Why Use a Caregiver App?

Switching to a caregiver app helps you modernize your workforce management and streamline your communications. You’ll be able to support caregivers by ensuring they have access to the latest patient information and schedules, no matter where they are. In turn, this can reduce confusion and improve care quality. 

Moreover, caregiving apps give you an infallible digital record that serves everything from electronic visit verification to accurate payroll and billing. And compared to email or pen-and-paper records, they can save you hours of admin time. 

A caregiver app can also facilitate better communication with patients, support caregivers, family caregivers, and other family members. By digitizing your records, you’ll find it easier to share relevant information while keeping protected information private and secure.

7 Essential Features of apps for caregivers

When selecting an app for caregivers, look for these key features.

#1. Availability

Flexibility is a huge plus for most caregivers. You can give your team control over their schedules with an app that allows them to set their availability. Look for caregiving apps that include scheduling software so that you can spend less time building schedules and respecting your team’s preferred shift times.

#2. Job Bidding

When your team can bid on new shifts via their mobile caregiving app, it helps them achieve the work-life balance they want. And it makes it easier for you to fill shifts. You can replace the back-and-forth emails with one simple push notification.

#3. Schedules

Your team needs to be able to access their schedule no matter where they are, especially if they provide home care. By using a caregiving app, you can ensure that your care professionals always have access to the most up-to-date version of the schedule. You can say goodbye to accidental no-shows caused by staff not receiving the schedule or checking the wrong email.

#4. Shift Planning

Shifts will run more smoothly when your team can access all the information they need on their cell phone, from medication reminders to patient care preferences. Ensure the app for caregivers contains important shift details, including the visit location, care plans, care notes, and recent clinical data.

#5. Clinical Notes

When your staff can access and update patient notes on the go, it improves record-keeping and communication. This is particularly important for patients with multiple caregivers, whether family caregivers or simply other caregivers from your agency. With multiple caregivers working with a patient, detailed clinical notes play a vital role in medication management and, more specifically, avoiding accidental overdoses.

#6. Visit Tracking

With location-verified time tracking, you can rest assured that your time and attendance records are correct. Your caregivers can clock in and out with the tap of their screen. Ensure the app lets you auto-approve caregiver time logs based on an acceptable range. This can significantly reduce your admin time, in addition to improving accuracy.

#7. Expenses

When your staff can use the caregiver app to add their expenses directly to the shift record, it will simplify your accounting, billing, and payroll. You won't have to worry about receipts being lost or forgotten about. Your caregivers will be reimbursed without issues, and you can issue correct invoices.

What Else Should You Look For in Your Caregiver App?

It's not just the caregiver app's functions that matter. Make sure your it also offers:

HIPAA Compliance

Patient privacy is critical. Poorly designed caregiving apps can lead to accidental HIPAA violations. However, HIPAA-compliant apps can support you in ensuring that your team of caregivers can access and update relevant patient information in a secure manner. Features such as cloud storage and password protection will help you avoid compliance issues, even if a caregiver's device is lost or stolen.

Ease of Use

A caregiver app should make your team's work easier, not harder. The ideal app will be easy to use, no matter how tech-savvy or technophobic your workforce is. Look for user-friendly features such as voice-to-text, drag-and-drop, and document templates. Ensure the design is intuitive so it's quick and easy for your whole team to get up to speed.

Integration with Other Apps

Ideally, your caregiver app will integrate seamlessly with your other software tools. This includes the programs your back office uses, from scheduling to accounting software. Caregiving apps that come with a portal for patients and their loved ones can also improve the patient experience. This will also ensure that your services complement the support provided by family caregivers and other family members.

Read this article next: A Comprehensive Guide to Choosing the Right Home Care Agency Management Software: Key Features and Considerations.

Support Your Caregivers with the Right Tools

As a care service provider, few assets are more important than your team of caregivers. They play a crucial role in helping you fulfill your mission of delivering quality care — but to do so, they need on-the-go access to essential client information.

ShiftCare's home health care software takes care of the admin side of running your business so you can focus on what really matters: providing high-quality, compassionate care. The caregiver mobile app supports your team by ensuring they have everything they need, from shift locations to patients' clinical notes. It makes electronic visit verification simple, is HIPAA compliant, and allows your team to input their preferred shift availability. Plus, ShiftCare also comes with an online portal for family members.

Discover how a caregiver app can empower your team to provide a higher standard of care. Try ShiftCare for free.