GigFlex CEO Larry Schwartz penned an article featured in the November/December 2020 issue of titled The article describes some of the challenges home healthcare services confront in managing and retaining their workforce and discusses the ways on which geo-intelligent scheduling can improve both staff utilization and job satisfaction. Download a pdf of the article here.

CareHudl empowers healthcare clinicians to instantly consult on patient issues via secure video and texting

CINCINNATI MAY 25, 2021 – GigFlex LLC, the industry leader in Geo-Intelligent Scheduling® technology, announced today the introduction of CareHudl – a powerful and secure HIPAA-compliant video consulting & texting freeware mobile app for Home Health and Hospice workers.

CareHudl empowers healthcare clinicians to instantly connect with peers while onsite to consult on patient issues (e.g. confirming correct medication, or wound dressing). Peers that do not have the app can also be reached via a text message with a link-to-click to join the video.

Key features of CareHudl include HIPAA-compliant video streaming to enable peers to view the patient and/or patient environment, secure texting for private information sharing, an augmented reality ruler to enable peers to accurately confirm wound dimensions, and secure EMR screen sharing of information accessible through the clinicians mobile device. No EMR integration is required, and clinicians can download the CareHudl freeware app from the Apple Store or Google Playstore.

“CareHudl is a game changer for home health,” said Cheri McEssy, Principal and CEO of CMAC Ventures, a venture capital company focused on the wellness, aging and health technology fields. “Packaging key CareHudl communications features in a freeware app will open up the availability of these powerful HIPAA-compliant capabilities to many thousands of home healthcare and hospice workers seeking to improve their decision-making confidence, treatment outcomes and patient satisfaction.”

“The launch of CareHudl re-enforces our commitment to the home-healthcare industry,” said Larry Schwartz, GigFlex CEO. “With the CareHudl freeware app, home healthcare providers will no longer have to choose between paying for these features versus assuming the risk associated with having their employees use non HIPAA-compliant alternatives. Additionally, CareHudl provides a platform that enables providers to easily expand deployment to include our full suite of industry-unique Geo-Intelligent Scheduling® and communication features for workforce administrators and clinicians.”

Read the full press release on PRWeb.

House calls are making a comeback in the US healthcare system. In CIO Review, Larry Schwartz discusses the scheduling and communications technology that can facilitate home-centric patient care.

Ellie recently graduated as a nurse practitioner (NP) and has started a new position with a home health service company. Her job is to provide medical care to patients at their home. She thoroughly enjoys the work and loves the opportunity to help people feel better and improve their quality of life. As a recent graduate, however, Ellie is sometimes a little unsure of herself when it comes to making a diagnosis or determining the best treatment for a patient’s condition. Fortunately for Ellie, she has a network of medical professionals at her company who are happy to offer an opinion when she has a question. In addition, she has an app on her phone that allows her to contact people in her network securely and without violating HIPAA regulations. Without the app, she would not be able to reach out to fellow clinicians without risking patient privacy violations. When contacting her peers, she often needs to show them a condition her patient is manifesting or the patient environment. The app lets her video-conference so she can let her peers see exactly what she would like a second opinion on.

A Visit with a Burn Patient

Today, Ellie is scheduled to visit Amelia, an elderly woman who severely burned her foot with a pot of scalding water. She went to the ER a week ago and was sent home with a dressing on her injured foot and instructions for burn care. Ellie is doing a follow-up visit to make sure the foot is healing as it should. Amelia’s daughter opens the door and tells Ellie her mother can’t get out of bed because she’s experiencing so much discomfort. The dressing on her mother’s burns has been changed daily and they’ve used the prescribed medication, she says, but the skin is not healing properly. In fact, an open, painful wound has appeared.

Ellie finds Amelia lying in bed with her left foot propped up on a pillow and a grimace on her face. She is clearly not well. Ellie inquires how she’s feeling and sees her eyes tear up. Her foot isn’t getting better, she reports, and the pain is wearing her down. Ellie unwraps the dressing and is taken aback by what she sees. The entire foot and ankle are affected but on the top of the foot is a fairly large wound. The skin has burst open and the exposed tissue appears festering and infected. Amelia says the skin began rupturing the day after the accident with the scalding water.

Ellie’s immediate impulse is to send Amelia back to the hospital. On further reflection, however, she decides to contact her supervisor, Dr. Barnes who has experience in geriatric wound care and could probably advise her on how to proceed. She quickly sends him a text and is relieved when he responds within seconds and agrees to a video conference that will allow him to view Amelia’s foot. Ellie uses her HIPAA-compliant app to instantly set up the video call. The app also features an augmented reality ruler that enables her to accurately measure the size of the wound so Dr. Barnes sees exactly how large the affected area actually is. His experience proves invaluable and with his input, Ellie is able to devise a care plan that doesn’t require another trip to the hospital both reducing care costs and making Amelia very happy.

When Ellie returns a week later, Amelia’s foot is healing properly and she is able to get out of bed. She thanks Ellie for keeping her out of the hospital. Ellie silently thanks Dr. Barnes and the HIPAA-compliant app that has again proven to be one of the best tools in her “doctor bag.”

This past Thursday, July 15th, GigFlex CEO Larry Schwartz presented “How Geo-Intelligent Scheduling Can Address Today’s Home Healthcare Staffing Challenges and Bring back Home-Centric Patient Care” at the 8th Edition Virtual Conference on Nursing Education & Practice. Topics discussed included:

• Staffing Challenges in Home Healthcare
• Scheduling Empowerment Impact on Recruiting & Retention
• How Geo-Intelligent Scheduling Can Deliver Scheduling Empowerment
  • For Schedule Administrators
  • For Nurses
• How Geo-Intelligent Scheduling Can Bring Back Patient-Centric Care

Watch the presentation here:

Watch video on Vimeo:  https://vimeo.com/576464948