Melissa Kozak
Jun 24 2025
Reading Time: 6 minutes
Still relying on outdated tools to communicate with patients and care teams? Many out-of-hospital care agencies still use analog tools in a digital world. But referral sources expect more for connectivity and patient engagement. Poor patient engagement can cause delays in treatment. It can also lead to worse outcomes and lower satisfaction scores. This may result in fewer referrals, among other issues. But it doesn’t need to be that way. With today’s digital tools, bridging that communication gap has never been easier. To learn how they can help you save time and reach new levels of patient engagement, we’ll explore:
- The challenges of decentralized care
- Patient engagement trends
- Digital tools you can’t live without
- How to make implementation seamless
- The future of digital patient engagement
- How digital tools can keep you competitive
The challenges of decentralized care
In home-based care, decentralized communication can lead to critical breakdowns across the care team. When care teams use different tools, like emails, phone calls, and sticky notes, they lose important information. This disparate approach can lead to confusion and mistakes.
Without a central source of truth, tracking care plans becomes difficult. Delays in updates and poor coordination put patients at risk. This adds stress to staff who already feel overworked.
Centralized digital tools are key to keeping everyone on the same page. They help ensure accountability and focus on what matters most: high-quality, timely care for patients.
Patient engagement is on the rise—are you on trend?
Referral sources know that disengaged patients are likely to have gaps in their plans of care. That’s why they want providers who prioritize patient connection and communication. An agency’s lifeblood is its referrals, so meeting these expectations is a critical part of growing and scaling. Failing to do so can impact your clinical outcomes, patient trust, and even reimbursements.
Patient engagement is in demand, yet care remains decentralized. This makes it a challenge to keep care teams and patients aligned. Without the right digital tools, care remains siloed, and dated processes hold back clinical teams.
The answer? Digital tools built to overcome these challenges and level up patient engagement. Here are a few benefits of digital communication in home-based care:
- Streamlined communication between patients, families, and care teams
- Reduced phone tag and email chains
- Faster onboarding and intake
- Tailored education and resources based on the patient’s condition or treatment plan
- Enhanced care plan visibility for patients, families, and referral sources
- Better patient satisfaction and survey scores
Digital tools made for patient engagement
Patient engagement can be a struggle for care teams who are overworked and relying on dated processes. But with the right digital tools, engaging patients is easier than ever.
Electronic signature
All care settings
Phone calls, emails, faxing, and scanning make it challenging to communicate efficiently. The burden of chasing physical signatures and handling the paperwork is significant for already overwhelmed care teams.
E-signatures allow patients to sign forms and documentation digitally, directly from their mobile device. This reduces paper-chasing and delays in care.
Patient consents
Home health and home infusion
Lengthy patient intake processes require patients to sign paperwork before the start of care. With digital patient consents, users access forms via a link—no app download or logins needed. Patients can sign and the form digitally, then it automatically integrates into the EHR. This reduces the need for scanning, faxing, and manual entry.
Advance beneficiary notices (ABNs)
Home health and home infusion
For Medicare patients required to sign ABNs, digital tools make it a paperless process. With e-signature and automated EHR integration, the intake process is quicker and simpler.
Patient discussion groups (PDGs)
All care settings
PDGs are internal care team chats that don’t include patients. They allow clinical teams to collaborate on an individual patient via desktop or mobile app. This secure messaging tool keeps communication open. It keeps care connected and can integrate directly into the EHR as a progress or patient note.
Whether it’s status updates or patient documentation, PDGs keep care teams on the same page in one central location.
Patient messaging
All care settings
Communication doesn’t require a complicated tool. Sometimes the best way to engage a patient is by simply sending them a message. With secure, real-time messaging, care teams can answer questions, send a link or form, or just check in. This gives patients peace of mind and saves time for clinicians.
Hesitant to adopt new communication tools? Going digital is easier than you think.
Leveling up your tools from analog to digital can seem overwhelming, especially for those used to doing tasks manually. The key is to make it a slow transition, starting with one or two digital tools. Once you see the positive outcomes, you’ll have the confidence to adopt additional tools into your workflows.
When adopting new patient engagement software, implementation is everything. Choose a technology vendor who has an established implementation process and team in place ready to help you set goals and get you there. This process should include:
- Planning: A review of your current workflows, the best tools to meet your challenges, and a prep plan for adoption
- Training: A thorough training to create super users
- Go live: An implementation of the digital tools and workflows
- Support: Ensuring workflow success and use beyond go-live
The future will push the boundaries of patient engagement
Artificial intelligence and machine learning are paving the future for most industries. In home-based care, AI and ML will continue to drive personalization, clinical support, and patient self-service.
Onboarding will also reach new levels of efficiency. A sluggish process for many agencies, modern digital tools are changing that. AI and ML will push the boundaries for ease, structure, accuracy, and engagement.
Today’s advanced digital communication tools for home-based care are smart, automated, and connected. They’ll only continue to progress from here.
If you don’t engage patients, someone else will
Patients expect more engagement from their providers. Clinical staff expect innovative tools that help them do more with less. Referral sources expect transparency and connection to the patient journey. If you’re not providing these experiences, then you’re already behind.
Digital patient engagement is a clinical necessity for your business, and your competitors know it. How is your technology stack keeping up with these demands?
CitusHealth offers a suite of tools that set the bar for patient engagement. Our team’s experience allows us to keep up with today’s challenges. This expertise from clinicians like you helps us develop digital solutions that are purpose-built for agencies like yours.
Patient communication should be simple. Work-life balance should be non-negotiable. Referral sources should have trust in your process and services. Our digital tools integrate seamlessly with your workflows to reduce your manual workload and improve your patient care.
Ready to go digital with your patient engagement, but don’t know where to start? CitusHealth can lead the way—talk to our experts to learn more.
