Humana Inc., one of the nation's leading health and well-being companies, and AMC Health, a leading provider of end-to-end telehealth solutions, today announced they will partner on a telehealth pilot to improve congestive heart failure (CHF) outcomes.
Over the course of the nine-month Humana Cares Heart Failure Remote Monitoring Program, AMC Health will provide in-home monitoring solutions and services to help 450 Humana Medicare Advantage members in Ohio suffering from CHF better manage their conditions and adhere to their care plans. The remote patient monitoring solutions include Bluetooth-enabled scales and blood pressure monitors, which will be used in conjunction with a cellular modem, and Interactive Voice Response technology.
"With AMC Health's assistance, we'll identify our members most at risk and whose conditions are deteriorating in an effort to reduce readmissions and mortality, and prevent unnecessary emergency department visits," said Humana Cares / SeniorBridge President Eric C. Rackow, M.D. "We're confident that by supplementing the existing efforts of our care managers with AMC Health's remote patient monitoring solutions, we'll be successful in influencing our members to modify unhealthy behaviors and comply with treatment regimens, which will in turn improve their quality of life."
Humana Cares / SeniorBridge, 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, as well as their family members and caregivers.
Under the agreement, AMC Health will deliver the technology, logistics, and clinical support services (specifically for CHF) for the Remote Monitoring Program and capture symptom and biometric information such as daily blood pressure, pulse and body weight.
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 CHF 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.
CHF affects approximately 5.7 million people in the United States, contributing to more than 280,000 deaths annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A study published earlier 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. Poor care transitions, exercise activity, diet and adherence to treatment plan are the leading causes of those readmissions, diminishing the quality of life and life expectancy for people with CHF.
"We focus on delivering proven telehealth solutions and actionable analytics that can make a real difference in monitoring and preventing the onset of complications among members with chronic health issues," said Nesim Bildirici, president and CEO of AMC Health. "Humana is at the forefront of leveraging telehealth technology to transform clinical and financial outcomes. We look forward to working with them to set the standard of excellence for chronic care management."
