Remote Diabetes Monitoring: Magic is in the Phone Call, Not the Technology

Strategies for Remote Diabetes Patient Monitoring

Remote Diabetes Monitoring:
Magic is in the Phone Call, Not the Technology

Using a blend of telehealth, access to electronic medical records, electronic communication with providers and direct communication with patients, nurse care managers with the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation's (NYCHHC) House Calls Telehealth Program significantly improved patient clinical outcomes and impacted healthcare costs for enrollees with diabetes. Here, Susan Lehrer, RN, BSN, CDE, associate executive director of the telehealth office for NYCHHC, shares some lessons learned from the eight-year-old program.

Rick Hindmand "We can achieve really significant clinical and financial outcomes with available simple technology. I want to say 'simple' because this is not rocket science. It's a glucometer that transmits over a modem, a blood pressure cuff that transmits the information of blood pressure via Bluetooth® to us that we see on a Web site within seconds," said Ms. Lehrer, during a recent webinar, Diabetic Telehealth Monitoring: The Impact of Real-Time Data on High-Risk Patients, now available for replay.

That information is the first step, but providing the case management and communication back to providers is where the magic happens. Conducting effective patient interactions utilizing motivational interviewing can be done over the phone, she said. We were all disbelievers in the beginning. "How can I do the same thing that I did face-to-face over the phone?" we asked ourselves.

You can't do the same thing, but over time, you can achieve the same outcomes, as long as you have providers seeing the patients and patients keeping their appointments, added Ms. Lehrer.

Technology enables us to give the feedback at the moment that the patient needs it. If somebody's blood sugar is 58, and they don't feel very well, calling them at that moment, which we do every day, prevents them from overcorrecting, she explained. Eventually, they learn how to treat their hypoglycemia. Giving that immediate feedback to a patient is where the dramatic clinical outcomes occur. Patients can learn self-management with very targeted interventions and support.

It's not about the technology, because the data comes to us every day, but it's the magic that happens in the phone call back to the patient, Ms. Lehrer concluded.

In case you missed this webinar, you still have a chance to watch this highly-rated program.

Register to view the conference today or order your training DVD or CD:
http://store.hin.com/product.asp?itemid=4921

You can "attend" this program right in your office. It's so convenient! Invite your staff members to watch the conference. We will send you a DVD or CD-ROM of the conference proceedings or a link to our web site with a username and password. You can log in and view the program right from your computer — any time of the day or night, whenever convenient for you and your colleagues — and benefit from the archived recording of the conference, including the Q&A period.

You'll get to listen to the question and answer session to hear details on: case load management for remote patient monitoring; case manager training for telephonic and remote monitoring; strategies to determine patient engagement levels; and integrating remote patient monitoring with an overall disease management program.

To register for the on-demand re-broadcast, download an .MP3 file or order the training DVD or CD-ROM of Diabetic Telehealth Monitoring: The Impact of Real-Time Data on High-Risk Patients, please visit:
http://store.hin.com/product.asp?itemid=4921

I hope you find it useful.

Cordially,

Melanie Matthews
Executive Vice President
The Healthcare Intelligence Network

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