Grand Blanc, Mich.-based McLaren Health Care plans to expand its remote-monitoring program to 7,000 patients after a successful pilot launch, MLive reported Aug. 22.
The health system texts, emails and calls patients with chronic conditions, asking them a series of disease-specific questions — and alerts nurses if responses indicate possible complications, according to the story.
The aim is to keep the patients from having to return to the hospital, Andrea Phillips, RN, BSN, director of care coordination for McLaren, told MLive. She said one nurse can remotely oversee the care of 1,500 to 1,600 patients, compared to 100 to 120 patients in person.
The pilot project, which ended this summer, enrolled more than 1,700 patients and reduced hospital readmissions, the news outlet reported. The program serves southeastern Michigan and northwestern Ohio, and its expansion will include people with diabetes, end-stage renal disease and sepsis.