Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health expanded its Health at Home telehealth program, adding remote monitoring and medication management capabilities for COVID-19 and high-risk patients.
The telehealth program aims to help limit COVID-19 exposure by allowing high-risk patients with chronic conditions access to remote virtual care services during and post-pandemic. Health at Home serves 140,000 CommonSpirit Health patients across 10 states.
Health at Home now offers telehealth biometric monitoring via mobile app, voice platform or tablet. The tech tracks patients' vital signs and disease-specific symptoms so the clinical support team can intervene quickly to prevent the condition from escalating. The platform also supports automated medication alerts, voice calls and symptom surveys. Patients who lack the necessary tech to participate in the program can borrow a tablet from CommonSpirit Health.
The health system is also launching medication delivery and management services under the program; patients' medications will be delivered to their home along with instructions listing the date and time each dosage must be taken. The medications are reviewed regularly by a clinical pharmacist.
"Not only does CommonSpirit Health at Home provide another layer of protection and defense to keep vulnerable patients safe, healthy, and in their homes during this pandemic, but it is also going to play a key role in preventing a post-COVID surge at care sites,” president and CEO of CommonSpirit Health at Home Dan Dietz said in a news release.