Health care apps have become part of the modern healthcare technology environment and their popularity and ease of use is growing. Aside from providing remote functionality for health care providers, the agency itself benefits by being able to prove care through Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) and accurately documenting patient care.
There a n number of mobile apps are available in the home health care technology market. While most apps are tied to software systems, some exist independently and are meant to be downloaded and used on a provider’s mobile phone for individual use. What criteria should be used when looking for in mobile home health care apps? Let’s take a look.
Searching for the Best Fit
The concept of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) is quickly becoming the norm as more physicians, nurses and home health care providers are bringing their own devices, whether its smartphones, tablets or similar devices to work for use in their daily tasks. Since employees may be using a variety of devices with different operating platforms, the app needs to be compatible with both Google Android and Apple iOS platforms, and should be easily viewed on different sized screens. Transfer of information from one device to another, such as from a smartphone or tablet to a laptop or desktop computer, should be a simple undertaking.
Security and Compliance
Secure information in healthcare is paramount. Patient records are confidential and should only be accessible to individual patients and their healthcare providers. This issue is both a legal and an ethical one, and app providers must ensure that their products are compliant with current regulations. Mobile apps need to be able to provide proof of visits by home healthcare workers to their patients, and this is often done by capturing patients’ signatures at points of care. In addition, the app must have a provision for recording details of home health visits as well as relevant documentation and images, but all information needs to be guarded by password and encryption. Messaging through the apps must also be secure. Any access to patient records needs to be HIPAA-compliant and any communication between a provider and agency or co-workers must be secure yet convenient – providers can communicate in real time with physicians and supervisors about patients.
Integrated Functionality
Mobile apps for home health care providers not only provide more streamlined patient visits but also facilitate:
- Scheduling visits and a calendar to plan the day
- GPS directions to a patient’s home
- Capture a patient’s signature at the time of the visit
- Secure messaging
- Access to a patient’s chart
- Enter clinical notes that are used for billing, claim processes and reports
- Ability to collect vital signs
What’s Available?
For the independent user, there are apps like Caregiver Log Mobile App and Home Health Care Activity Log. For the agency user, Axxess recently launched their iOS and Android compatible home healthcare mobile app. The app is an extension of their Agencycore software and is available free from both Apple app stores and Google Play. CellTrak also offers a mobile app version of their web-based home health software.
