Cardiac Care

Connected health technologies are demonstrating their value in cardiac care, particularly for patients with heart failure. Today’s telemonitoring devices are smaller and more user-friendly, and can monitor heart rate, blood pressure, oxymetry and weight. Recent studies have shown that using telemonitoring devices, together with patient communications, has a significant impact on efficiency of care and quality of life, while decreasing re-hospitalization rates.

Center for Connected Health Models of Care

SmartBeat: Hypertension Self-Management

This program aims to improve blood pressure control and increase participant engagement in their health. The SmartBeat program involves blood pressure monitoring and a personalized intelligent website, which provides feedback on blood pressure data.

Connected Cardiac Care

This program offers heart failure patients who are at risk for re-hospitalization the option of being remotely monitored. Based on a pilot at Massachusetts General Hospital, this program is now being offered to all Partners-affiliated hospitals and physician practices.

Heart Failure Monitoring for Homebound Patients

Our heart failure monitoring trial examined the role of telemonitoring devices in improving the quality and efficiency of medical care delivered to Class 3 and 4 heart failure home care patients.

Center for Connected Health Models of Care

SmartBeat: Hypertension Self-Management

This program aims to improve blood pressure control and increase participant engagement in their health. The SmartBeat program involves blood pressure monitoring and a personalized intelligent website, which provides feedback on blood pressure data.

Connected Cardiac Care

This program offers heart failure patients who are at risk for re-hospitalization the option of being remotely monitored. Based on a pilot at Massachusetts General Hospital, this program is now being offered to all Partners-affiliated hospitals and physician practices.

Stories

Carolyn Thornton

Carolyn was part of the heart failure monitoring trial to determine the effectiveness of remote-monitoring services for homebound patients.

Cecelia Riley

Each day, Cecelia transmitted her blood pressure, weight and other vital signs to a home care nurse as part of the Connected Cardiac Care program.

Connected Cardiac Care

Mariano, a heart failure patient, and his daughter Michelle, explain how telemonitoring has impacted his life.

Stories

Carolyn Thornton

Carolyn was part of the heart failure monitoring trial to determine the effectiveness of remote-monitoring services for homebound patients.

Cecelia Riley

Each day, Cecelia transmitted her blood pressure, weight and other vital signs to a home care nurse as part of the Connected Cardiac Care program.

Research Materials & External Resources

Remote Physiological Monitoring: Research Update

Remote, home-based physiological monitoring of patients with congestive heart failure can save thousands of dollars per patient per year through fewer hospitalizations, according to a new report by the New England Healthcare Institute.

January 21, 2009 | New England Healthcare Institute

Care Coordination/Home Telehealth: the systematic implementation of health informatics, home telehealth, and disease management to support the care of veteran patients with chronic conditions.

VHA's experience is that an enterprise-wide home telehealth implementation is an appropriate and cost-effective way of managing chronic care patients in both urban and rural settings.

December 2008 | Darkins A, Ryan P, Kobb R, Foster L, Edmonson E, Wakefield B, Lancaster AE.

Beyond EHRs: How Technology Can Help You Treat Chronic Illness

This article discusses how technology can help family physicians not only keep up with the needs of their chronically ill patients but also increase the quality of their care.

March 2008 | Heinzelmann PJ, Kvedar JC, Kibbe DC

Connected Care: Technology Enabled Care at Home

This report outlines chronic conditions in the home that information technologies are well suited to support as part of treatment, and the types of technologies available.

March 2008 | Deloitte Center for Health Solutions

Randomized trial of Telemonitoring to Improve Heart Failure Outcomes (Tele-HF): study design

Telemonitoring to Improve Heart Failure Outcomes (Tele-HF) is a randomized, controlled, trial designed to compare an automated, daily symptom, and self-reported weight monitoring intervention with usual care in reducing (all-cause) hospital readmissions and mortality among patients recently hospitalized with decompensated heart failure.

November 2007 | Chaudhry SI, Barton B, Mattera J, Spertus J, Krumholz HM

Adherence, adaptation and acceptance of elderly chronic heart failure patients to receiving healthcare via telephone-monitoring

This study shows that elderly CHF patients can adapt quickly, find telephone-monitoring an acceptable part of their healthcare routine, and are able to maintain good adherence for a least 12 months.

