Mobile Technologies Boost Home Health Efficiency

By Ken Congdon, editor in chief, Health IT Outcomes

Home health is one segment of healthcare that is mobile by its very nature. Traveling nurses or paraprofessionals go door-to-door to deliver and document care to homebound patients. The mobile aspect of home health can introduce added complexities from an operational and care coordination perspective, particularly if paper-intensive manual processes are extensively leveraged. In the field, documents can be easily lost or damaged, and the transfer of data from paper documents to electronic systems can be slow and inaccurate. Mobile computers or smartphones equipped with the right mobile app can go a long way toward boosting the efficiency of any home care operation. Medcenter One Home Health and Hospice is one facility that can attest to the value of mobile technology. This home health provider, based in Bismarck, ND, recently deployed a smartphone-based mobile solution to its traveling CNAs (certified nursing assistants) and is realizing numerous benefits as a result.