Caritas Improves Healthcare And Cuts Costs With Intermec Mobile Computers

By Intermec, Inc.

Caritas Home Care has found the formula for improving healthcare quality and cutting costs. By porting its legacy mobile medical software to new handheld computers with enhanced communication and data collection capabilities, the Boston-area home healthcare agency saved its care providers an average of more than a half hour per day, lowered its operating expenses, and positioned itself to deliver more services and improved care.

Data Capture Solutions, which has provided mobile and data collection systems for more than 1,500 customers, helped Caritas quickly narrow the field of hundreds of PDAs, smart phones and laptops, and educated Caritas about a new option: ruggedized handheld computers. Jozwicki's project team identified five products to evaluate for the next-generation mobile device, including a laptop, tablet computer and various handhelds. The laptop and tablet were field-tested and ruled out first because the clinicians found that they were not true point-of-care devices. Two finalists were selected for a major four-week field trial: a business-grade PDA with a plug-in telephone modem, and Intermec's CN3 ruggedized handheld computer.

Caritas projects combination of clinician time savings and improved productivity plus reduced maintenance, support and spare costs will produce complete return on investment for the full deployment in less than one year.