3 reasons why staffing should be your New Year’s resolution

What’s your New Year’s Resolution for 2015? I’ve spent some time coming up with mine, and I ended up with three: to be more positive, better with my money, and to make more friends. These are all doable - unlike eating better and working out - been there, done that :). After I came up with them, I started to see these same principals can apply to the staffing practices of long-term care and senior living providers.  Here's what I mean:

1. Be more positive and cognizant of how I treat people: caregivers can be like family to many residents - a smile, warm hello, or just someone to talk to.  Consistent staffing allows nurses, CNAs, and other employees to build positive relationships with residents they connect with, which means improved quality of care and outcomes.
    
2. Get better with my money: overtime, agency usage and overstaffing are premium costs that often are unnecessary. Implementing practices and technology can help save providers significant dollars and provide the visibility into staff scheduling and labor management (a provider's #1 cost) to proactively mitigate issues before they occur, so that those savings can be reinvested into other areas of your organization.
    
3. Get out there and make more friends: improving quality through staffing will make your community more attractive to potential residents, their families, referral partners, and ACOs. As staffing strategies improve, so will a provider's ability to consistently handle more complex residents/patients and produce positive outcomes. This can help set providers apart from the competition, leading to increased occupancy (and a couple new friends)!

So if you are looking for an achievable New Year's resolution for your organization, maybe my resolutions can help. For a little more information, check out the video on how OnShift can help. Wishing you all a very Happy New Year!

Prioritize Staffing & Labor Management