Technology Enhances Follow-Up Care
Patients who leave a Bon Secours hospital with a condition that tends to result in a second trip to the hospital are being sent home with monitors, free of charge. The monitor employs Telehealth technology where the medical staff can remotely monitor patients and provide follow-up care as soon as it is needed. This means patients with conditions like diabetes, congestive heart failure, or other medical conditions that can change quickly, are more frequently monitored by the nursing team and end up with fewer situations that become life-threatening.
“Patient care continues after hospital discharge with Telehealth Health Care. Patients don’t stop being our patients just because they leave the four walls of the hospital,” said Sharon Riddick, RN, administrative director of Bon Secours Home Care. “We have a responsibility to provide the best follow-up care possible so patients don’t need to be readmitted.”
Through the technology, nurses can determine whether the patient has shortness of breath or is adhering to their diet and medication regimen. When a patient is registered for this service, a Telehealth nurse sets up the system and educates the patient exactly how to obtain and record their vital signs. Nurses also conduct a virtual visit, which includes patients checking their own blood pressure, blood sugar, and blood oxygen levels. This information is sent to a Home Care central computer that electronically alerts the team if something appears to be amiss.
Since Bon Secours Hampton Roads began its Telehealth program five years ago, results have been significant. Readmission rates have dropped by 15 percent, and Bon Secours’ readmission rate is now 13 percent, 10 percent below the national average. The program has been so successful in Hampton Roads; it has served as a model for other Bon Secours health systems in other parts of the country.
“Telehealth makes a lot of sense,” said Riddick. “We’re staying connected to our patients, and that results in better overall health for our community.”
For more information about Telehealth services, contact Bon Secours Home Care at 889-4663.