3 Questions to Ask Before Buying Assisted Living Software

Posted on 4th Jan 2021

Whether you’re starting your first assisted living facility or managing a portfolio of communities, your technology decisions will impact your bottom and top-line revenue. Choosing technology for your assisted living community will affect the efficiency of your team, your residents’ care, and (hopefully) your communication with your residents’ families. Sure, you’ll compare features. But beyond the EHR, what other questions should you ask before buying assisted living software?

Here are three big questions to help you think beyond features and determine which assisted living software platform is right for your business. Ask your assisted living software provider:

#1: Who is your product’s main demographic?
It’s worth understanding what type of customers in which industries already use the software. If assisted living users are vastly outnumbered by users from other industries or sectors, consider what that might mean for product development and feature roadmaps. Will you and your business needs have more influence over the direction the product takes? Or will the provider listen to others and focus on different priorities? You don’t want your needs to be considered exceptional. Look for customer-led companies with deep experience in assisted living. Better yet, look for a solution that’s purpose-built for assisted living.

#2: Do you really understand assisted living?
First, expect your senior living software provider to know your business. You know assisted living is bound by different regulations than skilled nursing. Does your software provider truly understand that? Can the software support your clinical and compliance needs while allowing for flexibility to manage multiple facilities with varying needs? An all-in-one system might sound good, but how “standard” is the care you provide across facilities (and across state lines)? The system you’re considering should work with your standard business practices — even as those change.

#3: Who will own our data?
Another important consideration is data governance. If you and the assisted living software provider part ways in the future, how will you get the data and records kept by the system? This goes beyond export and reporting capabilities (which should be a given.) Now is the time to ask hard questions. Who will own the data? How you get it back, if necessary? And will you have to pay extra for that “service”?

That was a few more than 3 questions, but this is a big decision! If the provider has all the features required to support your workflow, can promise stellar technical support and answers all of these questions to your satisfaction, you may have found your match.

By: Medtelligent