Senior living technology.

Abstract

The pros and cons of long term care's shift to a prospective payment system will be debated well into the next millennium, but its effects have already been profound. Not least has been the role PPS has played in dragging providers into the information age. Providers who were once steadfast in their refusal to participate in the computer revolution are now eager converts, implementing innovative information and clinical technologies to operate more efficiently and improve quality of care. Major changes rarely happen overnight. The long process of upgrading information systems and integrating new clinical technologies will remain arduous for years to come. But innovative technologies (including non-computerized devices and equipment ranging from lift systems to weightlifting equipment) will play an ever-increasing role as the industry takes a more consumer-driven approach to delivery of care. While some providers complain that vendors have been slow to develop the level of sophisticated, integrative systems they require, vendors fault providers for not being able or willing to invest the capital necessary to upgrade their platforms to support state-of-the-art software. But partnering rather than finger-pointing appears to be winning the day as facilities and vendors intensify their efforts to create more and better technology for long term care. In the following pages, we look at a number of innovative providers--from Bronx, New York, to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, from big chains to mom-and-pops--who have come up with creative solutions to common problems.