Product PULSE: nanaCONNECT Enhancements & REACH [Free Webinar]
The days and weeks after discharge offer powerful opportunities to shape the course of a patient’s recovery and prevent re-hospitalizations. Yet many care agencies approach this critical window through outdated, manual follow-ups that strain staff, create bottlenecks, and even fail to reach patients in a timely manner.
REACH is Maxwell TEC’s solution to that challenge. As the latest addition to the nanaCONNECT communication platform, REACH is a modular text-based tool that delivers timely, personalized follow-up text messages offering resources and wellness tips to strengthen recovery and improve outcomes.
From reinforcing next steps to checking in on symptoms, explore how REACH helps care-at-home providers modernize post-discharge processes at scale.
The Post-Discharge Patient Communication Breakdown
Even with the best discharge planning, the reality of recovery at home can be confusing and unpredictable. Many patients leave care with the right paperwork and instructions, but don't feel confident about managing their condition day-to-day—or know what to do when complications arise.
A 2024 report by the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) found that post-discharge complications are often driven by gaps in communication1: patients not knowing how to handle unresolved symptoms, limited guidance on medications, delayed check-ins from care teams, and a lack of clarity around next steps. These oversights don’t just impact the patient care experience; they can lead to avoidable hospital readmissions, added stress for families, and higher costs across the board.
Care teams are making every effort to stay connected with patients after discharge, often under tight timelines and with limited resources. But when follow-up depends on traditional methods like phone calls or paper instructions, even the best intentions can fall short. Calls may be missed or ineffective1, handouts misplaced, and staff can find themselves doing repetitive work without reaching patients in the way they need most.
A Simpler Way to Reach Patients Post-Discharge
Most patients don’t want to play phone tag, shuffle through paperwork, or sign up for another healthcare portal. They need simple, clear touchpoints that demonstrate that their care team is still connected with their well-being—ready with guidance, resources, or reassurance if something changes.
REACH enables care agency teams to send automated, customizable text messages that help strengthen the patient recovery journey. REACH messages meet HIPAA compliance standards, do not include any private health information (PHI), and are completely configurable by each agency. Messages can include reminders about what symptoms to monitor, educational materials, agency resources to explore, or simple wellness tips and encouragement.
Director of Product Andy O'Connell shares the benefits and value of REACH.
Further, when patients have questions, they're not left in the dark. REACH offers two-way communication features, meaning patients can easily respond with quick questions or comments via text—helping to surface concerns early and empowering patients throughout their recovery.
Practical for Recovering Patients. Scalable for Growing Teams.
Patients benefit from REACH's clear, digestible information delivered through a familiar channel. But the real breakthrough lies in how REACH supports the teams behind the care.
REACH was designed to ease the operational strain that comes with post-discharge communication. Outreach teams and clinical managers are juggling high caseloads, documentation demands, and coordination efforts—all while trying to connect with patients once they return home. REACH offers a tech-enabled approach that automates these follow-ups, enabling care teams to maintain consistent post-discharge communication without relying solely on time-consuming phone calls or fragmented paper-based workflows.
Desireé Ardoin, Sr. Consultant - Product Adoption, shares why REACH is valuable for agency staff like physician liaisons and marketers.
Because messages are personalized and delivered through a simple, familiar text format, patients are more likely to stay informed and engaged. This not only supports better recovery outcomes and improved patient satisfaction, but also helps reduce the risk of readmission by surfacing concerns early. Further, REACH enables greater visibility into agency outreach efforts through intuitive dashboards and filtering capabilities that highlight outreach gaps and engagement metrics, allowing staff to quickly prioritize follow-ups where they matter most and prevent unnecessary readmissions.
Reach Discharged Patients with Confidence
Recovery isn’t always linear, but clear communication can make it feel less uncertain. REACH helps agencies scale their post-discharge outreach while staying present and responsive when patients need it most. With timely, personalized touchpoints delivered through a familiar text message format, it brings structure to a phase of care that’s often unpredictable and resource-intensive.
By enabling consistent, approachable, and manageable post-discharge communication, REACH connects care teams to patients without adding more complexity to their day. It eases the burden of manual outreach, helps flag concerns earlier, and creates space for staff to focus on what matters most: delivering exceptional care.
Ultimately, REACH and the entire nanaCONNECT patient communication platform strengthen the connection between patients and providers. Ready to equip your team with industry-leading tools that empower clear, compassionate, and consistent communication across every stage of the patient lifecycle? Book a REACH demo today!
Resources
- Boggan JC, Sankineni S, Gordon AM, et al. "Effectiveness of Post-Discharge Contacts on Health Care Utilization and Patient Satisfaction," Washington (DC): Department of Veterans Affairs (US), March 2024. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK613010/.
