Technology plays an increasingly vital role in the delivery of healthcare at home, constantly reshaping the industry’s approach to personalized and convenient care.
Christina Andrews, Senior Director of Professional Services at Axxess, laid out six tech-enabled solutions that elevate the delivery of home healthcare and highlighted the transformative potential of integrating these solutions into daily operations.
Tech-Enabled Solutions
“This is the network that really helps elevate the care at home industry,” Andrews said. “When we think about this network, there are so many areas of opportunity to improve overall outcomes, which ultimately is going to position your organization for greater success.”
Electronic Medical Records (EMR): EMR systems give healthcare professionals instant access to patient information, facilitating efficient and accurate decision-making and seamless care coordination.
Andrews recommends using an EMR software that includes training and professional development components, scheduling and routing optimization and clinical guidance.
“When I think of an EMR system, a feature that comes to mind is the ability for upskilling and providing professional development,” said Andrews. “How does the EMR adopt technology components to enable individuals to work at the top of their license?”
“The other area of opportunity here is how we are scheduling that staff,” Andrews said. “Scheduling optimization components embedded within an EMR solution not only help from an operational perspective but also help the engagement of the employee and ultimately the patient’s experience.”
“The third thing that comes to mind is the ‘clinician on the shoulder’ as I call it,” Andrews said. “It’s the guidance throughout the solution, and that also considers the interoperability connectivity.”
Telehealth/Telemedicine: Telehealth has emerged as a game-changer in recent years, especially for those facing geographical barriers or with limited mobility. Through video conferencing and secure communication platforms, patients can consult healthcare professionals remotely, receiving medical advice, prescriptions and follow-up care from the comfort of their homes. In the realm of home healthcare, telehealth helps ensure patients receive the necessary care and consultation between in-person visits and provides access to connect with specialists in different geographical areas.
“Telehealth can eliminate the need for patients to travel,” Andrews said. “It was extremely beneficial during the pandemic. When we think about the generations we are serving today, baby boomers are much more attuned to technology and the use of technology for their care delivery than they were prior to the pandemic. This enables and promotes more of an independent comfort of being able to manage their care within the home setting.”
Telemonitoring Devices: Telemonitoring devices, such as blood pressure monitors, glucose meters and pulse oximeters, provide continuous, remote monitoring of patients’ vital signs and health data, enabling healthcare providers to track and manage patients’ conditions in real time, detect potential issues early and provide timely interventions.
“Peppering [telemonitoring devices] into the patient’s environment really can help us capture the important data to manage this entire network,” Andrews said.
Assistive Technology: Assistive technology enhances independence and safety for individuals with disabilities or limited mobility, enabling them to perform daily activities easily and efficiently.
“I want us to think about assistive technology as electronic gadgets,” Andrews said. “These gadgets operate as virtual assistants.”
Examples of assistive technology include automated pill dispensers, fall detection sensors, emergency alert systems, and smart home devices such as voice-activated assistants.
“Some organizations have adopted wearable pendants that help [the] patient contact the emergency team and also communicate with the care at home agency when they fall,” Andrews said.
Patient Portals: Patient portals are secure platforms for patients and their families to access medical records, manage billing, communicate with healthcare providers, schedule appointments and manage prescriptions from wherever they are.
“Patient portals really help us to coordinate the overall communication of care delivery,” Andrews said. “[They also] help to provide that tech-enabled solution of communication [to the family] so [they] can keep track of [their loved one’s] care.”
Business Intelligence: Through business intelligence platforms, organizations can analyze and interpret data, identify trends and make informed decisions to improve patient care, optimize resource allocation and enhance operational efficiency.
“When we couple all of this with business intelligence, it truly empowers the care at home organization to have the right data at the right time, improving not only the competencies of the staff but also the overall patient experience,” Andrews said.
Axxess’ cloud-based software solutions provide healthcare organizations with a comprehensive technological infrastructure, empowering them to deliver exceptional patient care and achieve sustainable success.
