Smartlinx Advanced Timeclock for Employees (SLATE) Boasts Richer Features to Curb Germ Spread in Healthcare Facilities and Streamline Caregiver Workforce Management

Updated on October 20, 2022

Smartlinx, the platform simplifying healthcare workforce management with transformational visibility, predictability and control, today announced that it has expanded its offerings in touchless time tracking and employee scheduling to better meet the current staffing and infection disease climate in skilled nursing facilities and hospitals. The Advanced Timeclock for Employees (SLATE) curbs the spread of germs with thermal-sensing temperature monitoring and touchless functionality,  preventing workers with fevers from starting a shift and halting harmful microorganisms from entering a facility. 

According to the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) Nursing Home Data, total confirmed COVID cases amongst residents is an astronomical 1,231,578 and staff totals even greater at 1,317,494. This vulnerable population and its caregivers require protection in every way possible – the impetus for Smartlinx’s creation of SLATE. 

With a predicted more severe flu season this winter and rising COVID cases tied to colder weather, operators must take advanced precautions to protect residents. Longer term, by 2030, all of the United States’ baby boomer generation, consisting of 74 million people, will be at least age 65 (about 10,000 people a day crossing that age threshold) – a demographic shift coined “the gray tsunami,” according to the United States Census Bureau. Technology like SLATE must be adopted quickly and uniformly to help thwart infectious spread in facilities that serve the senior population. 

Fully integrated with the Smartlinx suite, SLATE enables employees and agency staff to punch in and out without ever touching the high-usage device. SLATE connects to Smartlinx Go Mobile app so employees receive a QR generated code for use on their mobile device, reducing long lines at shift changes. 

“We developed SLATE to meet the needs of today’s healthcare workers – ease of use and safety being paramount. The workforce needs to punch in and out the way they want – touchless or easily on their phones, which bodes well for curbing germ spread in facilities. By offering this functionality, as well as easy thermal temperature monitoring, we are literally taking the heat off operators to help keep residents and staff healthy,” said Marina Aslanyan, Chief Executive Officer, Smartlinx. 

Additional Benefits Include:

User Friendly and Intuitive, Fits Anywhere

SLATE can go anywhere an operator wants to easily track attendance and fevers – from building entrances to nurses’ stations. Employees clock in and out, see their schedules, complete questionnaires, check accruals and request time off, completing these actions many times faster than with other solutions. 

Easy Credential Matching, Multi-Position Support 

SLATE empowers employers to know whether a nurse is credentialed with its unique “credential logic,” matching shift needs with the right caregiver. As well, SLATE supports multi-position functions for employees between different assignments and departments, and associated variant pay rates and cost centers. 

Cost Efficient, Eliminates Time Theft, Violations and Fines 

SLATE eliminates wasted resources as operators are afforded new levels of accountability and efficiency. SLATE prevents unscheduled, early, late and buddy punches, automatically enforces scheduling rules for early arrivals and late departures, and allows role assignments upon punch out. 

Secure Interactions, Data Integrity

Communication is secure, backed by end-to-end encryption, and SLATE supports offline capture in the event of a power or network outage or cyber attack, retaining data integrity for customers. 

All-in-one time and scheduling solution, easy updates

SLATE is based on hardware made in the USA with future-proof scalability. It is cloud-based and Wi-Fi-enabled with a large, interactive screen. Smartlinx offers automatic, no-cost updates and data backups, without a service call, end-user involvement or added fees. SLATE also easily supports complex overtime and break regulatory requirements, and Payroll-Based Journal (PBJ) reporting.  Agency staff are able to also use the same SLATE clock, which makes PBJ reporting easier and provides critical reporting of labor and care that includes all staff – contractors and employees.

“This is the new way of managing staff and keeping people healthy, and caregiving will never go back,” Aslanyan added. “Technology like ours continues to make it easier and more effective to prevent germ spread, while enabling operators to avoid everyday pitfalls around staffing, fines, compliance, and other issues that arise in caregiver workforce management.” 

For more information on SLATE, visit www.smartlinx.com/products/time-clocks/.

About Smartlinx 

Smartlinx is the easy-to-use platform simplifying management of the healthcare workforce with transformational visibility, predictability and control. By saving operators time and money, and providing unparalleled insights in real-time, Smartlinx’s purpose-built solution suite enables improved measures of care quality and reimbursement, reduces costs associated with overstaffing and excess overtime, and ensures regulatory compliance. From scheduling and time and attendance, to payroll and compliance, acquisition and onboarding, human resources, insights and more, Smartlinx is ever adapting to shifting business conditions. Founded in 2000, Smartlinx helps thousands of healthcare organizations and supports hundreds of thousands of healthcare workers by freeing them from complexities in healthcare. 

The mission of Smartlinx: caring for those who care. For more information, visit Smartlinx.com

The Editorial Team at Healthcare Business Today is made up of skilled healthcare writers and experts, led by our managing editor, Daniel Casciato, who has over 25 years of experience in healthcare writing. Since 1998, we have produced compelling and informative content for numerous publications, establishing ourselves as a trusted resource for health and wellness information. We offer readers access to fresh health, medicine, science, and technology developments and the latest in patient news, emphasizing how these developments affect our lives.