Valerie Deming
Dec 4 2024
Reading Time: 5 minutes
Home-based healthcare providers of all kinds are facing challenges. But whether you work in home health, home infusion, hospice or other organization, it can pay to evaluate new technology tools that can help you operate more efficiently, improve patient satisfaction and improve your bottom line. Here are five key reasons to embrace new technology.
- Faster, easier communication
Having digital communication tools, including messaging and video chat, can save time for your staff and your patients. For instance, if a patient has a pump in the home or a wound they’re concerned about, digital tools support a fast response from your staff. In some cases, you might even save time spent on a trip to the patient’s home. Using a feature like video chat means that instead of calling another care team member, a patient’s concerns can be addressed more immediately, which lessens the patient’s anxiety and helps build trust with your care team. In addition, the efficiency of these tools helps prevent pulling staff from one task to another, while still providing the personalized interaction and care that your patients need and expect.
- Enhanced patient satisfaction
Patients want the convenience of electronic forms. They are used to simply signing a document and clicking a button to submit forms and complete transactions. No one wants to have someone come to their home for paperwork or have to mail papers back to a home care provider. Adopting tools that make it easier for patients to provide information can boost your reputation as an organization that’s easy to work with. And if a patient’s pharmacy or home care provider offers that level of convenience, they’ll tell their friends about it—and word of mouth is a powerful tool for your business.
Electronic forms are just one example. App-less tools are another way you can make it easy to message your patients, send education materials and get their responses. Patients appreciate these app-less tools because they’re secure and easy to use. They simply receive a URL and click on it, without needing to download an application or create yet another username and password. CitusHealth offers app-less functionality with multi-factor authentication and an interface designed to be HIPAA-compliant to complete tasks quickly and securely.
- Faster time to payment
If your current processes sometimes keep you waiting on documentation for billing or requires drivers to take time from their routes to get signatures on key documents, it can put revenue on hold. But digital workflows can help you quickly create, send and receive key forms related to starting therapy, or billing and reimbursement. This in turn helps improve your cash flow by helping you get paid faster for the care you provide. Sharing information electronically removes some of the variables and uncertainty related to traditional mail service, while also helping reduce manual processes and streamline workflows.
- Easier document management
Our industry requires a lot of paperwork—but actual papers can get lost. If you use digital tools, your staff won’t mistakenly leave a form at a patient’s house or have to make an additional trip to the office to receive or submit a document. If your staff is spending time on manual processes like getting papers filled out and signed, or making phone calls to get nursing documentation or refill information, that’s time they’re not spending helping patients or growing your business.
What’s more, digital forms can easily be integrated into your EHR or shared with referral partners and other caregivers, helping you reduce the chance of errors and work more efficiently.
- Better staff satisfaction and retention
We all know there are many ongoing staffing issues. And just as with your patients, word of mouth is worth a lot when you’re trying to find and keep employees. If potential new hires have heard that at your organization, they’ll be able to complete their documentation while they’re with the patient rather than after hours, they’re more likely to want to work for you—and stay with you longer. Having a platform that streamlines documentation can be a strong recruitment tool.
Patient discussion groups (PDGs) are another tool that can keep staff up to date without overwhelming them with irrelevant messages. PDGs can be created and updated based on the patient’s journey with your organization. At intake, staff who need to check authorizations, prescriptions and other information will see messages. Once their roles are complete, the clinical and billing staff can be added and the intake staff dropped. This reduces the clutter and stress of sorting through messages and streamlines processes.
Technology that helps your staff work efficiently and offers convenience for your patients can be a smart way to get an edge on your competitors and keep your business healthy. Find out how CitusHealth can help set you on a path to better efficiency, improved outcomes and a healthier business.
