Holland Hospital Home Health is the only organization in West Michigan to partner with Health Recovery Solutions to provide patients with remote monitoring technology
January 09, 2018 (Holland, MI) – For patients with chronic illness, home health care plays a vital role in reducing the risk of hospital readmission and ER utilizations. Hospital readmission and ER utilization due to disease exacerbation place a large financial, physical and emotional burden for patients. To help lessen these burdens, Holland Hospital Home Health partnered with software company, Health Recovery Solutions (HRS) last year in March of 2017, to improve health outcomes.
Patients who had CHF, COPD, hypertension, and those who were post-op for cardiac surgery in home health, were placed on telehealth programs. Patients on telehealth, are provided with 4G tablets pre-loaded with HRS’ disease specific software which comes with symptom surveys, videos, and teach-back quizzes. The tablet is paired with Bluetooth peripheral biometric devices which allow patients to take and track their vitals daily while also transmitting their vitals to their clinician all in real time. The software also allows for two-way communication between the clinician and the patient through text messaging, phone, and video communication.
Holland Hospital Home Health’s Telehealth Coordinator, Ronnesa Richards, RN, BSN, is responsible for coordinating and managing the care of over 100 patients on telehealth. Richards monitors patient vitals through the HRS ClinicianConnect web portal that are transmitted from their homes through the software. She also uses communication to visit patients and to check in on their care. If a patient’s readings put them at risk, Richards will get an alert through the HRS system and she will either call the patient or alert the nurse case manager to assess the patient in real time.
Richards adds, “telehealth augments traditional patient care. We can really rely not just on data but also have a clearer clinical picture of the patient with video visits. Even without a video visit, we can track subtle changes in the trends, have a quick view of the effectiveness of medication changes and have better opportunities for early intervention.”
Patients placed on telehealth saw a low readmission rate of 6.4% for the 9-month period of March to November 2017 for 30-day readmissions, and 6.4% ER utilization rate for the same. Richards attributes these low readmission rates to the ability to intervene quickly by physicians. Richards adds “we can get physicians involved in their patient’s care earlier as patients come out of the hospital, by providing them with the data we are receiving via telehealth.”
Jarrett Bauer, CEO of HRS, adds “Holland Hospital Home Health’s low readmission rates can be attributed to their remarkable telehealth program and the dedication of their clinicians. We are thrilled that our platform is used by such outstanding clinicians.”
About Holland Hospital Home Health
Holland Hospital Home Health Services offers experienced care for patients of all ages. Our compassionate home health experts are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to provide skilled nursing care and personalized service in the comfort of home. We offer free in-home assessments for prospective patients to help determine home health needs. Our trained staff will visit with no charge or obligation to provide information and answer your questions. To learn more, call (800) 996-3346 or (616) 394-3346.
About Health Recovery Solutions (HRS)
Health Recovery Solutions (HRS) supplies leading home care agencies with the most advanced remote monitoring platform focused on changing patient behavior to reduce readmissions and improve clinical outcomes. HRS’ disease-specific engagement kits are customized with educational video, care plans, medication reminders while integrated with Bluetooth peripherals to engage patients. For clinicians, HRS' software allows for the management of high-risk patients and provides seamless communication with them through video chat, wound imaging and text messaging. For family members and caregivers, HRS' software gives them the ability to be fully involved in their family member's care and well-being. To learn more about Health Recovery Solutions, visit our Solutions page, or call (347) 699-6477