We monitor your patient’s vital signs -- remotely

VNS Westchester has been in the forefront of home care providers in remote monitoring services, and has offered TeleHealth remote patient monitoring since 2007. TeleHealth allows patients to remain in their homes while having their blood pressure and other vital signs monitored and analyzed daily by a registered nurse.  Readings are checked each day through a secure computer connection located at our main office in White Plains.

Our TeleHealth program is an integral part of our Cardiac Disease Management Program.  Most of the patients who are monitored have congestive heart failure.  Patients with health conditions such as high blood pressure, respiratory disease, and diabetes also benefit from daily oversight with TeleHealth. