Telehealth cuts patient deaths by 45%
According to this article in Fierce Mobile Health, results from a large telehealth study that monitored 6,200 remote patients show that telehealth can dramatically improve the care people receive while helping to reduce costs. The study took place over three years and covered patients in three cities suffering from one of three primary conditions: diabetes, heart failure or COPD.
Results of Remote Monitoring Study:
- Mortality rates reduced by 45%,
- Emergency visits reduced by 15%,
- Emergency admissions cut by 20%,
- Elective admissions slashed by 14%,
- Bed days decreased by 14%, and
- Tariff costs shaved by 8%.
Technology leaders are excited by the new study results and plans by the British government’s Life Science Strategy, nicknamed 3Million Lives. The Department of Health will install up to 3 million telehealth systems in UK homes over the next five years. (Click on the image to read “Industry leaders welcome telehealth plan,” Computing News, 12/6/2011.)
“In the U.S., the federal government is aggressively pushing for electronic health records (EHR). Telehealth technology, which allows doctors to monitor their patients’ health wirelessly in real time, could be combined with online health records for a highly accessible, interactive patient history.” (Computerworld)
