Lehigh Valley Health Network rolled out an at-home care program allowing patients to recover at home by combining nurse visits, virtual physician visits and enhanced remote monitoring, the Allentown, Pa.-based health system announced Jan. 24.
Four key details:
- Patients who don't require hospitalization but need care and enhanced monitoring are enrolled in the program, called LVHN@Home. They recieve a kit with tools to record their blood oxygen levels, blood pressure and temperature, as well as technology to automatically submit the data to the health system.
- Patients enrolled in the telehealth program submit their health data twice a day, which nurses review so they can flag irregularities and prevent hospital visits. They also receive nurse visits either in their homes or virtually every day, and the program allows patients to speak with a nurse 24/7.
- The program launched Dec. 23 and enrolls about three to five new patients every day. It's available to patients in Pennsylvania's Lehigh or Northampton counties, as well as certain areas in Berks and Carbon counties.
- The program currently enrolls mostly COVID-19 patients, but the health system plans to open up the program to patients with other conditions, such as congestive heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.