November 2007 | Clark RA, Yallop JJ, Piterman L, Croucher J, Tonkin A, Stewart S, Krum H; CHAT Study Team

Telehomecare and Remote Monitoring: An Outcomes Overview

This report focuses on how telehomecare and remote monitoring technologies have impacted the care of patients with diabetes, congestive heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Wednesday, October 31, 2007 | Stachura M, Khasanshina E

Patterns of Weight Change Preceding Hospitalization for Heart Failure

Daily information about patients' body weight identifies a high-risk period during which interventions to avert decompensated heart failure that necessitates hospitalization may be beneficial.

Tuesday, October 2, 2007 | Chaudhry SI, Wang Y, Concato J, Gill TM, Krumholz HM

Mobile phone-based remote patient monitoring system for management of hypertension in diabetic patients

The objectives of this study were to develop and pilot-test a home blood-pressure tele-management system that actively engages patients in the process of care.

September 2007 | Logan AG, McIsaac WJ, Tisler A, Irvine MJ, Saunders A, Dunai A, Rizo CA, Feig DS, Hamill M, Trudel M, Cafazzo JA

Telemonitoring or structured telephone support programmes for patients with chronic heart failure: systematic review and meta-analysis

The authors concluded that programmes for chronic heart failure that include remote monitoring have a positive effect on clinical outcomes in community dwelling patients with chronic heart failure.

Saturday, May 5, 2007 | Clark RA, Inglis SC, McAlister FA, Cleland JG, Stewart S.

Web-based Internet telemedicine management of patients with heart failure

An Internet-based telemedicine system was able to closely monitor patients with HF, and surveillance through Internet-based telemedicine resulted in less hospitalization compared to control patients.

August 2006 | Kashem A, Droogan MT, Santamore WP, Wald JW, Marble JF, Cross RC, Bove AA

Impact of Home-Based Monitoring on the Care of Patients With Congestive Heart Failure

This article assesses the effectiveness of home telemonitoring in patients with class III or IV CHF recently discharged from the hospital.

2006 | Myers S, Grant R, Lugn N, Holbert B, Kvedar J

Blood pressure control by home monitoring: meta-analysis of randomised trials

The authors found that blood pressure control in people with hypertension and the proportion achieving targets are increased when home blood pressure monitoring is used rather than standard blood pressure monitoring in the healthcare system.

Saturday, July 17, 2004 | Cappuccio FP, Kerry SM, Forbes L, Donald A.

Research Materials & External Resources

Remote Physiological Monitoring: Research Update

Remote, home-based physiological monitoring of patients with congestive heart failure can save thousands of dollars per patient per year through fewer hospitalizations, according to a new report by the New England Healthcare Institute.

January 21, 2009 | New England Healthcare Institute

Care Coordination/Home Telehealth: the systematic implementation of health informatics, home telehealth, and disease management to support the care of veteran patients with chronic conditions.

VHA's experience is that an enterprise-wide home telehealth implementation is an appropriate and cost-effective way of managing chronic care patients in both urban and rural settings.

December 2008 | Darkins A, Ryan P, Kobb R, Foster L, Edmonson E, Wakefield B, Lancaster AE.

JCK promo photoNew! The cHealth Blog
Check out Dr. Joe Kvedar's new blog about Connected Health:
The cHealth Blog

 

News & Articles Show More

Home monitoring gives heart failure patients boostPatients with heart failure who used home-based interactive telehealth systems with motivational support tools spent fewer days in the hospital and reported an improved quality of life over a 12-month evaluation period.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010 | Healthcare IT News
Automated at-home monitoring lowers high blood pressure, study findsThe use of home-based blood pressure monitoring devices and online reporting tools can help patients manage hypertension, according to preliminary research from a new study.
Friday, May 21, 2010 | Healthcare IT News
FL center pilots mobile blood pressure monitoringUniversity of Miami Miller School of Medicine has teamed up with Ideal Life to pilot a wireless remote monitoring system that aims to help users better manage their high blood pressure.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010 | mobihealthnews
Lifeline grows with broader patient monitoringPhilips Healthcare's Lifeline is expanding into home monitoring, including a telehealth service to monitor patients with congestive heart failure.
Friday, March 19, 2010 | Mass High Tech
Cleveland Clinic program linking chronic-disease patients directly to doctors online shows successA pilot project at the Cleveland Clinic has found that patients with chronic diseases manage them more effectively when they use medical devices to submit health information online regularly to physicians.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010 | Cleveland.com
Remote monitoring: Out of sight, right in lineThe goal of remote monitoring is to catch problems early and improve patient self-management in order to reduce the need for office visits and hospitalizations. But the technology has to overcome some hurdles to widespread implementation.
Monday, March 1, 2010 | ACP Internist

