A new agreement between the Government of Yukon www.gov.yk.ca and TELUS Health www.telushealth.co will extend home health monitoring to support chronic conditions for Yukon patients. The project is due to launch in early September 2016 for up to 50 patients. The trial phase is scheduled to end on March 31, 2017.
The home health monitoring project is part of Yukon’s chronic disease management project an initiative of the Territorial Health Investment Fund www.hss.gov.yk.ca/healthinvestment.php operating to help improve health systems by integrating health services.
During the first phase, the project will concentrate on patients with COPD to help patients increase their awareness of their condition through self-management. Patients will be trained on the equipment used for monitoring by TELUS Health and provided with a tablet, to enable connection with a care provider. Patients will participate in the project for three to six months depending on their requirements.
“We are committed to innovation and have strong evidence that technology supports healthcare system transformation and enables better health outcomes for all Canadians particularly in rural communities,” TELUS Health President Paul Lepage said.
He added, “The monitoring projects have been used with more than 7,500 patients across British Columbia, Quebec, and Ontario. This has not only resulted in significant cost savings, less frequent patient emergency room visits, and hospital readmissions, but also has resulted in nearly 100 per cent of patients reporting that they are highly engaged in their health.”