Ann Bowdan Wilder        

Media/PR/Communications Manager        
O:(502) 804-3723        
Mobile: (502) 216-5099      
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Signature HealthCARE and CAREASCEND Win Gold and Top Honors in
McKnight’s Excellence in Technology Awards

Louisville, Ky.- October 14, 2022- Infection control has always been paramount in the care, safety, protection, and health of our beloved residents at all our Signature HealthCARE facilities in 9 states. The past two years have taught us many things in the medical industry about innovation, forward-thinking, and creating new technologies and partnerships to defend the lives of our residents, staff, and families. That is why we are truly honored to announce our pioneering partnership with CAREASCEND has been awarded the top distinction of Gold, in McKnight’s 2022 Excellence in Technology Awards, in the Keep It Super Simple, or KISS category.

In November of 2021, Signature HealthCARE and CAREASCEND launched a digital evaluation and fit-testing app for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) mandated form, which requires that all staff be appropriately fit tested for N95 masks. Signature HealthCARE and CAREASCEND worked seamlessly to create an innovative digital process through the CAREASCEND app, which now allows staff and Signature’s medical practitioners to electronically work with facility leadership to complete the OSHA Medical evaluation and fit-testing process for N95 masks. This is in comparison to the normal, more time-consuming medical evaluation form. This saves staff many hours, if not days, and in our ever-changing and demanding environment, our dedicated medical practitioners thrive on convenience!

“We are thrilled that our efforts, to continue to remove staff burdens using innovations like the CAREASCEND App, is being recognized and honored,” said Dr. Arif Nazir, Chief Medical Officer at Signature HealthCARE. “With a partnership between our clinical teams and CAREASCEND, we have created a seamless, digital workflow for the medical evaluation process for timely fit-testing for respiratory use. It has saved our staff hundreds of hours of time, while promoting safety and compliance.”
The new digital fit testing process allows staff to complete the required OSHA fit test medical evaluation form electronically through the CAREASCEND App. The app then securely sends the completed medical evaluation form to the facility’s medical director, along with an electronic notification that review is needed. After the review is complete, staff is either approved for fit testing and use of an N95 mask or referred to another consultant for further evaluation.

"When we heard about the OSHA workflow automation idea, we were very excited as our CAREASCEND technical platform is versatile for that kind of workflow,” said Bharath Bynagari, CEO and Co-Founder of CAREASCEND. “Our team designed and developed this fully customizable system that is used by different types of customers including Signature HealthCARE. With the McKnight’s Gold Technical Award, I am very happy that all of our hard work has been recognized and I am very thankful for the Signature HealthCARE Team."
McKnight’s long-running awards program is a joint production of McKnight’s Long-Term Care News, McKnight’s Senior Living and McKnight’s Home Care and honors outstanding innovations in three divisions: Skilled Nursing, Senior Living, and Home Care. Each division was divided into four categories with Gold, Silver, and Bronze honors: Building Bridges, Innovator of the Year, Keep It Super Simple, and Quality. Winners were also recognized in the Tech Partner of the Year category for vendors. Nominations were judged by an external panel of industry experts.
If you have any further questions, please contact Ann Bowdan Wilder, Media, PR, and Communications Manager of Signature HealthCARE, at abowdanwilder@signaturehealthcarellc.com.

Signature HealthCARE is a family-based healthcare company with integrated services at each point of the continuum of care: Skilled Nursing, Assisted Living, and In-Home Care. The company’s organizational culture inspires nearly 12,000 employees with our foundational three pillars: Learning, Spirituality, and Innovation, plus our Sacred 7 Principles: Be Heroic, Embrace Teamwork, Show Compassion, Give Respect, Have Integrity, Encourage Positivity, and Be Patient. A growing number of Signature HealthCARE centers are earning five-star quality ratings, the highest classification from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and 103 Signature HealthCARE locations earned QAPI accreditation. Signature HealthCARE has also been awarded a Best Place to Work honor under the Great Place to Work® Certification, for the past six years.
                                                                                      
CAREASCEND is a secure, cloud-based workflow automation software platform to enhance compliance in regulatory reporting and streamline communication in all healthcare settings.