News & Articles Show Less

Home monitoring gives heart failure patients boostPatients with heart failure who used home-based interactive telehealth systems with motivational support tools spent fewer days in the hospital and reported an improved quality of life over a 12-month evaluation period.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010 | Healthcare IT News
Automated at-home monitoring lowers high blood pressure, study findsThe use of home-based blood pressure monitoring devices and online reporting tools can help patients manage hypertension, according to preliminary research from a new study.
Friday, May 21, 2010 | Healthcare IT News
FL center pilots mobile blood pressure monitoringUniversity of Miami Miller School of Medicine has teamed up with Ideal Life to pilot a wireless remote monitoring system that aims to help users better manage their high blood pressure.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010 | mobihealthnews
Lifeline grows with broader patient monitoringPhilips Healthcare's Lifeline is expanding into home monitoring, including a telehealth service to monitor patients with congestive heart failure.
Friday, March 19, 2010 | Mass High Tech
Cleveland Clinic program linking chronic-disease patients directly to doctors online shows successA pilot project at the Cleveland Clinic has found that patients with chronic diseases manage them more effectively when they use medical devices to submit health information online regularly to physicians.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010 | Cleveland.com
Remote monitoring: Out of sight, right in lineThe goal of remote monitoring is to catch problems early and improve patient self-management in order to reduce the need for office visits and hospitalizations. But the technology has to overcome some hurdles to widespread implementation.
Monday, March 1, 2010 | ACP Internist
SmartBeat hypertension self-management program named New England's Best Benefits PracticeSmartBeat, an innovative new benefits program to help employees self-manage high blood pressure, was recognized as one of New England's Best Benefits Practices of 2009 by the New England Employee Benefits Council.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010 | Center for Connected Health
The Potential of Remote Health Monitoring at WorkThe Center for Connected Health has been creating modules that employers can offer to workers who have a chronic condition that bears close watching but who report to work each day and do the things that need to be done.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009 | Harvard Business Review
The virtual doctor visitNew technology is helping elderly patients and those with chronic diseases monitor their condition from the comfort of home.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009 | The Washington Post
Health Care IT Gets Personal Analytics, decision-support, and an array of other health IT tools are helping advance the development of treatments tailored to individuals' needs.
Friday, November 13, 2009 | InformationWeek
Going Low Tech Might Reduce Costly Hospital Admissions in Chronic Heart FailureInova Mount Vernon Hospital's adoption of the Tel-Assurance Remote Patient Monitoring Platform has reduced the admission rate among congestive heart failure patients and decreased cost as well as lengths of stay and acuity for those admitted to the hospital.
Monday, August 24, 2009 | HealthLeaders Media
Pilot project shows promise for cutting Medicaid costsA Kansas telehealth program has helped to reduce participants' hospitalizations by 70% and the state's Medicaid cost by an estimated $1.5 million, according to officials.
Monday, August 3, 2009 | Kansas Health Institute
Senior Citizens Begin To Embrace Online Tools To Better Manage Their Own Health CareSenior citizens are beginning to embrace the use of online tools to better manage their health care.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009 | iHealthBeat
Telephone check-in system cuts re-admissions by 54%A daily telephone check-in system for heart failure patients has cut readmission rates by 54 per cent, according to a study by the University of Ottawa Heart Institute.
Saturday, July 11, 2009 | The Sault Star
Calling All Heart PatientsPhone, Internet interventions can improve prognosis for cardiac disease, researchers say.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009 | US News & World Report
Soon, cell phones to monitor heart patients In a bid to encourage heart patients to complete their rehabilitation programs after surgery, Australian scientists have come up with a new technique that will see nurses monitoring them via a mobile phone.
Saturday, May 2, 2009 | The Times of India
Medicine's Next Big Battlefield: Your HomeCardiac medicine is moving to the home: An implanted electronic device constantly monitors a patient's well-being.
Monday, April 27, 2009 | Damian Joseph
GE Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Immelt & Intel President and CEO Paul Otellini Discuss Their New VentureTwo of corporate America's best known names are teaming up. General Electric and Intel today announced a healthcare alliance to develop and market new medical devices for people with chronic diseases.
Thursday, April 2, 2009 | PBS
Kaiser pilot results in reduction of heart attack deaths by 73 percentAn engaged front-line team, supported by an electronic health record and a clinical care registry, is credited with reducing the deaths of patients with coronary health disease by 73 percent, according to the results of a Colorado program piloted by Kaiser Permanente.
Friday, March 27, 2009 | Bernie Monegain
