As operators around the country look for ways to modernize to attract new generations of patients and their families, one way nursing homes could leverage grant money for technology investments is through civil money penalty (CMP) funds, according to Thrive Center CEO Sheri Rose.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) CMP reinvestment program uses a portion of monetary penalties imposed against nursing homes to reinvest and support activities benefiting nursing home residents that protect or improve their quality of care or quality of life.

In 2019, the New Hampshire Health Care Association and Delaware Division of Health Care Quality Office of Long-Term Care invested in music and memory programs for dementia patients. In Delaware, the approach to dementia care enabled 10 selected residents at each facility to set up personalized music playlists delivered on MP3 players and other devices to tap into the residents’ deep memories.

Rose also thinks the time is now for lobbying efforts to be made for payers and the insurance industry to participate.

“Who benefits the most are the insurance providers. So why are they not covering this?,” she asked the crowd at the American College of Health Care Administrators Midwest Post-Acute Executive Leadership Summit last week. “I think as a lobbying effort that is what has to be done. The tools are out there and they can protect your residents. But it’s about affordability.”

The United States Department of Veterans Affairs can also be a strong partner for veteran resident members, she added.

Rose wants to see nursing home operators investing in and adopting immersive interactive technology like smart appliances such as smart mirrors, toilet seats and refrigerators, all of which make life a little easier for nursing home residents as they age.

“I had someone call on Monday and said they had to quit using one product because they can’t afford it. That should not be an issue,” she added.

The Louisville, Ky.-based Thrive Center focuses on solving challenges and scaling solutions for the aging care market and serves as a consortium of people and ideas where interactive technology, innovation and educational programs can be seen and tested.

Rose expects patients to become more tech-savvy now and into the future, especially as their children get more involved with their care.

“If I’m moving into your site I’m going to come with my smart tablet, my smart phone, my voice assistant device and I’m going to expect you to accommodate,” Rose explained. “I have two daughters and they are always beating me to technology. [If I was in a nursing home, my daughters] wouldn’t just expect [the newest technology], they’d demand it.”

Another reason to invest now is that as nursing home patients become higher acuity, investing in technology that makes life a little more comfortable for ALS and dementia patients will help separate one facility from another when a patient and their family is choosing which home to enter. 

Jerry Hoganson, administrator of Louisville, Ky.-based Wesley Manor Retirement Community, said he’s implemented several technologies suggested by The Thrive Center, including smart televisions that are both interactive and user-friendly.

Hoganson said he’s always looking to The Thrive Center for the newest innovations in long-term care for Wesley Manor, a Continuing Care Retirement Community that includes a nursing home with 68 licensed beds along with other senior living properties.