New tech lets home carers and hospice providers communicate better, more safely
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 months AGO
A new system recently rolled out by Confluence Health is expected to let home health care workers and hospice providers keep more accurate records and communicate more smoothly.
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Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | May 6, 2026 3:00 AM
WENATCHEE — Anyone who’s ever had to deal with communication between medical providers, home caregivers and Medicare or insurance knows the frustration of trying to get everybody on the same page. A new system debuted by Confluence Health is expected to make those connections easier and safer.
“Suppose a patient fell and (injured themselves) and they go in for (treatment),” said Adam MacDonald, corporate communications program manager for Confluence Health. “This is going to make it so their home health and hospice nurses are looking at the exact same record.”
Dorothy, for home health care patients, and Comfort, for hospice patients, are both made by the same company that operates MyChart, which many medical providers use for communication between patients, providers and Medicare. Both systems integrate with MyChart.
“Home health and hospice care play a vital role in supporting patients and families, particularly in rural communities,” Robert Pageler, chief information officer at Confluence Health, wrote in a statement. “With Dorothy and Comfort, we are strengthening how our teams connect, communicate, and coordinate care. This ensures our patients receive the right care, at the right time, in the place they call home.”
Until now, MacDonald said, electronic communication was like trying to keep records in different languages.
“Say a physician has ordered a medication,” MacDonald said. “Previously you might have written down that it was administered this way, that the patient reacted like this, and then that would have to go (through multiple steps) and get into the patient’s record. Putting all that together is a really big chore … because you have to train people and you have to make sure there are no gaps in the system, that nothing that had been previously done is overlooked.”
The rollout has gone smoothly, MacDonald said, which isn’t always a certainty when changing electronic systems. Confluence’s technical team worked closely with home health and hospice teams, he said.
“This is more than a technology upgrade,” Kelly Allen, chief nursing officer at Confluence Health, wrote. “It reflects our community’s shared commitment to caring for patients and families with dignity, compassion, and connection, especially when care is delivered in the home.”
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