With VNS Health’s new “My Home Care” app, home care patients simply have to tap on their smartphones to see when their next visit from a VNS Health nurse, rehab therapist or social worker will take place. (Information on home health aide visits will be added in future upgrades.) They can also use the app to view upcoming scheduled VNS Health visits and receive important updates about these visits. In addition, the app lets patients provide feedback to VNS Health and connects them to helpful home care information and resources.
“We’ve designed the My Home Care app to be very user-friendly,” says Jennifer Brullo, VNS Health’s Senior Vice President for Patient Care Services. “Patients who have been admitted to VNS Health Home Care can download the app at no cost from the Apple or Android app stores, simply by typing ‘VNS Health’ into the search bar. We also have a secure verification system that allows patients to register on multiple devices for easy access to their visit schedules.”
Once the app is downloaded, it takes only a minute for a home care patient to register. When a patient opens up the app, they’ll see key information on scheduled visits including the clinician’s name, a two-hour arrival window (which is posted automatically as soon as the timing of that visit is set), and the services, such as nursing care or physical therapy, to be provided.
In addition to the smartphone version, patients can access the app online through any desktop computer or laptop. The app is available to patients across VNS Health Home Care’s service area of New York City, Westchester, Nassau and Suffolk Counties. Since it was fully rolled out at the start of November, hundreds of eligible patients have opted to use the app, and VNS Health expects that number to rise in coming months.
“The feedback we’re getting from patients has been extremely positive,” notes Brullo. “By allowing them to check on upcoming visits at any time just by glancing at their phones, the My Home Care app really enhances the consumer experience and answers one of the most common questions patients have.”
