In this month’s FutureCAST interviews, two executives share their newest products and implementations, their advice to fellow healthcare executives, and the ways CAST has helped their organizations:

• Jack York, Co-Founder/President of It’s Never 2 Late (iN2L), a LeadingAge CAST Supporter.
• Linda Lessard, Director of Information Systems at Sun Health Senior Living, a LeadingAge CAST Patron.

 FutureCAST asks health care executives where they think healthcare technology is headed and how CAST can play a role. Susheel Ladwa, Chief Editor at DistilNFO and co-chair of the America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) IT Advisory Group, who was formerly with IBM Cloud Services, conducted video interviews at the 2017 LeadingAge Annual Meeting & EXPO. CAST has featured them in Tech Time throughout 2018.

Jack York, Co-Founder/President, It’s Never 2 Late (iN2L) 

Jack York is co-founder and president at It’s Never 2 Late (iN2L), a LeadingAge CAST Supporter. York is passionate about improving the quality of life for older adults by enriching their lives through technology that makes it easier to connect with family and friends, while also enhancing their feelings of independence.

Watch the video, and read the full transcript.
 
Susheel Ladwa: What’s the most interesting thing that you and your team are working on?
 
Jack York: For many years, we’ve been providing engagement for senior living residents, but it’s primarily been in a group environment, either an activity group or a therapy gym. We have just released a family of products that are geared toward an individual in their room or a handful of individuals on the same device. It’s really changing the trajectory of our company to be able to benefit individuals as opposed to just group activities and experiences.
 
Ladwa: You’ve been associated with LeadingAge CAST for some time. What’s your experience with CAST as well as what’s the impact CAST has on It’s Never 2 Late?
 
York: I look at CAST as the Good Housekeeping seal of approval, when you can tell LeadingAge members that you are heavily involved in CAST, or CAST commissioners who have been a part of the organization since the inception. I think people just look at you a little more seriously because CAST and Majd take seriously who were involved and who were the members.
 
It has given our company credibility on a business level, and the communication from CAST has kept us aware of what’s happening from both a provider and vendor standpoint in a variety of areas. So it has benefited us in multiple ways.
 
Ladwa: For the folks who are watching this, what is a call to action when it comes to It’s Never 2 Late?
 
York: The call to action for It’s Never 2 Late and for providers is to elevate making the quality of life better for your residents in your technology decision.
 
Don’t have technology just be about operational software and software to run your business. You can have dramatic outcome improvements from both a staff and a resident’s standpoint if you make their lives better. The families are enthused, the residents are enthused, the staff is enthused, and the people who have built the technology platforms that we take for granted deserve to be able to take advantage of what they’ve created.
 
To learn about how York founded It’s Never 2 Late and his advice to up-and-coming healthcare executives, watch the video, and read the full transcript.

Linda Lessard, Director of Information Systems, Sun Health Senior Living

Linda Lessard is Director of Information Systems at Sun Health Senior Living, a LeadingAge CAST Patron. She has been with Sun Health Senior Living for five years, with the majority of the time as a Project Manager overseeing the deployment of enterprise-wide software applications.  Her passion is senior living. She recently earned her master’s in Healthcare Informatics and presented a capstone project on the effects of Kotter’s Change Management Theory on application implementation.
 
CAST: Tell us about Sun Health Senior Living and the most exciting thing you and your team are working on currently.
 
Linda Lessard: Over the past four years, Sun Health Senior Living (SHSL) implemented a new electronic medical records system, new accounting package, new human resources/payroll package, and new data exchanges. 
 
I think we all will agree that new innovative implementations to streamline operations are incredible goals. What excites me most about our current initiatives is our holistic approach to evaluating our infrastructure, core applications, low voltage, support, data mining, and analytics and training. We’re taking a strategic approach to how SHSL delivers information technology services to our leadership, operational team, and residents. 
 
CAST: The healthcare industry is in transition; there is a lot of uncertainty due to the change in administration. What is your advice to healthcare executives during these times of change?
 
Lessard: In terms of technology, partnership with the LeadingAge CAST Commission. 
 
CAST: What according to you are the top challenges facing the industry, and how is Sun Health Senior Living addressing them?
 
Lessard: One of the top challenges facing our industry is the variety of reimbursement models for skilled care. We are all seeing a higher level of clinical care being pushed to the post-acute space, while the payment for that care is reduced. For SHSL, we are changing our approach to long-term care. We are decommissioning licensed long-term care beds and repurposing the space into beautifully appointed private pay assisted living apartments. The market indicates new innovations, analytics, robotics, etc.
 
CAST: How is LeadingAge CAST helping you and your organization?
 
Lessard: LeadingAge CAST has opened the door for SHSL to understand we are not alone in trying to navigate the world of nonprofit senior living. Majd and his team work with organizations across the country developing evidence-based research, case studies, and resource tools to enable us to evaluate and adopt emerging technologies that not only improve the aging experience but also support the mission and vision of Sun Health Senior Living.
 
For more on Lessard’s career journey and her advice to young healthcare executives, read the full transcript.