The extended deadline to enter the 2022 McKnight’s Excellence in Technology Awards competition is Thursday, July 7, organizers have announced. The expanded deadline is to give providers the holiday weekend to finish up entries.

The annual cost-free recognition program celebrates providers delivering quality care, in any of dozens of ways. Methods used — supported by either high-tech or low-tech — are highlighted and providers are recognized in both online and print publications.

The program is a joint offering of McKnight’s Long-Term Care News and its sister brands, McKnight’s Senior Living and McKnight’s Home Care.

Skilled nursing is one of three tracks in which winners will be recognized (Senior Living and Home Care are the others). All providers are eligible. Each track will have four categories, with Gold, Silver and Bronze awards being presented in each category as warranted:

  1. Quality – Winning entries will describe the technology involved and how it was applied to improve the quality of care or services.
  2. Innovator of the Year – Winning entries will describe how technological innovation was key to the entry’s success and how it made a difference in the provision of care or services or the bottom line.
  3. KISS (Keep It Super Simple) – Winning entries will describe a simple but effective application of technology that improved the provision of care, services or operations.
  4. Building Bridges – Winning entries will describe the ways in which an operator is using technology to improve connections between staff members and residents and/or their families.

Nominations will be judged by a panel of experts. The awards program is open to care/service providers only (not vendors).

Also, the awards program again will be part of the virtual McKnight’s Tech Awards + Summit, which takes place this year on Oct. 4. In addition to holding the announcement of the winners, the accompanying summit will offer educational webinars. Winners also will be recognized at an in-person celebration Oct. 17 in Denver. Stay tuned for additional information about those events.

For additional information on this year’s contest, and to enter, visit https://www.mcknightstechawards.com/.Gold sponsors of the McKnight’s Tech Awards + Summit include iN2L + LifeLoop, IntelyCare and Saiva.