Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/66539
As members become more knowledgeable about their condition, they are better able to make decisions which promote their health. the rates of admissions, and improv- ing patient self-management skills. A nurse monitoring center is the Improving Patient Care with Remote Care Monitoring P by Linda Grosser, RN, CNP atients with chronic diseases account for as much as 80% of all healthcare expenditures1, and often require expensive ongoing treatment, hospitalizations and even rehospitalizations for exacerbations of their conditions. These chronically ill patients may lack self-management skills and miss important follow up or specialist appointments after an in- patient stay, that are crucial to keep- ing them from bouncing back into the hospital. They may not have a family support system to help with their daily care, or remember to take their medi- cations. While routine monitoring of these high-cost, high-risk members to avoid these gaps in care can help prevent complications, most healthcare systems lack the resources to provide this type of care to their ever-increasing population of chronically ill patients. A recent technology has shown promise in promoting cost-effective care for patients with certain chronic conditions and in preventing avoid- able readmissions to the hospi- tal. Telemonitoring or remote care monitoring (RCM) has been imple- mented in certain chronic condi- tions such as CHF, COPD, diabetes, and asthma to better meet the needs of certain patients. This innovative technology has been successful in promoting quality care by reducing 1 Baker LC, Johnson SJ, Macaulay D, et al. Integrated telehealth and care management program for Medicare beneficiaries with chronic disease linked to savings. Health Affairs. 2001 Sept;30(9):1689-97. heart of an RCM program. The nurse works with the primary care physician to implement the plan of care based upon the patient's medical needs. Patients at high risk for readmission or other high cost care are typically selected. A telemonitor which allows routine scheduled video teleconfer- encing with the nurse in the moni- toring center is set up in the home. The patient also receives additional equipment including a scale to mea- sure their weight, blood pressure equipment, a pulse oximeter and a blood glucose monitor if appropriate. All of these devices send the patient's results via a wireless connection to the nurse monitoring center on a daily basis. The nurse reviews the daily transmissions and notes any trends that indicate the patient is in need of medical attention. This allows timely evaluation and implementation of any medical interventions that may be needed to support the patient's care and avoid an emergency room visit or inpatient admission. An alert on the monitor reminds CMCS connections 5 2nd qu arter 2012 patients to perform their vital signs and other measurements on a daily basis. The patient also completes a self assessment each day, answering ques- tions related to his or her condition on the touch screen monitor, such as any symptoms of increased shortness of (continued on next page) photo courtesy of care innovations 2011