Mayo Clinic will conduct a year-long research study to determine if home monitoring of patients with chronic diseases, using Intel's remote patient monitoring technology, will reduce hospitalizations and emergency department visits. The study is part of an effort between GE Healthcare, Intel Corporation and Mayo Clinic to explore alternative healthcare delivery for patients at increased risk of rehospitalization.

 

With the numbers of seniors expected to rise dramatically and increasing numbers of patients experiencing chronic disease, the companies say face-to-face clinical interaction with doctors is not a sustainable delivery model. Technology, they say, could enable new care models to help rein in costs and improve patient outcomes through personalized care and ongoing disease management at home and in the community.

 

The study will involve 200 high-risk Mayo Clinic patients over age 60 who receive care in Rochester, Minnesota. The goal is to evaluate the effectiveness of daily in-home monitoring technology in reducing hospitalizations and emergency room visits compared with usual medical care. Patients will measure their vital signs such as blood pressure, pulse and weight, and respond to questions specific to their diseases on a daily basis, with all data reviewed by the clinical care team working with their primary care provider. The technology, which also includes videoconferencing capability, allows the care team to assess the patient for signs and symptoms suggesting clinical deterioration to facilitate early medical intervention. The hope is that early recognition and treatment of a change in clinical status will reduce the need for emergency visits and hospitalizations.

 

“To meet evolving patient needs and broaden its reach in the 21st century, Mayo Clinic will build on its model of care to provide products and services to people in new ways.” says Gregory Hanson, Mayo Clinic Department of Primary Care Internal Medicine, one of the principal investigators in the study. “Mayo Clinic will build on its model of care to provide products and services to people in new ways. Mayo Clinic is evaluating several approaches to remote monitoring of patients.”

 

The study follows an announcement in April 2009 from GE Healthcare and Intel in which the two companies said they would jointly market and develop technologies for independent living and chronic disease management and to extend care from the hospital to the home. The two companies plan to invest $250 million over the next five years for the research and product development of home-based health technologies. In addition, GE Healthcare is selling and marketing the Intel Health Guide in the United States and the United Kingdom.

 

“We need to go beyond just hospital-and-clinic visits when we are sick – to home and community-based care models that allow for prevention, early detection, behavior change and social support," says Louis Burns, vice president and general manager of the Intel Digital Health Group. “This study is an example of how we are looking to address this.”