Humana Inc. a well-being company and AMC Health a provider of telehealth solutions are partnering on a telehealth pilot to improve Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) outcomes.
CHF affects approximately 5.7 million people in the U.S, contributing to more than 280,000 deaths annually according to CDC. A study published this year in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that 24.8 percent of Medicare patients admitted for heart failure were readmitted within 30 days after discharge.
Humana Cares/SeniorBridge, which is Humana’s national chronic care management division, supports more than 300,000 individuals who have chronic conditions, struggle with daily activities, and are frequently hospitalized.
AMC Health will provide in-home monitoring solutions and services to help 450 Humana Medicare Advantage members in Ohio suffering from CHF to better manage their conditions and adhere to their care plans.
Under the agreement, AMC Health will deliver the technology, logistics, and clinical support specifically for CHF using their Remote Heart Failure Monitoring Program to capture symptom and biometric information such as daily blood pressure, pulse, and body weight.
The remote patient monitoring solution includes Bluetooth-enabled scales and blood pressure monitors to be used in conjunction with a cellular modem and Interactive Voice Response technology.
The Humana Cares/Senior Bridge care managers will work in conjunction with AMC Health nurses to analyze the information in near real-time against nationally accepted CHR standards of care. If a member’s weight or blood pressure is outside normal parameters. AMC Health will assess symptom and behavior information via an automated interactive voice response telephone process. Nurses will provide coaching and education and arrange for an appointment with the individual’s physician if further intervention is needed.
“With AMC Health’s assistance, we are able to identify our members most at risk with deteriorating conditions in an effort to reduce readmissions and mortality and prevent unnecessary emergency department visits”, said Humana Cares/SeniorBridge President Eric C. Rackow, M.D.
For more information, go to www.humana.com or www.amchealth.com.