Pure Cardiology is a membership-based concierge practice in Charlotte, North Carolina. It cares for complex patients with a focus on preventing events and having patients engaged in their health management.

Remote patient monitoring technology keeps the patient paying attention to their health and allows the cardiologists to carefully monitor their progress and make medical adjustments on a regular basis.

THE PROBLEM

Pure Cardiology saw a clear benefit in staying connected with its patients between in-person visits. The team believed access to real-time, actionable data would enable them to provide proactive, personalized care and support patients in achieving their personal health goals, but they lacked the staff to run the program and keep patients engaged.

PROPOSAL

"Health Logx offered Pure Cardiology a turnkey solution for remote patient monitoring and chronic care management, powered by the Carium platform," said Dr. Richard Browne, a cardiologist at Pure Cardiology. "The program is targeted at our at-risk patients with chronic conditions such as hypertension, obesity, diabetes and heart failure.

"Through the program, patients would be monitored and managed in real time while receiving personalized education and health coaching," he continued. "Shared-decision action plans would be created for behavior change and lifestyle modifications to effectively improve outcomes, reduce health costs and decrease hospital admissions."

"Patients remain engaged in this RPM program because it pairs biometric data with reminders, messaging, personalized learning content, surveys, journaling and nutrition tracking."

Dr. Richard Browne, Pure Cardiology

The vendor's service also includes assistance with recruiting, onboarding and troubleshooting with patients, and billing on behalf of the practice.

MARKETPLACE

There are numerous vendors on the market today with remote patient monitoring technology. Healthcare IT News compiled a comprehensive guide to these vendors. To read about these companies, click here.

MEETING THE CHALLENGE

Doctors from Pure Cardiology refer qualifying patients to Health Logx. Angie Stevens, the founder of Health Logx, connects with the patient and equips them with a digital health kit, which includes the Carium app and digital devices such as blood pressure cuffs, weight scales and/or blood glucose monitors, depending on their needs.

"On a regular basis, the patients take their blood pressure, blood sugar and/or weight from the comfort of their home using the connected device," Browne explained. "Patients' biometrics are automatically shared and monitored by Stevens via the Carium provider user interface. Access to this real-time data enables her to identify and manage abnormal trends and take action when necessary.

"Patients are engaged and managed virtually through the use of the Carium app with messaging, video chats and phone calls, depending on their preferences, on a frequency based on their acuity and real-time trends," he continued. "All conversations with patients are documented in Elation Health for continuity and collaboration with their physician. Any abnormal trends and symptoms are communicated immediately with their provider and addressed in real time."

RESULTS

The benefits to Pure Cardiology have been better experiences for patients, personalized care, rich data and new revenue streams.

"In just the first three months, 100% of patients have lower blood sugars and A1Cs, and average systolic blood pressure has been reduced by 12 mmHg per patient," Browne reported. "One patient, Patricia, said about her and her husband, Enrique's, experience, 'We're achieving numbers that our doctor has wanted us to achieve for the past three years.'"

Another patient, Eileen, said, "Having another layer in your healthcare, where someone really has the time and the ability and the skills to help you, is just fantastic." During her four-month relationship with Health Logx, Eileen has lost 12 pounds, moved from the "overweight" to "normal" BMI range, lost three inches from her waist circumference, reducing her cardiovascular and metabolic risks, and reduced her A1c from 6.2 to 5.8. Her cholesterol level has dropped significantly.

"The patient engagement rate averaging 89.7% in the first six months is another metric that stands out," Browne noted. "Patients remain engaged in this RPM program because it pairs biometric data with reminders, messaging, personalized learning content, surveys, journaling and nutrition tracking. This enables Stevens to get a holistic view of a patient's health so she can help patients become invested partners in their own health."

ADVICE FOR OTHERS

When thinking about remote patient monitoring, finding a solution that helps engage patients is crucial, Browne advised.

"Some remote monitoring technologies focus solely on gathering and transmitting the data, but being able to act on the data and engage patients leads to better outcomes," he concluded.

"Having a platform that empowers patients with the data is powerful. The program will also be more successful if patients feel supported, so it's also important to have great support to help with onboarding and technical support."

Twitter: @SiwickiHealthIT
Email the writer: bsiwicki@himss.org
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