April 21, 2014 — An innovative online solution employed by HCR Home Care enables physicians to get real-time patient information and streamlines communication between doctors and the home care agency.
HCR Home Care now is offering Provider Link, a service available to physicians. Provider Link gives physicians and their staff secure, online access to information about patients who are receiving home care from HCR.
Utilizing the web-based solution, physicians can:
- Sign home care orders electronically, eliminating paperwork and allowing faster approval.
- View patients’ vital stats, charts, home care visit schedules, diagnoses and medications.
- Request automatic alerts to a patient’s condition changes on a patient-by-patient or visit-by-visit basis. For example, a physician can be alerted immediately if a patient’s blood-pressure reading or other vital sign is out of normal range.
- Write notes directly to a HCR Home Care nurse, such as a directive to change medication.
- See a patient’s entire episode of care with complete details of the patient’s progress.
“HCR has invested in this state-of-the-art, online solution because of the tremendous benefits it delivers for both patients and physicians,” said Elizabeth Zicari, president, HCR Home Care. “Patients have peace of mind knowing there is more efficient communication between their doctor and their HCR nurse, while physicians can get instant access to patient information.”
“Provider Link offers an easy-to-use link between physicians and our staff that is secure, confidential and HIPAA-compliant,” said Andrew Bascom, IT director, HCR Home Care. “The doctors we work with who have taken advantage of this solution – which is available at no cost to them – already are benefiting from the portal.”
Luis G. Postigo, MD, an internist in Webster, N.Y., said, “The provider portal that HCR Home Care has implemented has enabled me to complete the orders I need to sign for my patients in half the time. Cutting down on physical paperwork has helped streamline our administrative efficiency as well. Overall, my staff and I are very pleased with the system.”
