Niuz Bites
- Most compliance challenges can be alleviated with technology, and the easier that technology is to implement and use, the more effective it becomes as a solution.
- Niuz customers are able to satisfy inspector/auditor requirements in minutes versus days or weeks.
- Easy access to information helps staff feel more informed and in control, helps inspectors/auditors trust that providers are compliant, and helps management ensure everyone is on the same page all the time.
Inspections can be nerve-wracking for any senior care or long-term care facility. You want everything to go smoothly, but there are always those unexpected questions from inspectors that can catch you off guard.
A recent report from Dayforce noted that “92% of executives in organizations with large frontline workforces are facing compliance challenges”, and the solution would be to “leverage technology that makes compliance easier to manage and saves time for managers,”.
That’s where Niuz comes in.
One of our clients shared a fantastic story about their last inspection:
“During our last inspection, the inspector asked me to prove how we educate and train staff on infection prevention and control, skin and wound management, fall management, etc. I showed her how we use Niuz to share all our training and documents, and how we track engagement with read confirmations. This took less than 3 minutes, they were so impressed, they thanked me and we were done.”
Administrator in Long-Term Care
How Can Niuz Help With Inspections?
Let’s say you’ve had a critical incident that triggers an inspection – like a fall that leads to hospitalization. When inspectors arrive, they’re looking to see where and how the incident took place, if the incident could have been avoided, and what you have in place to prevent this type of thing from happening.
Aside from the physical condition of your community, they will also want to see what you’ve provided to your staff to train and prepare them for this type of situation. Things like process or procedural documentation, policies, training, communications, etc.
In most cases, this information is printed and kept in binders in different areas – some are in the administrator’s office, some are in the DOC or DON’s office, some can be found at nursing stations… The point is, they’re not all together, can be hard to keep track of, and could be VERY out of date.
Or they could be buried in an intranet, where they are very hard to find, even with search functions.
On the other hand, if you had a mobile intranet solution like Niuz, everyone could have fingertip, anytime, easy access to them. No flipping through binders, no digging through cabinets, no searching through an intranet. Everything is available, all the time, anytime.
What Types of Information Can Be Shared With Niuz?
There’s almost no limit to what you can share with Niuz. You can add PDFs or create your own word-like documents (like job postings or discount codes for staff), you can add images and videos, and you can share links out to content on other websites like payroll or benefits platforms.
And compared to an intranet, all these pieces of content can be two taps away for anybody in your organization anytime using any internet-connected device. Cell phones, tablets, laptops, desktops – any device, anywhere.
Let’s get back to our inspection.
Give Them What They Need
The inspector/auditor is asking for any and all infection prevention and control documents and training, and proof that your staff has reviewed it all. What do you do?
Call your IPAC lead and start pulling binders. There’s training binders (isn’t there?), and there are the IPAC policies (what binder are those in, again?), and those printouts you have tacked up in the staff room (is that one missing a page?), and the one-page memos in plastic sleeves (just grab the one by the door,), but what about those other ones you didn’t print? They’re in sharepoint, right? Or were they in that folder on that desktop in Carol’s office? But Carol’s off today…
The whole time the inspector is waiting and keeping track of how hard it is for you to prove you’re doing the right thing and maintaining compliance.
Sound familiar?
I’m sure you’ve heard horror stories of this taking weeks to get through, and maybe you’ve been through that yourself.
But what if you could do it all in just a couple of minutes?
Every time.
Why You Need a Mobile Intranet Solution
Being able to show inspectors everything they want to see – from documents to training to proof that staff have reviewed things – in one spot, and in a matter of minutes, is a game changer.
Imagine not having to scramble to find anything. Instead, simply login to Niuz with the inspector beside you, either on your phone or tablet, or at your desk, and show them the posts you shared with staff, the folders that store all the documents and videos, and the reports showing who’s confirmed they’ve read what.
That’s exactly what our client did recently, and will continue to be able to do going forward. It only took them minutes to show the inspector everything they asked for.
The entire industry is still tacking memos and printouts to bulletin boards and taping pages to walls and doorways. With a mobile intranet solution like Niuz, you don’t have to hope that someone notices the new notes, you can get it right in front of them instantly.
Easy Access to Everything
Yes, an intranet can help you find and share information, but we’ve yet to meet someone who actually finds their intranet easy to navigate.
And when it comes to sharing content on an intranet, opening up parts or all of it to someone without a corporate email address is insanely frustrating and the opposite of easy.
Compare that with Niuz where you can re-create an intranet without all the extra worry around layouts and templates and pages within pages… Just a simple folder structure (we call them tiles) the contains whatever you like.
From a sharing perspective, adding a new “user” who can access anything (like a temporary account for an inspector/auditor) is super easy.
And when you want or need to restrict access to certain things – temp staff don’t need to see benefits, for example – you can easily grant and deny access to almost anything in Niuz based on the user’s role, or the building the user works in.
Easy Access to Training
Easy access to training for your frontline care staff is not only crucial to ensure your seniors are getting the right type of care, but it’s also something inspectors will ask you to show them. How are you keeping your staff up-to-date with changing regulations and expectations, and how are you tracking completion of training?
With Niuz, you can publish any and all training material directly to the people who need it, and add ‘read confirmation’ triggers to help you keep track of who’s acknowledged receipt of that material.
Publishing training content this way ensures that staff are always up-to-date with the latest best practices and regulations. This not only improves the quality of care but also boosts staff confidence and competence. With Niuz, all your training materials are just a tap away, making continuous education seamless.
One Single Source of Truth
So, yes, Niuz can help make inspections and audits a breeze by helping you keep everything you need in one, easy-to-access spot. Beyond that, Niuz helps you communicate and recognize your staff to help you boost morale and engagement. And, Niuz can help you send surveys to your staff so you can keep tabs on what’s working, what isn’t, and what your staff is asking for. Essentially, Niuz helps you improve your staff experience which translates directly into your senior experience, and isn’t that what we’re all here to do in the first place?