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Posted on Dec 04, 2024

5 Best Nursing Home Audit Tools (+ Key Features to Consider)

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Read Time: 10 Min

Audits are an unavoidable part of running or managing a nursing facility. Regulatory agencies conduct them to check if you meet compliance requirements and properly care for your nursing home residents.

However, juggling state regulations, quality checks, and paperwork can quickly become overwhelming without the right support.

This is where nursing home audit tools come in. They help you prepare for audits and keep your staff from getting overwhelmed.

In this article, you'll learn the best tools for nursing home audits. You'll also find out which features to evaluate when choosing the right platform for your business.

Why Do Nursing Homes Need Audit Tools?

Before jumping into the top picks, you might be curious to learn about the importance of audit tools. Below are the benefits of using them:

Simplify Audit Processes

Audit tools take the headache out of organizing inspections. They reduce the need for paperwork and digitize important documents instead. They make it easy to track compliance and audit data in one place.

Audit tools also simplify risk assessment by providing real-time updates about your infection prevention and medication management programs. These insights enable you to act before small issues grow into big problems.

Maintain Regulatory Compliance

Keeping current with regulations can feel overwhelming, as standards constantly change. Fortunately, audit tools regularly monitor compliance requirements and notify you of any gaps.

When you address these identified gaps, you can run a solid quality control program that is current with state and federal regulations.

Using these tools, you can store and access audit history anytime. This data can serve as proof of compliance when you need it most.

Improve Resident Safety and Quality Measures

Safety is non-negotiable in nursing facilities. Audit tools help you assess infection control risk and track incident reports.

They also standardize resident safety measures across the board. For example, they may require the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and a resident assessment instrument (RAI). These enable your staff to improve the care nursing home residents receive.

Boost Operational Efficiency

Audit tools boost efficiency by automating routine tasks like healthcare research and disease control. They allow your employees to focus on providing quality care instead of administrative paperwork.

These tools can also identify areas for improvement during observational audits. They turn audit data into actionable insights that refine daily operations.

Increase Cost Savings

While most audit tools require upfront payment to use, they can save significant money for nursing facilities in the future.

For example, they can prevent potential penalties or costly lawsuits by maintaining regulatory compliance.

They also reduce the need to hire an additional healthcare worker to conduct an infection control assessment. Audit tools automatically handle this task.

Over time, these savings can be reinvested in better care and high-quality improvement activities.

5 Best Nursing Home Audit Tools

After learning the importance of audit tools, you might be excited to use one for your nursing home. Here are the best platforms to consider:

1. MyFieldAudits

MyFieldAudits homepage

At MyFieldAudits, they are more than just another 'do-it-yourself' software provider.

Instead, they are a dedicated partner in streamlining on-site inspections and building tailored Quality Assurance programs for nursing homes and enterprise clients.

Their approach ensures compliance, tracks performance, and delivers actionable insights and analytics that drive continuous improvement. This provides facilities with peace of mind, knowing that inspections are fully managed.

Features:

  • Advanced platform: Capture photos, videos, and real-time data, schedule audits with ease, assign action items to on-site teams, and visually track compliance and completion.
  • Customized solutions: They work closely with nursing facilities to identify critical metrics and KPIs, developing inspection forms tailored to every department.
  • Dedicated support: The team offers comprehensive support, from training to ongoing monitoring, ensuring accurate, consistent, and actionable data.
  • Enterprise-level focus: Designed for large organizations, not individuals or those seeking off-the-shelf solutions.

MyFieldAudits transforms how nursing facilities track and manage observational audits, handling the heavy lifting so they can focus on capturing the important data that drive operational excellence.

2. SafetyCulture

SafetyCulture

Source: SafetyCulture

SafetyCulture, formerly iAuditor, helps nursing homes improve their audit processes through digital checklists and seamless task management.

It has over a hundred audit checklists that can be customized according to a facility's needs. Whether they want to review nursing staff training or infection prevention and control measures, SafetyCulture provides the right access to audit tools.

It can also organize and store important data in one place. This makes asset management easier for frontline teams because they no longer need to switch between different platforms.

Features:

  • Built-in checklists: SafetyCulture allows nursing homes to access ready-to-use templates for various audits.
  • Collaboration tools: The app can assign actions to the appropriate healthcare worker and track progress to increase staff accountability.
  • Asset management: Nursing homes can view data instantly for better decision-making.
  • Smart analytics: It has customizable analytics dashboards where you can gain insights into compliance tasks and resident safety.

3. GoAudits

GoAudits

Source: GoAudits

GoAudits is a mobile auditing platform tailored for different industries, including healthcare and nursing homes.

For nursing facilities, GoAudits offers dedicated templates to assess important areas such as resident care, safety protocols, and operational compliance.

This audit tool also has a user-friendly interface. It helps nursing homes complete audits efficiently, track corrective actions, and stay on top of regulatory requirements.