Remote patient monitoring improves outcomes for chronically ill, study showsRemote patient monitoring technology enables healthcare providers to treat patients before their conditions becomes more acute, according to a new study from the Spyglass Consulting Group.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009 | Bernie Monegain
Center for Connected Health to Launch Disease-Monitoring System, Mulls Commercial SpinoffThe Center for Connected Health is launching a Web-based service so employers can help their workers keep their high blood pressure in check. The service could help reduce thousands of fatal strokes and heart attacks in the U.S. caused by high blood pressure every year.
Thursday, February 12, 2009 | Xconomy
Sensors Help Keep the Elderly at Home Increasingly, many older people who live alone are not truly alone. They are being watched by a flurry of new technologies designed to enable them to live independently and avoid expensive trips to the emergency room or nursing homes.
Thursday, February 12, 2009 | The New York Times
At-home monitoring helps seniors living with heart failureSome heart failure patients who live in the Greater Victoria area are now able to manage their health care in just a few minutes a day, from the comfort of their own homes, with the help of Telehomecare.
Monday, February 9, 2009 | Canadian Society of Telehealth
Securing the Benefits of Telehealth in Home CareThe evidence on the value of telehealth keeps getting stronger...can home care agencies attain its benefits?
Wednesday, February 4, 2009 | HCAR Tech Weekly
Health systems use phone technology to monitor patientsAnn Schoenbeck, 91, is among the patients of Aurora Visiting Nurse Association of Wisconsin who are benefiting from so-called telehealth - technology that monitors patients remotely.
Saturday, January 31, 2009 | Journal Sentinel
Study: Savings from Home MonitoringRemote, home-based physiological monitoring of patients with congestive heart failure can save thousands of dollars per patient per year through fewer hospitalizations, according to a new report.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009 | HealthData Management
Home Health Technology Improves Access to CareVeterans with chronic conditions can manage their health and avoid hospitalization by using special technology provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs in their homes, according to a recent study.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009 | Government Technology
Cleveland clinic pilots HealthVault to track chronic diseases at homePatients will be provided HealthVault-enabled digital devices, such as blood pressure monitors and glucometers, and asked to perform regular health monitoring.
Monday, November 10, 2008 | Healthcare IT News
Report: Patient-monitoring tech could save $200B in health costs by 2033Remotely monitoring patients with chronic diseases could cut nearly $200 billion from the country’s health care costs in the next 25 years, according to a new study by economist Robert Litan.
Friday, October 24, 2008 | Government Health IT
Intel launches first medical device Intel’s first-generation health guide is designed for doctors who manage patients with congestive heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Friday, August 22, 2008 | Portland Business Journal
Telemonitoring demands seamless data exchangeCoventry Health Care will begin a telemedicine pilot for some congestive heart failure patients with German-based InterComponentWare's Device Connectivity Solution and Professional Exchange Server, which will allow for interoperablity among disparate systems to provide a seamless exchange of patient data.
Friday, August 15, 2008 | Hospital IT Europe
Intel Gets FDA Approval Of Personal Health SystemThe Health Guide system is intended to let doctors and other health care providers interact with patients online and remotely manage their chronic conditions. Intel expects the system to be commercially available by the end of the year.
Friday, July 11, 2008 | iHealthBeat
Provider Expands TeleHealth ServicesPresbyterian Home Healthcare in Albuquerque, N.M., will substantially increase its use of remote monitoring technology for home-bound patients.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008 | Health Data Management
Health care found to be better with online helpA Seattle-based study showed patients with online help controlled their high blood pressure more than twice as well as those who didn't have extra resources, and they did it with fewer doctor visits.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008 | Seattle PI
Australian scientists take "mobile" approach to heart attack rehabScientists at Queensland University of Technology's Institute of Biomedical Innovation have combined a mobile phone with a miniature heart monitor and a GPS device in response to a low participation rate of heart patients in cardiac rehabilitation.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008 | QUT
Monitors urged for all with high blood pressureEveryone with high blood pressure — some 72 million Americans — should own a home monitor and do regular pressure checks, the American Heart Association and other groups urged in an unprecedented endorsement of a medical device for consumers.
Thursday, May 22, 2008 | MSNBC
Remote monitoring improves heart failure patients’ health, may reduce hospital readmissionsA study conducted by the Center for Connected Health and presented at the American Heart Association’s 9th Scientific Forum on Quality of Care and Outcomes Research in Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke, reports that a remote monitoring program can improve the condition of heart failure patients who are mobile and may reduce hospital readmissions. Continue reading to learn more and to also watch the video news release.
