competitors, and this makes marketing an integral part of the resident-curating process.

2. Remain Resident-Focused

Consumers want to feel as though they (and their loved ones) are treated as a priority in whichever residency they choose to invest in. A simple way to do that is to ensure that residents and their families have an easy time navigating the ins and outs of the facility as far as making appointments, speaking with residence staff, touring the facility, and having a knowledgeable representative available to answer any questions that may arise. Showcasing such a high level of care in the early days leaves consumers with a good impression of the level of care and safety that can be expected should they choose to commit to your residency. Stand apart from your competitors by demonstrating a higher level of organization, attentiveness, and responsiveness.

3. Personalize the Residential Experience

Consumers, current and future, want to feel as though they are getting the best deal and experience available to them. However, what one consumer may define as the “best” may not align with another’s definition. By identifying individual needs and values, you can tailor the overall experience to retain better current residents and increase your attractiveness to future residents. If residents feel as though you “get them,” they are more likely to choose your facility over one that provides a more generic-feeling level of care.

4. Improve Your Internal Operations Processes 

Once in the facility, it’s important that you demonstrate a consistent level of care to retain residents, as well as take advantage of opportunities later down the road with brand ambassadors and positive word-of-mouth reviews. One highly effective way of keeping residents satisfied is by improving the efficiency and productivity within your facility. Residents want fast care, meaning that if you are able to demonstrate that you understand what their problems are and how to solve them quickly, there is little room for lingering frustrations or complaints. By staying on top of your facility operations through digital platforms like primeVIEW, where you can track your census, labor, clinical, and five-star, you will not only make residents feel well-tended to, but the increased level of organization will help simplify your day-to-day workflow as well.

5. Customer Service

Customer service includes everything from answering questions and fulfilling general physical therapy to providing personalized tech support services for residents on an as-needed basis. The process of moving away from home, away from friends and family, and moving into an unfamiliar facility is an often-overlooked sacrifice, meaning that for residents and their families, communication becomes key. Communication reflects competency. Therefore, facilities that make a conscious effort to prioritize high levels of communication between residents and their families are seen as more attractive, as the increased transparency allows families to rest easy knowing that their loved one is being well taken care of.

6. Keep Your Finances in Order 

Senior care facilities have many moving parts, and sometimes, items fall through the cracks — including payments. One issue many facilities face is managing the billing process, thus prolonging payments and cash turnover. Luckily, platforms such as our primeCLAIMS can act as your revenue cycle management system, allowing you to streamline the billing process by reducing DSO, time spent collecting and organizing paperwork, and offering unique claim-to-claim reviews. During a time when financial resources are already scarce, the last thing you want to do is approach claims with negligence.


It’s not a matter of if but when the economy will begin to recover, and while not everything is within personal control, taking the above measures will serve to protect your business during the darkest days.

Focus on the positives, on the areas that you can improve upon, and you will be able to take advantage of the circumstances rather than become a victim of them.

Have any other tips you’d like to share with us? Let us know!

 

Topics: primeVIEW primeCLAIMS Prime Care Technologies #solutions
2 min read

[BLOG] Know Your ABD's: The Medicare Open Enrollment Period Has Begun!

By Prime Care Tech Marketing on Mon, Oct 23, 2023 @ 07:20 AM

If you’re 65 years old, about to be 65 years old, or if you know somebody who is, here’s a message for you: Don’t wait to sign up for, or change, Medicare insurance plans - poor planning, procrastination and missed deadlines expedite the aging process!

The Medicare Open Enrollment Period is October 15th through December 7th, and it’s time to make decisions about your future now - changes made during this period will take effect January 1st of next year.

Here’s a brief overview of some upcoming deadlines:

  • Part A, B, D – Enrollment begins 3 months before and up to three months after you turn 65.
  • Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) – Medigap open enrollment lasts 6 months and begins when 1) You are 65 or older 2) Have enrolled in Medicare.
  • Working past age 65 – You must enroll within 8 months of being unemployed or dropping your health plan.

What each part means:

Part AHospital insurance: Covers inpatient care, hospice, home health and skilled nursing care.

Part BMedical insurance: Covers outpatient care, preventative services and medical equipment such as wheelchairs and walkers.

Part DPrescription drug coverage

Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap)Covers some of Medicare’s cost-sharing requirements and services not covered by Medicare.

 

Why you should take advantage of this enrollment period:

  • Possibility of upgrading or downgrading plans (Medicare Advantage versus Original)
  • Opportunity to reevaluate or change Part D
  • Peace of mind knowing that you do not have to rely on COBRA or job security in order to be covered by insurance.

