In 2022, senior living organizations invested in ICT infrastructure more than any other type of technology, according to the biennial Ziegler CFO Hotline℠ Technology Spending survey. While the 2020 results reflect pandemic needs, the 2022 top categories show a return to priorities of years past, said the report.

 LeadingAge CAST and Ziegler collaborate on the survey each year. Ziegler is a LeadingAge Gold Partner with CAST Focus.

 In 2022, survey participants invested most in these technologies:

• ICT infrastructure (high-speed internet connectivity, wired/wireless) (74%)
• Electronic medical/health record systems (EMR/EHR) (54%)
• Electronic point of care/point of service documentation systems (POC/POS) (51%)
• Workforce/staffing scheduling systems (47%)
• Access control/wander management systems (47%)

 In 2020, with the pandemic underway, top investments focused on connecting and protecting residents:

• Video conferencing capabilities (SKYPE, etc.) for residents/clients (75%)
• ICT infrastructure (high-speed internet connectivity, wired/wireless) (71%)
• Resident/client access to the internet and social networking sites (57%)
• Infection control systems (including air purification, disinfection, and hand hygiene monitoring technologies) (45%)
• Access control/wander management systems (42%)

 In 2022, the fewest investments happened in medication management technologies (15%), shared care planning and care coordination tools (15%), and robotic process automation (3%). Some of the open-ended comments indicate that respondents had to delay or scale back several technology-related projects due to operating results, not hitting budget. 

Respondents intend to make a number of technology investments in the next 12 months, with these being the top five:

• Electronic point of care/point of service (37%)
• Access control/wander management systems (31%)
• Electronic medical/health record systems (EMR/EHR) (31%)
• Data analytics tools (including dashboards/decision support) (29%)
• ICT infrastructure (high-speed internet, wired/wireless) (29%)

The results capture feedback from over 150 organizations. About 58% of respondents were single-site organizations, and 42% were multi-site organizations. Finance and/or technology leaders at the organizations completed the survey.

Senior Housing News highlighted survey findings in “Senior Living Tech Investment Priorities Trending Back to Pre-Pandemic Era,” and McKnight’s Senior Living featured the results in “Senior living technology spending returns to ‘normal priorities’ in wake of COVID-19 pandemic.” 

To see the full results, download the survey findings.