Remote Patient Monitoring Cuts Hospital Admissions, ER Visits, Report Finds

One-fourth of healthcare organizations say remote patient monitoring reduces emergency room visits and hospital readmissions, while 38% say the technology results in fewer inpatient admissions, according to a new KLAS Research report.

Telehealth’s Ongoing Efforts to Support Care Beyond the Hospital

The cost of telehealth technology has dropped; in the case of many direct to consumer (DTC) telehealth apps, it’s essentially free, as many consumers already own a smartphone and/or laptop and pay for Internet access and/or data plans. The difficulty of implementing and scaling programs has dropped as well. Reimbursement parity is not universal, but barriers are slowly falling – Medicare Advantage plans can start covering telehealth in 2020, and restrictions on telestroke coverage end in 2019.

Home Health, Hospice Lack Data Sharing Standards

The 2018 State of Connectivity report, commissioned by the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) and sponsored by post-acute technology provider Forcura, surveyed industry executives and experts about the barriers they face in data sharing and interoperability. Data challenges still exist in the home health and hospice spaces, despite the Meaningful Use and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH).

Readmission Risk Jumps 2.9% for Every Day Spent in Rural Hospital

Healthcare facilities located in rural cities across southern Appalachia demonstrate readmission rates well above the national average, in part due to increased length of stays and a patient population with a history of smoking and multiple comorbidities, according to a study published in CHEST Journal.