Yes — Caily can be used without a direct EHR integration. While EHR integration is the most efficient way to power your daily family updates it is not a requirement to get started.
What Caily looks like without EHR integration:
Without EHR integration your team can still access Caily's core communication features:
Secure family messaging — staff can send and receive HIPAA-compliant messages with families through the chat feature
Manual daily updates — staff can create daily updates by entering information manually or using voice-to-text to capture care notes and observations
Family dashboard — families can still access their loved one's updates, view history, and communicate with the care team
Admin dashboard — administrators can manage residents, staff accounts, permissions, and communication history
Compliance and audit tools — all communication is tracked and exportable regardless of integration status
Who might use Caily without EHR integration:
Communities with paper-based charting — smaller assisted living facilities or group homes that have not yet transitioned to an electronic system
Communities in the integration phase — during the 3–4 week EHR integration period your team can begin using Caily's communication features while integration is completed in the background
Communities evaluating Caily — if you want to pilot the platform before committing to a full integration manual entry allows you to get started quickly
What you miss without EHR integration:
While Caily is still valuable without EHR integration there are some limitations to be aware of:
Manual data entry — staff will need to enter resident health information manually rather than having it pull automatically from your EHR
No automatic ADL tracking — ADLs vitals and medication information will not populate automatically in family updates
Increased staff time — without automation staff will spend more time creating updates than they would with full integration
No health trend charts — automated health history charts and graphs require EHR data to populate accurately
How to get the most out of Caily without integration:
Use voice-to-text for care notes to minimize manual typing and save staff time
Focus on secure messaging as your primary value driver — replacing personal phone use alone is a significant compliance and efficiency improvement
Plan for integration — work with your implementation lead to get EHR integration on the roadmap so you can unlock the full platform over time
A few things to know:
Manual daily updates require more staff time than automated EHR-powered updates — set realistic expectations with your team about the additional workflow
Caily's communication and compliance features deliver real value even without integration — many communities find the chat feature alone justifies the platform
If your community is paper-based your implementation lead will help you design a workflow that works for your team
Transitioning to EHR integration later is straightforward — contact your implementation lead when you're ready to make the switch
