Providence embraces remote patient monitoring for home care
WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES — Healthcare system Providence is scaling up its remote patient monitoring program to enhance at-home care for patients.
This move is in response to the expected surge in patient demand in 2024. Currently, 1,500 patients are enrolled in the hospital, with projections to reach 5,000 to 8,000 by the end of the year, according to Eve Cunningham, MD, chief of virtual care and digital health.
The program treats hypertension, congestive heart failure, and Type 2 diabetes, with plans to introduce COPD this year.
Providence partners with an outside company that provides technology and clinicians, including nurse practitioners, behavioral health specialists, and pharmacists.
“The impact that we’re able to make on getting patients into guideline-directed medical therapy, getting patients’ hypertension under better control, getting patients’ blood sugar under better control for diabetes — it’s just amazing to see,” Dr. Cunningham told Becker’s.
“And I’m very excited about continuing to expand and grow that program and to add additional conditions over time.”
Dr. Cunningham highlighted the program’s “secret sauce” – it doesn’t add to provider burnout. “They are an extension of our primary care clinician team, but they’re not adding work to our primary care clinicians,” she explained.
While some health systems focus on “hospital at home” for acute care, Providence prioritizes remote chronic disease monitoring for lower-acuity patients. It uses smart devices to track vitals and alert clinicians if issues arise.
