Cedar Creek Nursing Home

Cedar Creek Living Center in Norman, OK, is the Gold Award winner in the Quality category of the McKnight’s Excellence in Technology Awards. A national panel of judges chose Cedar Creek on the merit of its work in using technology to reduce the use of antipsychotics.

Cedar Creek used Cerner Corporation’s electronic point-of-care documentation tool to change medication management and care coordination. Physicians received more accurate behavioral information, allowing the operator to decrease antipsychotics administration from 45% in August 2012 to 16% in July 2013.

The facility also used the system to identify residents at risk for falls, and reduced fall rates by more than 32% in the same time frame.

“It makes my job a lot easier,” says Kelly Bowers, director of nursing. “It makes taking care of residents easier, and gives us more time. By making it computer-based, if a family member wants to know when their person has gotten a bath, it’s easy to pull it.

This is the third year for the annual McKnight’s competition, which is sponsored exclusively by Tena.

Agapé Senior, a network of residential and health-related companies with services across South Carolina, took Silver in the Quality category for using Talyst’s automated medication dispensing system. Moving to the system has allowed the provider to eliminate waste, save money, save time, improve patient safety, and free up time for nurses, company leaders said.

Arcadia Retirement Residences in Hawaii won Bronze for integration of its electronic health records with clinical and financial elements that also allows custom reporting. The Arcadia Community Services Information Technology Team created the system.

Certificates of Merit were awarded to Glenridge on Palmer Ranch in Sarasota, FL, a continuing care retirement community and Princeton Place, a large skilled nursing facility in Albuquerque, NM. Glenridge took a systematic approach to using technology by using Novaerus filtration machines at its Carroll Center, adding a cranberry juice cocktail with Proantinox, and adding dental, audiology, medication dispensing, vision care and bladder/pelvic health services, as well as a mobile swallowing laboratory. Princeton Place was recognized for using PointClickCare’s resident information system to increase quality of care.

The winners in each of the Tech Awards’ five categories will be announced in McKnight’s Daily Update this week:

Quality – Monday

Innovator – Tuesday

Transitions – Wednesday

Dignity – Thursday

High Tech/High Touch – Friday