Care at Home Implements AtHoc Mobile Duress Alerts

SAN MATEO, Calif., Oct. 23, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AtHoc , Inc., the global leader in network-centric interactive alerting communications , today announced that Care at Home, Inc., a community-based provider of home health care services in the San Francisco Bay area, has deployed AtHoc's Home Care Alerts emergency alerting mobile solutions to streamline operations and support its patient and staff safety objectives.

Care at Home will immediately deploy AtHoc's three interactive personnel security and safety applications for Android and iOS smartphones. When seconds count, home care workers can now quickly alert the right people to an emergency using AtHoc's remote duress alerting , field reporting and personnel geo-tracking capabilities.

Caregivers who sense danger for themselves or their patients can instantly activate duress alerts with the touch of a button on their smartphone for rapid incident response. Supervisors can receive "check-in" visit verifications via reporting from health workers in the field and the self-activated geo-tracking capability that accurately captures their location, giving peace of mind to both supervisor and caregiver.

The AtHoc Home Care Alerts solution targets one of the fastest growing sectors of the healthcare industry - home health care services. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has projected that national health expenditures will nearly double by 2022. Home health care growth drivers include a rapidly increasing population of older adults, more people with multiple chronic health conditions and the need for more effective post-acute care to keep people out of the hospital. As a result, efficient home care and hospice organizations are searching for more productive ways to coordinate care for a growing client base, improve communication with their mobile workforces and increase time dedicated to client care.

"Our employees, who care for our clients' health in their homes, are our most valuable asset. Keeping them safe throughout their workday is of utmost importance to our organization," said Jason Grinstead, President of Care at Home. "We are pleased that AtHoc's decade of experience in safeguarding mobile workforces can be applied to our remote healthcare personnel. We are excited to collaborate with AtHoc to further expand home care offerings."

"We're delighted that Care at Home has entrusted AtHoc with keeping their valued caregivers protected while visiting patients," said Guy Miasnik, CEO of AtHoc. "We look forward to working closely with them in a shared mission of advancing the safety and security of Care at Home's workforce."

Through their collaboration, the companies will investigate opportunities to further support daily home care operations with AtHoc's network-centric interactive communication capabilities. For example, in addition to personal security, Care at Home can use AtHoc's mobile application to:  

• Manage scheduling: Notified personnel can respond via email, text, mobile and home phones; reminders of scheduled staff visits are also sent across the same channels
• Verify visits: GPS auditable visit verification feature confirms care delivery
• Simplify reporting: Documentation is automatically submitted in  compliance with state and federal requirements

The applications will be used in both clinical and non-clinical settings to ensure Care at Home's clients receive effective, coordinated care in the comfort of their homes.

About AtHoc

AtHoc is the pioneer, innovator and recognized leader in network-centric interactive communication systems. Major healthcare organizations rely on AtHoc's unified notification systems for emergency alerting and daily critical communications, home health nurse safety, protection of workforce and patients, IT outage notification and operational continuity and effective shift management.

AtHoc's advanced interactive solutions for healthcare bring enterprise-class, end-to-end communication to organizations such as Baylor Health Care Systems, Scott & White Health System, Kaiser Permanente, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Raymond W. Bliss Army Medical Center, Wilford Hall Medical Center and
Irwin Army Hospital, Ft. Riley.

AtHoc is a HIMSS Gold Corporate Member and a member of the National Association of Home Care and Hospice. AtHoc was recently recognized by Gartner, Inc. as a leader in its  Magic Quadrant for Emergency Mass Notification Services and by IHS Inc. as The Fastest Growing Mass Notification Software Supplier .

Learn how AtHoc can benefit your healthcare enterprise by visiting www.athoc.com/industries/healthcare.html .  

About Care at Home

Care at Home, Inc. delivers home health care for clients of all ages in the San Francisco Bay Area. Through its partnerships with the region's hospitals, health plans and post-acute providers, Care at Home's community-based coordinated care management and specialty programs help people remain healthy at home.  For more information about Care at Home, please visit www.careathomehealth.com .

Deb Montner Montner & Associates, Tech PR 203-226-9290 dmontner AT montner.com