The program provides congestive heart failure patients with a telemonitoring scale that measures weight and asks health-related questions. This data is transmitted to a cardiac nurse, who monitors the patients’ conditions daily.
Overall, readmission rates for patients in the program are 3-7 percent; for the program’s sickest heart failure patients, readmission rates are 0-2 percent. In contrast, national hospital readmission rates for congestive heart failure patients at six months are 40-50 percent. Furthermore, the program has saved $1.25 million for 29 patients over 6 months.
The program, founded in 1998 by CMO Carl Heltne, MD, has been recognized by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s Health Care Innovations Exchange. The program’s manager, Linda Wick, NP, will describe the program at the AHRQ Innovations Exchange, where leaders will decide how to expand the program to other organizations.
Read the hospital release on the Essentia Health Heart Failure Program (pdf).
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