Telemonitoring: Catching Heart Failure Problems Early

Fewer Hospitalizations

Telemonitoring puts technology to work improving the lives of Pathways’ heart failure patients.  By catching problems earlier, it reduces hospitalizations.

Home Health nurses don’t visit daily, so telemonitoring gives Pathways a way to assess the patient 7 days a week, from our office.
 
The easy-to-use unit can give us the patient’s:

• Weight
• Blood pressure
• Heart rate
• Oxygen saturation

When a patient touches any button on the small unit, a friendly voice talks them through each step of the health check.  Patients also receive the data, giving feedback.

The information is sent automatically to a nurse via telephone: there is no phone charge to the patient.

Nurses monitor the health information daily, call the patient if necessary, and make home visits when indicated.

Pathways Telemonitoring Program Criteria

• Patient has heart failure
• Patient or caregiver can understand and follow instructions, and are physically able to use the unit 
• Patient or caregiver are open to telemonitoring technology
• Patient does not have an infectious disease (i.e. TB,  MRSA, varicella zoster, herpes zoster)   

This article was originally published in Pathways Physician & Health Professional Bulletin - Issue 26.  To download this issue in PDF format, or past issues, visit our newsletter archives online at www.pathwayshealth.org/publications.