Boston, Massachusetts Mar 11, 2022 (Issuewire.com) - Respiratory illnesses are a considerable burden to patients, healthcare, and society. Researchers believe that the cost of Asthma and COPD in the US alone is around $100 billion. It is well established that preventing and effectively managing exacerbations can reduce ER visits, improve outcomes and reduce the overall burden on the healthcare system. Current remote monitoring solutions are data collection tools that require physician offices to monitor and provide care.
Keva Health's Remote Care platform helps the patient's care team intervene before their condition worsens. The solution, powered by the Keva365 platform, gives advance alerts and escalations to the clinical team, moving care from a reactive to a proactive model.
During the 9 months of the study, asthma patients were able to use the KevaTalk app, record their spirometry, monitor their medication, and ensure they clearly understand their action plans. Over 484 alerts were received on the platform and reviewed by nurses. Of these, 7.6% (37 alerts) were escalated. Of those patients who were escalated to the doctor's office, 3% had a medication change, 6% needed health maintenance education, 3% were referred to another department and the rest were noted in the EMR system. These initial findings pave the way for remote care as an essential part of chronic care management for moderate to severe asthmatics, especially as it prevented worsening of the condition thereby avoiding ER hospitalization.
According to Dr. Denzil Reid, MD, Pulmonologist at Baystate Health, "The patient engagement on the platform included over 1000 spirometry sessions and over 2500 patient interactions with the KevaTalk app. Patients were excited about this technology and the physicians were excited how the technology drove improvement in how the patients cared for themselves".
Virtual care has evolved from being a nice-to-have to a necessity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Joe Diver, Director of Digital Transformation at Baystate and Techspring, also highlighted this when he said that " Giving patients access to Keva Health's platform allows them to be more aware of their own health and even reduce anxiety if they are not able to visit the doctor's office, especially during a pandemic. As we heard from patients, physicians having access to their health information when they are at home, allows better decision making and hence better outcomes. We are now planning an expansion of this program to other patients in our pulmonary clinics."
Jyotsna Mehta, CEO said "By combining our unique patient-focused solution with monitoring and alert technology, we are able to reduce the clinical and operational burden of managing moderate and high-risk patients and thus prevent unnecessary ER visits. The results are impressive and this is the starting point for revolutionizing the point of care to continuous care for chronic conditions with the high economic burden. Our teams are planning custom-built programs for multiple respiratory illnesses including COPD and Cystic Fibrosis. Baystate has been a phenomenal partner through this journey and we are eager to bring our program to major healthcare systems and partner with various stakeholders."
About Baystate
Baystate Health is a not-for-profit integrated healthcare system serving over 800,000 people throughout western Massachusetts. Nationally recognized as a leader in healthcare quality and safety, Baystate Health has nearly 12,000 employees and serves a diverse population of patients at its teaching hospital, Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Baystate Children's Hospital, its three community hospitals, several urban health centers, home care, and hospice services, a network of more than 80 medical practices. A leader in medical education for more than a century, Baystate Health serves as the regional campus of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, the first medical school campus in western Massachusetts. For more information on Baystate Health, visit baystatehealth.org
About Keva Health
Keva Health's platform is integrating innovative remote monitoring functionality with evidence-based self-monitoring programs for patients with chronic respiratory diseases to improve outcomes and reduce cost. For more information on Keva Health, visit kevahealth.com
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Source :Keva Health
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