The paper visitor log at the front desk has served senior living communities for decades, but it has limits. Names are hard to read, anyone can see who else visited, and during an outbreak or an emergency it is difficult to answer the question, "who was in the building?" Electronic visitor management, usually a tablet or kiosk at the entrance, promises to fix that. Before buying, it is worth thinking carefully about what you actually need.
Record who is in the building and when they arrived and left
Print or display badges with visitor name, date and destination
Ask screening questions before entry, such as symptoms or recent exposure
Notify staff that a visitor has arrived
Produce a searchable log for review or investigation
Support emergency roll calls by listing everyone currently on site
Visitors range from family members who come daily to vendors and contractors who come once. Try the sign-in flow yourself and ask whether an older family member could complete it without help. Keep a staffed alternative for people who cannot or prefer not to use a tablet.
Screening questions should reflect your current infection control policy, and they may change quickly. Make sure you can edit questions yourself without a vendor request. Decide in advance what happens when a visitor answers "yes" to a screening question and who on staff will respond, so the kiosk is not simply collecting answers no one reads.
A name and visit time may not be PHI on their own, but linking a visitor to a particular resident can reveal that the resident lives in your community. Screening answers about symptoms add more sensitivity. Treat the data carefully and ask your privacy officer for guidance.
This is the area most often overlooked. Ask the vendor and write down the answers:
What data is collected, including photos, identification scans and screening responses?
Where is it stored, and who at the vendor can see it?
How long is it kept, and can you set the retention period yourself?
How is it deleted when the period ends?
Who in your organization has access, and is that access logged?
Will the vendor sign an agreement covering any health-related information they handle?
Collect only what you need. If a name, company and destination are enough, there is no reason to scan a driver's license. Set a retention period that matches your policies and any requirements your state or insurer may impose, and confirm the details with your counsel.
Placement. Put the kiosk where staff can see it, and make sure the line of visitors does not block the entrance.
Network. The device needs reliable connectivity. Plan for what happens when the network is down; a paper backup is wise.
Security. Lock the tablet into the sign-in application, keep it updated and protect the admin account with multi-factor authentication.
Privacy on screen. Make sure the previous visitor's information is not visible to the next.
Accessibility. Check text size, language options and ease of use for people with limited vision or mobility.
Run a pilot for a month, collect feedback from staff and families, and review the log for gaps. Check whether staff actually use the roll call and screening features, because those are the reasons you bought the system.
The strongest argument for electronic sign-in is often the emergency roll call. Test it: ask a staff member to pull the list of everyone currently on site from a phone or a printed backup, and see how long it takes. If staff cannot do it quickly under pressure, adjust the setup or the training before you rely on it.
UnityCare IT can help evaluate visitor management products, check the vendor's security and retention practices, and set up the device and network so it works reliably at the front desk.
An outsourced IT department with proactive maintenance and one number to call.
Call or text: 405-285-3845
New customers: start@unitycareit.com
Existing customers: support@unitycareit.com
Address: UnityCare Technologies, 2524 N Broadway Ste 554, PMB 947974, Edmond, Oklahoma 73034-4172