COVID-19 Patients Enjoy Renown's 'Hospital at Home' Remote Patient Monitoring
Hospital-at-home monitoring allows patients to receive hospital-level care in the comfort of their own homes.
Renown Health announced today that they are one of the first institutions to home monitor patients who have been hospitalized with COVID-19, as the integrated health network continues to seek innovative solutions to improving the health- and healthcare of those who live in Nevada.
This week, six patients at Renown Regional Medical Center and Renown South Meadows Medical Center diagnosed with COVID-19 were outfitted with this remote ‘hospital at home’ monitoring system. Renown clinicians plan to use the system to monitor upwards of 1,000 hospitalized patients and lower acuity patients from their homes.
“We at Renown are proud of our national reputation as an innovator in implementing new models, technology and systems of care for the community,” said Tony Slonim, MD, DrPH, President & CEO. “We are working with some incredible partners to transform care and demonstrate value in a way that appeals to patients and helps clinicians improve outcomes and reduce costs. Renown’s Hospital-at-Home model of care technology enables patients to receive hospital-level care in the comfort of their own homes. There is now compelling evidence that well-monitored, at home treatment can be safer, cheaper and more effective than traditional hospital stays, especially for patients who are elderly, frail or vulnerable to complications.”
“This type of technology is a game-changer in improving patient care,” says Paul Sierzenski, MD, MSHQS, Chief Medical Officer, Acute Services. "Given the demand on our hospitals during this COVID-19 pandemic, we are pleased to provide appropriate patients with this telehealth solution which uses wearable, continuous pulse oximetry, assisting our management of patients with COVID-19, and allowing patients the convenience of being in their own homes.”
Designed to track the blood oxygen saturation and respiration rate of patients who are hospitalized or quarantined at home, the system uses pulse oximetry with a proprietary remote data capture and surveillance platform accessible from a patient's Android or iOS smartphone or smart device.
The remote monitoring system is designed for easy, initiative use. Patients wear a small metal finger cuff and are provided with a multi-day supply of single-patient-use sensors and access to a mobile app. Monitoring data collected by the sensor is shared with the patient’s smartphone using a secure Bluetooth® connection. Twice daily, or as directed, the program is configured to actively notify patients to answer questions such as, "are you having trouble breathing?" and "what is your temperature?” and pushes these responses along with the monitoring data to clinicians at Renown for evaluation.
“Renown is working with a number of exciting technology companies who provide hospital-at-home technology, especially as they respond to the needs of our community through the COVID-19 pandemic, and work to make healthcare more affordable by offering services in lower-cost settings,” says Ty Windfeldt, MBA, Chief Operating Officer- Health Services. “One of the benefits of offering Hometown Health- our own not-for-profit health plan; a medical group; an accountable care organization and a clinically integrated network, is that even though Medicare does not pay for acute services offered outside of hospitals for fee-for-service beneficiaries, we are able to invest, pioneer and design innovative models for care and delivery that other health systems cannot.”
"Our patients at Renown have the most sophisticated and reliable respiratory monitoring available anywhere," says Jason Farnsworth, MBA, Director of Respiratory Care Services at Renown. "We know that continuous physiologic monitoring improves outcomes and saves lives. The ability to extend that capability to patients in non-traditional settings and at home during this crisis is transformative. Our teams are excited to be able to delight patients and their families – and ensure they receive the clinical support they need by using this technology and monitoring.”
“To know that we can provide quality care for patients recovering from COVID-19, and help ease their transition back to their normal lives, where they can recover in the comfort of their own homes, is fantastic,” says Mitchell Fong, Director of Telehealth Services at Renown. “Patients have shared that they enjoy being at home, sitting in their favorite recliner, enjoying a home-cooked meal and even transitioning back to remote work. If we can help people feel better, we feel better.”
For the fourth year in a row, Renown Health earned the “Digital Most Wired” honors by the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME). Renown also received the 2020 Most Wired Certified Level 7 Special Recognition. The CHIME annual survey accesses how effectively health care organizations apply core and advanced technologies into their clinical and business programs to improve health and expand access to care in their communities.
In U.S. News and World Report Best Hospital rankings, Renown South Meadows Medical Center was listed #1 in the State of Nevada. Renown Regional Medical Center was named #2 Best Hospital in Nevada. A hospital's score is based on multiple data categories, including patient outcomes, safety and volumes. Hospitals earning a high performing rating were significantly better than the national average.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING RESPIRATORY OR INFLUENZA-LIKE ILLNESS OR POSSIBLE SYMPTOMS OF COVID-19: Renown is encouraging people to use online tools first, such as virtual visits covered by many insurance companies, including Teladoc, for those insured by Renown’s health plan, Hometown Health. For up-to-date information on Renown’s approach to keeping our community safe, visit our website at https://www.renown.org/covid-19/.
About Renown Health
Renown Health is the region’s largest, locally owned and governed, not-for-profit integrated healthcare network serving Nevada, Lake Tahoe and northeast California. With a diverse workforce of more than 7,000 employees, Renown has fostered a longstanding culture of excellence, determination and innovation. The organization comprises a trauma center, two acute care hospitals, a children’s hospital, a rehabilitation hospital, a medical group and urgent care network, and the region’s largest, locally owned not-for-profit insurance company, Hometown Health. Renown’s institute model addresses social determinants of health and includes: Child Health, Behavioral Health & Addiction, Healthy Aging and Health Innovation. Clinical institutes include: Cancer, Heart and Vascular Health, Neurosciences and Robotic Surgery. Renown is currently enrolling participants in the world’s largest community-based genetic population health study, the Healthy Nevada Project® . For more information visit renown.org.