New Mobile App Offers Easy-to-Use Hospice Resources and Referral Tools for Clinicians

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Oct 09, 2019, 14:31 ET

MIAMI, Oct. 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- VITAS^® Healthcare, the nation's leading provider of end-of-life care, redesigned its mobile app offering at-a-glance hospice eligibility information, streamlined secure patient referrals, and a user experience tailored to specific healthcare roles.

Available for Android and iOS devices, the redesigned VITAS mobile app offers:

The VITAS app takes the guesswork out of hospice eligibility decisions with disease-specific guidelines for common diagnoses and easy-to-use assessment tools.

Download the free app at VITASapp.com, Google Play or the App Store, and refer securely with support available 24/7/365.

Brand-new look and intuitive, modern user interface
Easy, one-touch features to share in-app resources and hospice information
VITAS location/service area look-up by GPS, ZIP code or state maps
Advanced prognostication information and calculators

The app takes the guesswork out of hospice eligibility decisions with color-coded, disease-specific guidelines for common diagnoses and easy-to-use assessment tools. An interactive Palliative Performance Scale (PPS) measures patient's functional status and a body-mass index (BMI) calculator determines overall health.

Clinicians can refer patients quickly via face sheet photo capture or a simple mobile form submission. Originally added in April of 2018, the industry-first, HIPAA-compliant referral photo-upload feature is improved and even easier to use. Referring clinicians receive immediate confirmation of successful submission, prompt VITAS response, and access to support 24/7/365.

"Time is an important factor for seriously ill patients and the physicians who refer them for hospice care," says Joseph Shega, MD, senior vice president and chief medical officer at VITAS. "Our updated app makes it even easier for clinicians to know when a patient may be eligible for hospice and ensures a seamless transition to compassionate end-of-life care."

Personalization of app features and experiences based on common healthcare roles enables users to streamline and customize content preferences. For example, the app includes a schedule of upcoming VITAS-sponsored webinars on hospice and palliative care that are eligible for continuing education credits for many disciplines. Users can register for webinars with just one tap and receive in-app reminders and calendar updates about their upcoming sessions.

Download the free app at VITASapp.com, Google Play or the App Store.

About VITAS® Healthcare

Established in 1978, VITAS Healthcare is a pioneer and leader in the American hospice movement. Headquartered in Miami, Florida, VITAS (pronounced VEE-tahs) operates 47 hospice programs in 14 states (California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin) and the District of Columbia. VITAS employs 12,078 professionals who care for terminally ill patients daily, primarily in the patients' homes, and also in the company's 28 inpatient hospice units as well as in hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living communities/residential care facilities for the elderly. At the conclusion of the second quarter of 2019, VITAS reported an average daily census of 18,845. Visit www.vitas.com.