Coordination. Communication. Collaboration.
For your home health care agency to provide the highest level of care and operate efficiently – and profitably – effective coordination, communication and collaboration must happen every day.
Communication is all-important, but with workers in the field delivering care remotely, this presents significant challenges. Opportunities abound for employee communication gaps:
- Between the office team and field staff
- Between care team members on your staff
- Between the care team and your client’s family or guardian
And of course, when communication does take place, it must happen quickly and be secure.
More Is Not Always Better (And Usually Is Not)
Agencies often attack this problem through a variety of ways, and those frequently involve using several disparate systems. For example, some agencies attempt to improve coordination, communication, and collaboration by using:
- A portal connected to the EMR where clinical and other data are stored
- A dedicated secure messaging application
- One or more portals to provide role-based information access to other care providers and family members
At first blush, it may seem like a good idea to separate these functions. However, just like with people, communication between systems doesn’t “just happen.” Each of those systems needs to talk with the others. Whether you build, partner or buy, the direct and hidden costs of creating and maintaining interfaces quickly add up.
More importantly, a multi-tool approach such as this exposes your system to a higher level of security risks. Your information security team must be continually vigilant in monitoring for breeches.
Addition by Subtraction
By moving to a complete mobile solution, your organization can eliminate several different systems and the costs associated with licensing, supporting and monitoring them.
A complete mobile solution includes secure communication between the field, office, and the family and guardians of your clients. Better employee communication leads to improved coordination and collaboration, and that helps to improve outcomes for your clients and yield higher satisfaction ratings from family and guardians.
To learn more about how you can save time and reduce costs by improving coordination, communication and collaboration, read “14 Ways a Complete Mobile Health Care Delivery Management Solution Helps Your Bottom Line.”
