This text is sponsored by ECP. On this Voices interview, Senior Housing Information connects with Carly Smith, Vice President of Product at ECP, to discover how the corporate helps redefine care supply via smarter, extra linked know-how. Smith shares how AI and data-driven instruments are remodeling the resident and employees expertise, and why the way forward for senior residing hinges on platforms designed for immediately’s workforce. She additionally discusses the rising function of predictive analytics, what true integration seems like in motion, and the way ECP is making ready operators for a brand new period of linked, outcome-driven care.
ECP helps greater than 8,000 senior residing communities, giving Smith a uniquely broad view of what operators and frontline groups want most because the trade continues to evolve.
What life and profession experiences have most formed your strategy to your work immediately?
My grandpa had Alzheimer’s illness and spent his remaining years in a nursing dwelling. I noticed first-hand how troublesome and devastating Alzheimer’s illness is, and the expertise and influence it had on my dad left a long-lasting impression on me.
Quick-forward to varsity, I found that the College of Wisconsin – Eau Claire had a extremely accredited Well being Care Administration program with a give attention to long-term care administration. I started taking courses and dealing at an area assisted residing and reminiscence care group, and I knew immediately it was the trail I needed to pursue.
I accomplished a year-long administrative residency program at a seamless care retirement group (CCRC) the place I had the chance to rotate via each division — from housekeeping to nursing — and actually study the ins and outs of senior residing.
After faculty, I had the chance to work as an Assisted Dwelling Administrator previous to becoming a member of ECP. These experiences have formed how I strategy my function because the VP of Product — the residents and people who look after them are on the heart of each resolution we make.
How is AI altering the care expertise for residents and employees in senior residing?
Assisted residing is a essentially human endeavor. It’s folks caring for different folks of their most susceptible moments. AI won’t ever change that human-to-human interplay, however we’re beginning to see AI add actual worth for senior residing operators, employees, and residents.
At ECP, we’re utilizing AI to reinforce and automate on a regular basis care workflows to make them smarter, safer, and extra environment friendly. For instance, if a person tries so as to add a reproduction remedy to a resident’s MAR or cross a medicine too quickly after the final administration, ECP Intelligence will flag that danger in actual time.
We’re additionally utilizing AI to enhance oversight and scientific outcomes via predictive AI. We’ve danger scorecards to guage resident dangers of falls, end-of-length-of-stay, and different key incidents, permitting operators to be proactive slightly than reactive.
We’re repeatedly including new AI-enhanced options to our merchandise, and we’re extremely excited concerning the influence it would have on seniors and the individuals who look after them.
What does this new period of integrations imply for operators, and why is it so necessary proper now?
For immediately’s operators, having built-in techniques is desk stakes — they’ll not tolerate disconnected software program. When techniques work properly collectively it will increase employees effectivity, decreases errors, improves continuity of look after residents, and provides operators a wholistic view into their knowledge and operations.
An actual, tangible instance is disconnected scientific and billing techniques. As residents age, their wants typically improve and so does their stage of care. With disconnected techniques, groups depend on guide stage of care change varieties to speak the replace from scientific to billing groups.
Delays in speaking stage of care adjustments can lead to vital income leakage. Linked techniques seize this alteration in real-time, with no danger of misplaced income. Our philosophy on integrations at ECP is to play properly with others. We’ve a totally open integration technique — integrating with forward-thinking companions and guaranteeing prospects have full entry to their knowledge with a number of methods to securely combine and share data.
How can data-driven care assist communities make smarter, quicker choices each day?
To make data-driven choices, operators first have to get good knowledge into their techniques. This begins with having easy-to-use software program that caregivers and different employees will truly use. With good knowledge, communities can function proactively slightly than reactively. For instance, if resident medicines, incidents, diagnoses, and different contributing elements are precisely captured, the info can then be used to establish which residents are at-risk for falls, and crucial steps could be taken to stop them earlier than they happen.
Good knowledge additionally drives key insights and analytics, giving operators visibility into the efficiency of their communities. They’ll set benchmarks and KPIs, monitor them, and really take motion. If one group is having considerably extra falls than some other communities in a portfolio, will probably be flagged and operators will know the place to focus their time and a spotlight to course-correct early and enhance outcomes.
Why is it simply as necessary to design know-how for immediately’s workforce as it’s to give attention to the options themselves?
Immediately’s workforce is stretched skinny, particularly caregivers and different frontline employees. The instruments they depend on should take away friction from their job, not add to it. If a system is clunky and troublesome to navigate, they merely gained’t use it no matter what options or capabilities it gives.
Ease-of-use is a key focus whereas constructing and bettering our merchandise at ECP. Our purpose is to make all vital workflows potential with three clicks or fewer. Straightforward-to-use software program will increase employees effectivity, improves resident care, and ensures correct knowledge assortment. It additionally helps cut back employees turnover and pace up the onboarding course of for brand spanking new crew members. Individuals need to really feel supported and empowered with instruments that work and make their jobs simpler.
What do you assume the senior residing panorama will probably be outlined by in 2026?
AI truly making an influence for operators, for caregivers, and for residents. We’re seeing actually cool applied sciences emerge within the senior residing house — automation of on a regular basis workflows, really predictive danger scores, ambient listening, fall detection, and extra. The impacts these applied sciences can have are profound, and we’re simply beginning to see them emerge.
With an already tight labor pool that’s prone to get even tighter, know-how developments are an actual method for operators to proceed delivering high-quality care in a more cost effective method.
Think about this situation: a resident falls and experiences a big damage. Their wants and stage of care rises, demanding much more employees time and help. Their high quality of life and length-of-stay decreases. Pre-AI applied sciences, this was commonplace. Immediately, that very same resident could be proactively flagged as a excessive danger for falls. Groups will probably be alerted and may put a plan in place based mostly on the actual danger elements which can be more than likely to result in the autumn, stopping the incident from occurring within the first place. The resident is happier, more healthy, and lives longer with much less employees intervention.
And whereas I consider we’re actually going to see AI begin to rework the senior residing panorama in 2026, it’s value mentioning once more that it’ll improve however by no means change the beating coronary heart of assisted residing — the folks.
Editor’s observe: This interview has been edited for size and readability.
To study extra about how ECP helps 8,000+ assisted residing communities with scientific, CRM, and billing software program, go to www.ecp123.com/shn.
The Voices Collection is a sponsored content material program that includes main executives discussing traits, subjects and extra shaping their trade in a question-and-answer format. For extra data on Voices, please contact [email protected].
