Ensocare introduces mobile app for patient referral convenience

Ensocare, an Omaha, Nebraska-based care coordination software company, has introduced its mobile application Ensocare Respond.

The app, which is designed to work in conjunction with Ensocare’s core automated discharge solution Transition will bring the convenience of mobile technology to post-acute providers managing patient referral requests from hospitals, according to a press release.

The app will allow post-acute providers, including skilled nursing facilities, home healthcare agencies or rehabilitation facilities, to respond to referral requests from hospitals while “on the go” using a mobile phone or tablet, the company claims.

“Responding to a need from our provider network we are pleased to bring this convenient technology to our post-acute users who carry out the important job of facilitating safe, timely and coordinated care transitions for hospital patients,” said Luis Castillo, president and CEO of Ensocare.

Minimizing delays when transitioning patients and coordinating better patient care after a hospital stay are important challenges required by healthcare reform, according to Ensocare.

“According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services, (CMS), nearly 20 percent of Medicare patients discharged from a hospital are readmitted within 30 days, costing more than $26 billion annually,” Ensocare added.

“Additionally, inadequate care transitions are known to contribute to the incidence of readmission, and also negatively affect patient outcomes and the overall patient experience.”

Patrick Yee, Ensocare’s chief technology officer, said: “Now, post-acute providers in our network can respond to hospital referral requests from virtually anywhere with the use of a smartphone or tablet and Ensocare Respond.

“This added convenience will allow our post-acute network to be even more responsive, further enabling hospitals to receive more timely consideration of their requests, and transitioning patients to the most appropriate care setting sooner.”