Taking Telehealth to the Next Level and Putting the Power of Prevention in the Patient’s Hands

Telehealth is evolving beyond just virtual doctor visits. Imagine having your health monitored without having to leave your home. It’s called remote patient monitoring and the technology is already saving lives.

“The goal is to detect problems before they become issues,” explains Millennium Physician Group RN Case Manager and Triage Nurse David Jones. “Being proactive rather than reactive.”

Taking telehealth to the next level, Millennium Physician Group has launched a remote patient monitoring pilot program. Patients use a simple remote monitoring station to measure their basic vital signs, like weight, blood pressure, oxygen, and glucose. Nurses monitor the important medical signs 24 hours a day.

“We are constantly using technology in our favor to better improve the outcomes of patients,” says Jones.

Mary Campbell was one of the first patients enrolled in the remote patient monitoring program. “Before I started this program, I saw a lot of doctors, a lot of blood work,” she admits. “I had to monitor all my blood work. It’s a lot easier now.”

Mary has congestive heart failure, hypertension, diabetes, and COPD. Three days after starting remote patient monitoring, the program may have saved her life, or at the very least a trip to the ER.

“I noticed that Mary’s pulse oximeter reading was lower than what we cared for,” explains Jones. “The Millennium house calls nurse practitioner, went out and discovered that she had not been utilizing her medications as prescribed.”

“We got it under control, and it worked out great,” says Mary. “I didn’t have to go back in the hospital.”

Remote patient monitoring gives care teams the power to know what’s actually happening with their patients on a daily basis, a priceless tool when it comes to prevention … and peace of mind.

“It does give me a sense of security,” admits Mary.

*Millennium’s Remote Patient Monitoring program is in a pilot/testing phase and is not currently accepting new patients.