Thursday, May 1, 2008 | American Heart Association
NYS Health Commissioner goes on home visit with county nurse, local doctorNew York State Health Commissioner made house calls with a county health nurse to see how new telehealth technology keeps health care providers updated on a patient's condition. A high-tech monitor for heart and lung patients sends data on vital signs to a central station via satellite
Wednesday, April 9, 2008 | Capital News 9
Combining Internet With Office Visits Cut Heart Attack RisksA four-year study of rural and urban patients at risk for cardiovascular disease showed both office visits and an Internet-based physician contact program helped them lower blood pressure, lipid levels and cardiovascular disease scores.
Sunday, March 30, 2008 | Washington Post
Communicating your way to a healthy heartTemple researchers find that regular communication with doctors can lower risk of cardiovascular disease.
Sunday, March 30, 2008 | Temple University
EMC tests health management program with Partners HealthCareSmartBeat is a health-management program under development by the Center for Connected Health; EMC is the first and only company currently involved.
Saturday, March 1, 2008 | MetroWest Daily News
Center for Connected Health and EMC Corporation Launch New Web-Based Remote Monitoring Program to Help Employees Fight HypertensionEMC is the first company to participate in SmartBeat, designed by the Center for Connected Health, which uses a wireless blood pressure cuff and communicator, and an Internet-based feedback system, to aid employees volunteering for the study to self-manage their high blood pressure.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008 | PR Newswire
Telemonitoring allows nurses to keep tabs on patientsVisiting Nurse & Hospice Care in Stamford, CT bought 31 telemonitoring machines in 2006 and hopes to double that number this year.
Sunday, February 24, 2008 | The Advocate
Heart attack help: the BlackBerry solutionThe ubiquitous communications device is proving to be a life saver.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008 | Personal Tech
Patients Learn to Love Remote MonitoringWith programs proliferating, hospitals hope insurers ante up more funding.
Friday, February 1, 2008 | Hospital & Health Networks
Machine helps monitor patients' health from comfort of homeMontana seniors are looking to remain in their own homes as long as possible using new home monitoring systems that provide information to home health care clinicians.
Friday, January 4, 2008 | Missoulian
Regional home-care agencies count on telehealthHome health care organizations on Long Island say that increased use of telehealth monitoring and reporting technologies has helped reduce the hospitalization rate among their clients by 5% to 10%.
Friday, December 28, 2007 | Long Island Business News
Cellphone latest tool in health-care arsenalA new project between Edmonton researchers and LG Electronics could soon allow you to test and transmit your temperature, heart rate and blood pressure to a remote nurse using a handheld device connected to a cellphone.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007 | The Star Phoenix
Cardiac telemedicine services cut hospitalisationTechnology that enables a fast, accurate diagnosis of heart problems by telephone, using an innovative handheld ECG device, has dramatically cut the number of people having to go to hospital for symptoms of chest pain.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007 | The British Journal of Healthcare Computing & Information Management
Web-based Telehealth monitors patients in their homesHealth-care providers and Medicare patients of the VNA Care Network & Hospice have an updated partner in post-hospital care. An Internet-based program called Telehealth monitors patients with chronic illnesses such as congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or diabetes.
Monday, November 26, 2007 | Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Remotely healthy: Monitors keep track of patients from a distanceThis kind of telemedicine is the future for older patients, say doctors and home health experts.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007 | Miami Herald
Calling Dr. CellphoneHealth care is harnessing electronic devices to monitor chronic diseases.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007 | National Post
Bringing I.T. Into the HomeHome health agencies and hospitals are deploying home-based patient monitoring devices that patients use to collect vital signs and other health status data and transmit the data to secure Web sites via telephone lines or the Internet for clinicians to access and review.
July 2007 | Health Data Management
E-Care: From Curiosity to StrategyTo test the “quality, access, cost” theory, a trial involving 85 homebound heart failure patients following a hospitalization was designed by the Center for Connected Health and Partners Home Care.
Friday, June 1, 2007 | Partners Rounds
The New Face of Florence Nightingale; How Nursing Trends are Changing Patient Care Tuesday, March 6, 2007 | Central DuPage HospitalCase management for seniors requires heightened coordinationThursday, March 1, 2007 | Managed Healthcare Executive‘Telehealth’ systems slowly gaining ; Devices help curb visits to the hospitalWednesday, July 26, 2006 | The Boston GlobeA healthcare advance comes into the homeSunday, April 23, 2006 | The Boston Globe
 

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