MISSISSAUGA, Ont. – PointClickCare has announced its enhanced senior care platform to help address the “Acuity Conundrum,” a term that highlights the challenges facing assisted-living providers supporting an increasing number of residents requiring more complex care.

A variety of factors have led to rising acuity in assisted living, including the prevalence of seniors delaying their entry into retirement settings, reduced hospital stays and economic trends forcing seniors into managed care communities.

These factors are leading seniors to make the shift to an assisted living community at a more advanced age, with more complex healthcare needs. As a result, care providers are finding it necessary to respond with more clinically oriented staffing models, sophisticated technology solutions for medication management, and a greater focus on re-aligning their business models to support higher acuity levels amongst their resident population.

“In our communities we are caring for residents with complex healthcare needs, so we need to seek out ways to manage these needs and maintain the health of our population,” said Jean McGill, Clinical Services Director at American Baptist Homes of the West. “In addition to helping us monitor and improve care, from charting to medication management, the PointClickCare platform enables coordinated care within our residences, as well as with ACOs and HMOs.”

McGill added that, “We are doing things that we couldn’t have done with traditional processes. We can quickly respond with information and analysis, for example, about hospital readmissions and clinical outcomes. This helps us to maintain a solid referral base.”

“The rising resident population and acuity levels in assisted living facilities across North America are creating new challenges this market has never seen before,” said Mike Wessinger (pictured), PointClickCare CEO. “PointClickCare’s senior care platform will help our customers address the Acuity Conundrum with technology that empowers them to better manage and optimize their financial and care services performance.”

Recently recognized as the #1 long-term care software vendor by KLAS Research, PointClickCare offers a cloud-based, interoperable electronic health record and revenue cycle management platform with a variety of integrated applications for care delivery services management, financial management, marketing, business intelligence and quality and compliance.

This technology allows assisted living facilities to expand care services, strengthen market value and enhance financial and operational performance, while improving resident outcomes.

In a recent senior care survey conducted by McKnight’s Long-Term Care News on behalf of PointClickCare, operators of senior living communities were asked to identify their top priorities for 2014. Eighty-seven percent of the respondents have recognized a surge in resident acuity, yet 45 percent said they are not ready for this rise. Where 66 percent acknowledged they need to prepare for the increase, 44 percent cited augmenting staff and human resources as a priority, and 43 percent are focused on implementing risk reduction programs that focus on the management of acute change in resident conditions to decrease preventable hospital readmissions. More providers are turning to technology, and are experiencing great value in return.

About PointClickCare

PointClickCare helps healthcare providers meet the global challenges of senior care by enabling them to achieve the business results that matter – enriching the lives of their residents, improving financial and operational health, and mitigating risk. PointClickCare’s cloud-based software platform connects healthcare providers across the senior care continuum, providing easy-to-use, regulatory compliant solutions that support a coordinated, person-centered approach to care delivery. Over 9,000 long-term and post-acute care homes use PointClickCare today, making it the North American market leader and electronic health record platform of choice for the senior care industry. For more information on PointClickCare’s ONC-certified software solutions, please visit www.pointclickcare.com.