Efficiency = Good Information Management.

RAPID GROWTH AND FIERCE MARKET COMPETITION will ratchet up the demand for quality care and services. Facilities that can market effectively, create service/care plans that demonstrate good outcomes, and deliver cost-efficient services will emerge a cut above the competition. The linchpin of such operations is the ability to manage the flow of information.

"It will be harder for a facility to get by without having some sort of sophisticated information system," says attorney Steven Fox, chair of information systems practice group for Ober Kaler in Baltimore, MD.

Laying a good foundation in a single-database information system- one that can process and integrate marketing data, manage resident assessment and clinical information, and perform billing-is crucial in controlling care and costs. "Having a good software program is more important than ever for assisted living because of the complexity of regulations, resident care issues, and documentation requirements for resident medical conditions," says Ken Raupach, president of III Corps, a management and consulting company serving the senior housing industry "How can you compete unless you have an excellent data base? You need to have a succinct resident care package in your software so you, as an operator, know what care will be needed by your residents. You want to know if they're eating well, if they're getting out and about. Hand documentation doesn't get it. You need a mechanism to record what is happening on evaluation and assessment."