Aspirus will offer telemonitoring services

IRONWOOD - The Aspirus Grand View Home Health team will soon begin offering home telemonitoring services to patients.

Marcia Nelson, manager of AGVHH, said the new program is "a real opportunity for us to make a difference for the patients."

The system has already set up at Aspirus Wausau and Aspirus Keweenaw, and Nelson said the programs at both locations seem to be working really well.

The recording program is accessed through a tablet and can be used through a phone line, wifi or satellite.

The Honeywell devices record a variety of patient health information, including blood oxygen levels, temperature, blood pressure, weight tracking and health questions specific to a patient needs.

"The program can individualize to the patient," Nelson said.

If someone is an early morning person, their vitals and questions can be set for then, or if they want to take them in the afternoon, it can be set for a later time, she said.

The telemonitoring system automatically sends alerts to the home health team, which allows them to monitor patients. The alerts are checked one time per day, but information is saved long-term and doctors will receive copies of the patients information, Nelson said.

Though the devices are useful, the system is not meant to be an emergency response.

"It's not an emergency system," Nelson said. "But it allows us to follow up with a patient, give them a telephone call and discuss what the problem may be."

If patients are in an emergency situation, they are to still call 911 or get to the emergency room, Nelson said.

The system does, however, give patients an idea of what would constitute an emergency, she said, through "My Emergency Plan."

One point Nelson stressed was that this system is not meant to replace doctor or nurse visits either, but is a tool they can use to track changes in patients.

The system "isn't replacing any of our services, it's augmenting them," Nelson said.

No patients through AGVHH have been set up with the system yet, Nelson said, but 10 systems are available. Right now, the team is "looking for the right patients," she said.

The patients must currently be a home health system patient through AVGHH to qualify, but can be diagnosed with a variety of different diseases, such as heart conditions, pulmonary conditions and diabetes. The devices are free-of-charge to qualifying patients.

The telemonitoring system is not meant to be placed in a patient's home long term, but rather serves as a way to teach patients how to monitor their diagnosis, Nelson said.

"We're teaching them how to manage their disease on a day-to-day basis," she said. "We want long-term success for their health."

According to a 2007 study completed by Guy Pare, Mirou Jaana and Claude Sicotte, "home telemonitoring of chronic diseases seems to be a promising patient management approach that produces accurate and reliable data, empowers patients, influences their attitudes and behaviors and potentially improves their medical conditions."

Nelson also feels the new system will be very beneficial to the home health patient, especially in the years to come.

"I can see this being more of the future," she said.

For questions regarding home health telemonitoring or other services offered at AGVHH, call 906-932-2440.