Home-Based Primary Care (HBPC) teams now have a faster and more secure way to support Veterans in remote areas, even those without internet access, thanks to the recent implementation of the Oracle Health Community Care app, formerly known as Mobile Care.
The app allows HBPC staff to view critical patient information, including documentation, orders, medications, labs and histories, in an offline, read-only capacity, enabling providers to deliver consistent, high-quality care in rural or low-connectivity areas. The app also has additional features, such as essential risk assessments and offline free-text documents.
Saving time and reducing disruptions
This marks a major improvement over previous workflows, which required staff to log in to laptops, connect to hotspots, access virtual private networks and launch Citrix to reach patient records. Now, staff can open a patient chart directly at the point of care, saving time and reducing disruptions. The app is in use across all six facilities that are live with the Federal Electronic Health Record, and performance so far has been strong. From Aug. 22 through mid-September, 97% of the nearly 1,400 transactions conducted in the app—such as opening a patient chart, submitting a lab order, or saving a note—were completed in under two seconds.
“I had a patient move and used the app to find their new home while in the field,” said Jessica Berger, a dietician at Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center in Spokane, Washington. “I have used some advanced filters on my documents to pull up notes by author or note type for ease of access. It makes finding some of the notes very easy, and I can view them in AdHoc Notes. I also bring my laptop into the home for visits, so I will use it to document in AdHoc while I reference other information on the phone app. This helps me save time.”
The app, available on government-furnished iOS devices such as iPhones and iPads, also improves data safety and security. By giving HBPC staff access to records directly on their devices instead of printing out patient charts or taking handwritten notes, it reduces the risk of sensitive patient data being lost or mishandled.
Beyond added convenience, the app also supports stronger engagement with Veterans. Staff can use the app during visits to show Veterans trends in their health information, helping them better understand the importance of their treatment plans.
By equipping HBPC teams with mobile access to patient records without needing internet access, the Oracle Health Community Care app helps staff deliver care more efficiently, securely and effectively.
For more information and resources, visit the EHRM website.