CareCalls helps government agencies, health systems and community care organizations reduce hospital readmissions, improve medication adherence, free frontline staff time and support unpaid caregivers — using each person’s existing phone, with no hardware to install or stockpile, and same-day setup for as many reminders and check-ins as needed.
What problems does CareCalls address for government care programs?
Government-funded care programs across the US face a set of pressures that are growing faster than budgets can follow. The Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program penalizes roughly 2,500 hospitals each year for excessive 30-day readmissions — approximately one in five Medicare patients is readmitted within a month of discharge. Medication non-adherence is linked to an estimated 125,000 preventable deaths and up to $290 billion in avoidable healthcare costs annually. Falls among adults aged 65 and older cause over 3 million emergency department visits and $50 billion in medical costs each year. Meanwhile, the home health workforce faces chronic shortages with high turnover, and an estimated 53 million unpaid caregivers report rising stress and burnout.
CareCalls addresses each of these pressures with a single, low-friction service — automated reminders and check-ins delivered by phone or text to the person’s own handset. There is nothing to deliver, install or maintain, and a new service can be live within minutes.
| Problem | Scale | How CareCalls helps |
|---|---|---|
| Hospital readmissions | ~20% of Medicare patients readmitted within 30 days | Same-day setup before the patient leaves the hospital. No hardware, no technician visit, no waiting list. |
| Medication non-adherence | ~125,000 preventable deaths/year; up to $290bn in avoidable costs | Timed medication reminders acknowledged in real time. Missed acknowledgment triggers alerts to family, caregiver or professional. |
| Falls and unwitnessed incidents | $50bn/year; 3m+ emergency visits in seniors | Regular check-ins mean a fall or sudden illness is detected within the missed-reminder window — not hours later. |
| Staff capacity drain | Chronic home health aide shortages; high turnover | Unlimited automated reminders per person. New users activated in under 10 minutes by any team member. |
| Unpaid caregiver burnout | 53m caregivers; majority report stress or anxiety | Structured alerts and status visibility without constant phone calls. Dashboard accessible from any device. |
| Low uptake of assistive devices | Devices stockpiled or left unused | No new device. The phone already in the home is the device. |
How does CareCalls reduce hospital readmissions?
Around one in five Medicare patients is readmitted to hospital within 30 days of discharge. Under the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program, hospitals with excess readmission rates face payment reductions of up to 3% of base operating Medicare payments. Discharge planners need care support that is effective, affordable and deployable quickly. Delays waiting for equipment delivery, installation or availability undermine all three.
CareCalls removes those delays. A discharge coordinator can configure a post-discharge reminder and check-in service before the patient leaves — online, in under 10 minutes, using the patient’s existing phone number. Reminders can begin immediately on discharge day or be scheduled for a specific return-home date. The service supports new medication regimens, hydration prompts and daily welfare checks, and ongoing management can be handed to a family member or community team without additional training.
Research consistently shows that 20–40% of hospital readmissions in older adults are considered preventable, with a significant portion being medication-related. CareCalls directly targets that gap — from setup through to day-to-day delivery — without adding pressure to an already stretched workforce.
If you are considering how quickly a service can start, see how long until CareCalls starts delivering.
How does CareCalls improve medication adherence?
Medication non-adherence is one of the most significant drivers of avoidable healthcare spending in the US. The CDC estimates that non-adherence causes approximately 125,000 deaths per year and accounts for 10–25% of hospital admissions among older adults. For conditions managed by blood thinners, blood pressure medication, insulin or pain relief, a missed dose is not a minor slip — it can trigger a cascade ending in an emergency admission.
CareCalls delivers timed medication reminders by phone or text. The person acknowledges each prompt in real time — by pressing a key during a phone reminder or replying to a text. If they do not respond after configured retries, an alert is sent to people in their support network — a family member, professional or caregiver, by phone, text or email. This closes the gap between a missed dose and someone knowing about it.
For a broader view of the outcomes families and professionals see, read what outcomes to expect from CareCalls.
