John O’Connor

What does the growth of tech in long-term care share with Ernest Hemingway? An insightful quote, perhaps.

In his breakthrough novel, The Sun Also Rises, The character Mike Campbell is asked how he went bankrupt. Campbell’s reply: “Gradually and then suddenly.”

That pretty much parallels the way technology has grown in this field. Sure, tech is bigger than ever now. But it has been percolating around the edges for a while now. And if I may say so, we at McKnight’s have led the way on both ends.

Believe it or not, our first McKnight’s Excellence in Technology Awards contest was launched more than a decade ago, in 2011.

Each year since, we have been honoring notable efforts to harness technology in ways that improve care, operations, and perhaps most importantly, the bottom line.

By the way, it’s not too late to enter this year’s contest. Awards will be bestowed (Gold, Silver and Bronze — if warranted) in the following categories:

§  Quality
§  Innovator of the Year
§  KISS (Keep It Super Simple)
§  Building Bridges
§  Tech Partner of the Year

As hockey Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky famously noted, you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. So I urge you to give this a shot.

More recently, we launched the McKnight’s Tech Daily e-newsletter. Each business day, it delivers news, information and actionable insights about technology-related developments that affect the long-term care sector.

Like all McKnight’s products, it’s written without fear or favor. I urge you to give it a try. You can easily sign up here.

It’s pretty clear technology has become a ubiquitous part of long-term care. And can there be any doubt that this trend is just getting started?

I think it’s fair to say a revolution of sorts is underway. And it’s also clear that nobody really knows where it will all lead. But I can promise you this: We will do our level best to keep you informed about this game-changer — and other topics that matter. 

John O’Connor is editorial director for McKnight’s.

Opinions expressed in McKnight’s Long-Term Care News columns are not necessarily those of McKnight’s.