Remote hypertension tracking program delivers peace of mind to patients

LOS ANGELES, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- 247 Health Solution and Adventist Health have partnered together to offer patients an innovative remote hypertension tracking program beginning in August 2020.

The Adventist Health pilot will use 247 Health Solution's Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) platform--Yes Doctor! ^TM powered by Gento™ technology to gather data on patients' blood pressures to better manage their hypertension. Patients will be provided a biosensor smartwatch and monitored on an ongoing basis by Adventist Health's specialized care team.

Dean Ward, CEO of 247 Health Solution, explains RPM can help provide real-time tracking and trending of patient health measurements resulting in improved health outcomes and reductions in unnecessary ER visits.

The timing of the project couldn't be any better.

Tim Williams, Adventist Health's Administrative Director of Physician and Outpatient Services describes how the Camp Fire of 2018 created a mass disruption to the local health care delivery system with the loss of Feather River Hospital, requiring some residents to drive an hour or more for emergency care. When many people were forced to relocate, Adventist Health stepped up to find a way for patients to keep their primary care provider and even be seen by a specialist—all within the comfort of their home—through an expansion of their telehealth program.

The COVID-19 pandemic has expanded the opportunity for collaboration in caring for patients for better health outcomes. The remote hypertension tracking program will be an important component of Adventist's larger telehealth program. "Remote monitoring at home is an important part of our overall patient-centered, virtual-care strategy," Williams says.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly half of adults in the United States have hypertension and only about one in four adults with hypertension have their condition under control. Additionally, the American Heart Association's "Guidance on Using Remote Patient Monitoring Technologies for Better Cardiovascular Disease Outcomes" indicates research has shown RPM can reduce blood pressure significantly compared to usual care and self-monitoring alone.

247 Health Solution's call center proactively monitors high risk patients at home. "We monitor patients' vitals around the clock to keep them safe and better manage their condition," Ward says "In the event a patient has a sustained, abnormal blood pressure reading or experiences unusual symptoms, we will reach out to their provider to escalate care—even initiate a telehealth visit. We essentially act as an extension of the provider's office."

Hypertension is only one of the conditions the Yes Doctor! ^TM platform supports. With the capability to track and trend heart rate, respiration, oxygen levels, and even temperature, 247 Health Solution provides RPM to a broad range of applications in patient care, including home health, palliative care, and post discharge from the hospital.

With the healthcare landscape rapidly changing, even CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) is recognizing remote patient care as an appropriate delivery model through expanded reimbursement for telehealth. "It has opened a creative bandwidth that wasn't previously viable," Williams states. "It gives us another tool to take care of patients and provides peace of mind to those who are unable to come into the clinic."

SOURCE 247 Health Solution

Related Links

https://www.yesdoctor247.com