How does CareCalls support frontline staff and unpaid caregivers?
The US home health workforce faces chronic staffing challenges. High turnover, low wages and growing demand mean agencies are regularly unable to fill open positions. Staff already in post spend significant time on welfare and medication-prompting phone rounds that could be automated.
CareCalls frees that time. Unlimited reminders and check-ins run automatically for each person on the service. Professionals set up a new user in under 10 minutes and can then hand day-to-day management to family members through a passwordless portal — meaning ongoing adjustments do not create further demand on professional time.
For the 53 million unpaid caregivers who support the system — the majority of whom report stress, anxiety or financial strain — the service replaces the cycle of repeated phone calls and visits with structured alerts and daily visibility. When a reminder is acknowledged, caregivers know the person was reachable and responsive. When one is missed, they are notified so they can act rather than worry. That shift is consistently described by families as the difference between carrying a constant weight and getting on with the day.
Why does CareCalls succeed where other assistive technology struggles?
Traditional assistive technology — personal emergency response systems (PERS), sensor kits, connected pill dispensers — requires procurement, shipping, installation and device training. Each step introduces delay and cost. Uptake is often disappointing: PERS pendants are left on nightstands, sensors go unconfigured, and devices are stockpiled faster than they can be deployed.
CareCalls is different because the technology is already in the home. Reminders and check-ins are delivered to the person’s existing phone — landline or cell phone — by phone call or text message. There is nothing to order, ship, install, charge or explain. The person does not need to learn a new device or remember to wear one.
That makes the service particularly suited to populations where traditional assistive technology struggles: people who refuse to wear a pendant, those who forget to charge devices, anyone discharged from hospital before equipment can be arranged, and situations where speed matters more than a full assistive-technology assessment. PERS and sensor monitoring complement CareCalls rather than compete with it — CareCalls provides the proactive prompting and check-in layer that reactive alarm systems do not.
For a detailed comparison, see how CareCalls compares to other solutions.
How is CareCalls funded in government care programs?
The economic case is straightforward: a single avoided hospital admission or care placement offsets many months of the service. Multiple federal and state funding streams can cover technology-enabled care like CareCalls:
- Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waivers — many state Medicaid programs fund assistive technology and remote monitoring under HCBS waivers designed to keep people in the community rather than institutional care.
- Older Americans Act (OAA) funding — administered through Area Agencies on Aging, OAA grants support services that help older adults remain independent at home.
- Veterans Affairs — VA community care and caregiver support programs can cover technology that supports veterans living at home.
- Medicare Advantage supplemental benefits — some Medicare Advantage plans cover non-medical supplemental benefits including technology-enabled care and remote monitoring services.
- Hospital and health system budgets — readmission reduction programs create a direct financial incentive for hospitals to invest in post-discharge support.
Two billing models are available for funded organizations:
- Credit-based (pre-paid) — the organization purchases a block of user-months up front and draws against it as people are activated. Volume discounts reward larger commitments. Best for agencies with allocated annual budgets and a defined target population.
- Pay-as-you-go — billed monthly based on active users. Lower commitment, suited to early pilots or demand-led budgets.
For individuals and families exploring whether public funding may already cover their service, our funding checker and guide explains the options.
What does CareCalls offer government care programs?
- Unlimited reminders and check-ins per person — predictable per-user cost with no per-delivery metering.
- Same-day setup — online in under 10 minutes, no technician visit or waiting list.
- Customer service for all stakeholders — phone, email and web chat support during working hours, with after-hours coverage.
- Fully digital — no legacy phone network dependencies, no pendant hardware, no devices to refresh.
- Real-time dashboard — active users, delivery status and projected impact, suitable for program reporting.
- Designed for delegation — professionals set up the service; families and the person themselves manage day-to-day through a passwordless portal.
- Data and insights — delivery and response data the program can use to demonstrate outcomes and inform future strategy.
To understand how reminders and check-ins work day to day, see how the repeat service works. For the full range of people the service supports — including those with dementia, Parkinson’s, learning disabilities and frailty — see who CareCalls helps.