Good to know:

  • The general enrollment period for Medicare is between January 1st and March 31st
  • During the general enrollment period, coverage kicks in one month post-enrollment.
  • You can apply for Medicare even if you are already covered elsewhere.

Topics: Medicare Part A Medicare Eligibility Prime Care Technologies medicare advantage #solutions
1 min read

[BLOG] Our Top Three Takeaways From This Year's AHCA/NCAL convention & expo

By Prime Care Tech Marketing on Mon, Oct 16, 2023 @ 09:45 AM

Excuse us as we take a victory lap celebrating another successful conference! The 2023 AHCA/NCAL Convention & Expo was certainly one to remember, and we are excited about the new (and old) connections we have cultivated along the way. 

Amongst other opportunities, we had the chance to discuss with RevSpring's vice president of business development, Eric Langlee, in person about our new partnership with them, specifically regarding private pay integration with primeCLAIMS. The partnership, officially announced last week, empowers revenue cycle managers in the post-acute care industry to efficiently manage payments from guarantors for better financial outcomes. We'd be happy to discuss what this means for you via email!

Here are our Top 3 Takeaways from this year's 'Delivering Solutions' :

  1. Congrats to all the newly elected board directors of AHCA/NCAL! Some notables: Phil Scalo of New Jersey was elected as AHCA Chair, Mark Maxfield of Idaho was elected as NCAL chair, and Chris Wright of iCare Health Network, a current client of ours, was elected Vice Chair.
  2. There was a lot of buzz surrounding the new CMS staffing mandate and its anticipated impact. See our September 9th and October 1st blog posts for more details.
  3. Managed Care insurance companies continue to squeeze providers on reimbursement, meaning that to manage the contracting process successfully, there needs to be more focused efforts on the providers side as far as effectively communicating their value to payors to drive down costs and improve healthcare quality.

Prime Care Technologies was also proud to sponsor this year's opening event, the Mile High Jamboree, to kick off the conference. We had a great time socializing, racing, and discussing all things post-acute care! Overall, AHCA was a blast, although we weren't quite ready for the white waters of Denver!

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Topics: IT Prime Care Technologies #solutions
2 min read

[BLOG] A Message for Case Managers: Life Can Be Easier!

By Prime Care Tech Marketing on Mon, Oct 09, 2023 @ 10:15 AM

In case you didn’t know, October 8th-14th is National Case Managers Week, so now is an opportune time to celebrate the important work performed by case managers everywhere, but specifically those within the healthcare industry.

So what are case managers, and what do they do?

Case managers play a vital role in maintaining the operational efficiency within the companies they work for, from admission to discharge. They are the keystone in all workspace systems, processing and creating productive workflows, organizing and delegating responsibilities, maintaining order, handling sensitive data, and ensuring that all tasks are being completed in a timely fashion. It’s a job that requires immense attention to detail, excellent communication skills, flexibility, forward-thinking, and a little finesse. It certainly is not an easy position to hold, and challenges are abounding, especially if relying on a manual case management method.

Common challenges that case managers face are:

  • Ineffective collaboration between individuals and teams due to lack of flexibility and coordination.
  • Lack of transparency for customers and stakeholders due to the complex, multi-faceted nature of the position.
  • Decreased efficiency due to mismanaged assignments, poor team communication, inefficient data collection, and weak process structure.
  • Increased documentation mistakes due to human error render data unusable, making analyzing trends more difficult and timelier.
  • Information salad due to sources being scattered across multiple platforms and channels, making the information-gathering process cumbersome and frustrating.
  • Lack of customization makes it difficult for case managers to adapt operations to streamline the company's processes and workflows, dramatically increasing operational costs.

Luckily, digital and technological advancements have helped to lighten the load ̶ case managers rejoice! Platforms like our managedCareMASTER make managing complex contracts, EHRs, Rx costs, therapy, and CRM easier than ever. managedcareMASTER is your automated case management and contract workflow platform, covering everything from contract summaries, organizational visibility, and contractual alerts to concurrent reviews, denials, and appeals. Case managers no longer have to rely on papers and binders to keep track of everything they need ̶ it’s available to them in one, all-inclusive dashboard. The executive dashboard includes useful functions such as a concurrent review and authorization calendar, facility-based cost-out template, PDPM grouper tool, high-cost medication search, and real-time alerts, allowing case managers to take charge of their facilities with resounding efficiency. Say goodbye to poor collaboration, incomplete data, visibility issues, compromised security, and avoidable errors!

Have any questions about how our technology can help you? We’d love to hear from you!

Drop us a quick email, and we’ll happily discuss our solutions further with you.

Topics: IT Managed Care MASTER case management for managed care Prime Care Technologies #solutions

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