From Paper Trails to Portals: Streamlining Consent Management in LTC

December 15, 2025 | Varsha Chaugai

Consent is not just a signature—it is a critical part of resident-centered care. In long-term care, consent protects resident rights, fulfills regulatory requirements, and signals trust between families and care providers. Every medication change, therapy adjustment, or vaccination campaign depends on clear and timely consent, especially when substitute decision-makers are involved.

Yet, many homes still rely on paper forms, phone calls, and manual documentation to manage this process. These outdated methods slow down care, create stress for staff, and introduce risk for compliance violations.

Collecting and tracking consent manually takes a toll. Staff must coordinate with families who may live hours away, print and mail physical forms, and follow up repeatedly to ensure completion. Verbal consents, while sometimes necessary, require additional documentation in the EHR, adding more work to already stretched clinical teams.

During high-volume periods, such as flu season or COVID outbreaks, the backlog of required consents can overwhelm even the most organized teams. Delays in obtaining consent often delay care itself, which can impact resident outcomes and erode family trust.

Engage⁺, Evoke Health’s family engagement platform, offers an integrated, digital-first way to manage consents. The system works directly with PointClickCare, enabling staff to send, receive, and log consent requests from within their existing workflows.

Families receive real-time notifications and can respond securely from anywhere—no printer, scanner, or mailing required. Once submitted, consents are automatically recorded with a full audit trail, satisfying legal and documentation standards for compliance reviews.

This digital approach simplifies the experience for everyone involved. For families, it means less confusion and faster participation. For staff, it reduces repetitive administrative tasks and protects valuable clinical time.

At Shannondell, a skilled nursing facility in Pennsylvania, staff faced a significant consent-related workload. Managing approvals for care plans and treatments required constant back-and-forth with family members, especially those living out of state.

After implementing Engage⁺, the IPAC team reported a 75% reduction in time spent on consents. Staff noted fewer phone calls, faster responses, and greater confidence that all documentation was accurate and accessible. The time saved was reallocated to infection prevention and clinical oversight, improving care delivery and operational focus.

Consent is not just a best practice; it is a legal requirement. In Ontario, the Fixing Long-Term Care Act mandates clear documentation of resident and family involvement in care decisions. In the U.S., the 21st Century Cures Act emphasizes transparency and access to records. Missing or delayed consents can trigger inspections, complaints, or even legal action.

Engage⁺ helps LTC homes stay ahead of these requirements. With every consent logged in real time and backed by an audit trail, homes can demonstrate full transparency and accountability during audits or reviews.

A digitized consent process also enhances family relationships. When families are involved easily and proactively, they feel informed and respected. This reduces tension during care planning discussions and helps families view the care team as partners, not gatekeepers.

As one IPAC lead shared: “Before Engage⁺, we struggled with families unable to access or complete paper-based consent forms. Now, families, whether they’re local or abroad, can provide consent at their convenience. This has led to a substantial increase in trust and communication.”

The path to digitizing consent does not require a massive overhaul. It begins with understanding how much time your staff currently spends chasing signatures, logging calls, and mailing forms. From there, involve your clinical and administrative leads to map out a new workflow centered around digital access.

With Engage⁺, implementation is fast and requires minimal staff training. Automated onboarding pulls family contacts from PointClickCare, and the interface is intuitive for both staff and families. Within weeks, long-term care homes can see reduced administrative time, fewer compliance risks, and improved family engagement.

Consent should not be a bottleneck. When managed well, it becomes an opportunity to engage families, support regulatory compliance, and return time to resident care. Platforms like Engage⁺ offer a way forward, where communication is clear, care decisions are collaborative, and compliance is built into the workflow.

Explore how Engage⁺ can simplify your consent process and strengthen your compliance strategy. Book your personalized demo today by emailing us at contact@evokehealth.ca.