Last week, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced that it has launched a new offline-capable mobile app, leveraging Oracle Health’s Community Care technology that empowers Home-Based Primary Care (HBPC) teams to reach veterans in rural and remote areas, even where connectivity is limited.

Alan Greilsamer stated in a VA news release that the app allows HBPC staff to access critical patient information, including documentation, orders, medications, labs, and histories, in an offline, read-only mode.

Previously, staff had to log in to laptops, connect to hotspots, access virtual private networks, and launch Citrix to reach patient records. Now, they can open a patient chart directly at the point of care, saving time and minimizing disruptions. 

The app is currently used across all six facilities that are live with the Federal Electronic Health Record. From August 22 to mid-September, 97 percent of the nearly 1,400 transactions—such as opening a patient chart, submitting a lab order, or saving a note—were completed in less than two seconds.