Features:

  • Digital audit checklists: GoAudits has built-in templates for compliance and safety audits.
  • Mobile and offline access: It allows nursing staff to perform audits on smartphones even without internet connectivity.
  • Instant reports: It can generate and share audit results on the spot.
  • Inspection dashboards: GoAudits can provide 360-degree visibility into your facility processes for smarter business decisions.

4. SNF Metrics

SNF Metrics

Source: SNF Metrics

SNF Metrics is a cloud-based software solution designed specifically for nursing facilities. It tracks key performance indicators (KPIs) in areas such as staffing, care quality, and infection control risk assessment.

When combined with intuitive dashboards and detailed reports, the tool enables nursing home administrators to address issues quickly.

Features:

  • Performance analytics: SNF Metrics can provide insights into staffing, resident needs, and facility policies to minimize risks.
  • Real-time dashboards: It offers different dashboards to track compliance metrics and KPIs.
  • Smart reports: It can generate detailed summaries for external and internal audit usage.
  • Collaboration tools: It enables workers to add notes, upload photos, and flag critical issues for faster resolution.

5. Healthicity

Healthicity

Source: Healthicity

Healthicity is a compliance management software with built-in audit tools. These can help nursing facilities monitor adherence to state and federal regulations from a single platform.

The software also includes advanced analytics to identify and mitigate risks in the nursing home.

This eliminates the need for constant manual oversight, freeing nursing professionals to focus on delivering top-quality care to residents.

Features:

  • Compliance management tools: With Healthicity, nursing homes can monitor and manage regulatory adherence with ease.
  • Risk assessment dashboards: These can instantly identify potential compliance risks and allow nursing home administrators to fix them immediately.
  • Automated reporting: It generates detailed reports without constant manual oversight.
  • Training courses: Healthicity can educate staff about proper care administration and audit preparedness through online courses.

Key Features to Look for in Nursing Home Audit Tools

If you're still unsure which audit tool to use for your nursing home, you can evaluate the following features:

Customizable Audit Checklists

Every nursing home operates differently, so flexibility is important.

You must check if the audit tool comes with customizable checklists. This feature lets you tailor audit forms to your facility’s unique needs.

Whether it's tracking resident care, facility cleanliness, or employee training, it can adapt quickly to your demands. This can simplify audit processes.

Real-Time Reporting and Analytics

You must look for real-time reporting features to get instant visibility into compliance gaps or areas needing improvement. Having quick access to audit data can make a huge difference during routine facility inspections.

You should also consider tools with advanced analytics. They give you a clear picture of how your nursing facility performs over time.

Compliance Alerts

Staying on top of changing regulations can feel overwhelming.

That is why it's important to select an auditing tool with built-in compliance alerts.

These can automatically notify you of any rule changes or compliance risks. They give you the opportunity to fix minor issues before they become major problems.

Audit Data Storage

You must also choose a platform with reliable data storage to keep all audit data in one place.

This makes it easy to retrieve information when inspectors arrive or when you need to review past performance.

User-Friendly Interface

Complex software can discourage nursing staff from using it effectively.

It's important to consider a user-friendly interface. This enables your team to conduct audits with minimal training.

Mobile and Cloud Accessibility

A mobile app is a key feature of audit tools. It allows nursing administrators to perform inspections using their smartphones.

You must also consider a platform with cloud access to save and sync data across different devices. This eliminates the need for paperwork or fixed desktop setups.

Integration Capabilities

Nursing homes often use several systems to manage daily operations. You must select an audit tool with extensive integration capabilities to save time and money on resources.

Check if it can seamlessly connect to your existing software, such as health and safety management platforms and communication tools.

Successful Nursing Home Audits With MyFieldAudits

Want to stay on top of audits for your nursing home? MyFieldAudits is here to help.

They provide advanced nursing home audit tools that are accessible on a desktop or a mobile phone. These tools allow your team to track compliance, monitor workflows, and upload audit data securely from anywhere.

In addition to the audit solutions, MyFieldAudits handles everything for your nursing facility. They create inspection strategies, provide staff training, and configure the tools so you can focus on providing top-notch resident care.

Schedule a discovery call today to get started! You can also contact by dialing (844) 344-7265.

FAQs About Nursing Home Audit Tools

What are nursing home audit tools?

Nursing home audit tools are software solutions that help facilities conduct inspections, track compliance, and monitor operational performance. They simplify audits by offering digital checklists, real-time reporting, compliance alerts, and cloud storage.

What are the different types of audits nursing homes can expect?

Nursing homes undergo several types of audits, such as safety, infection control, medication administration, staffing, and resident care audits. Each checks if the facility can meet industry regulations and maintain high standards of care.

How often should nursing facilities conduct audits?

Nursing homes must regularly conduct audits to identify and address risks before they become serious problems.

The exact frequency depends on the area being reviewed. For example, infection control assessments may require more frequent audits.