HTRC recently hosted the National Consortium of Telehealth Resource Center's biannual meeting at Mercy Virtual in Chesterfield, Mo. Leaders from Mercy Virtual discussed their constellation of virtual care programs, including vEngagement, a program for chronically ill patients that has reduced hospital readmissions by an impressive 50%, according to Kerry Olliff, Sales Operations Manager at Mercy Virtual. Keeping patients out of the hospital not only benefits the hospital, but also improves the quality of life for patients.
"'I just want to be able to play bingo with my girlfriends on Wednesday nights.' This is what we are hearing from patients," said Oliff.
In order to help keep patients in their homes and out of the hospital, the program combines aspects of remote patient monitoring and team-based care for the 3000 patients enrolled in the program. Patients receive an iPad, and other digital tools including a pulse oximeter, weight scale and blood pressure cuff. One key to the success of the program is that the iPads come pre-loaded with apps that are selected for their ease of use, even for patients with little previous experience with the technology. Though the average patient enrolled in the program is in his or her mid-70s, Olliff shared that no patient has every dropped out of the program because they were uncomfortable with the technology.
The iPads are used for patients to meet from their homes with teams of professionals one to three times per week. Each patient has a designated care team that includes a nurse practitioner, a mental health professional, a dietitian, a chaplain, a physical therapist and a social worker among others.
Team-based care can vastly improve the lives of patients with chronic illness, according to HTRC Project Director Janine Gracy.
"Particularly for patients with limited mobility due to age, illness or lack of transportation, meeting with an entire care team in one setting can be a game-changer." said Gracy, who helped establish a team-based care ALS clinic in Wichita.
Gracy stressed that using telehealth to deliver care is not limited to large health systems like Mercy, but also for smaller, community-based organizations.
"We are working with more and more providers in community-based clinics, hospitals and private practices who see telehealth as a way to improve care for their patients," said Gracy.
For more information about getting started with telehealth, contact HTRC at 877-643-HTRC.
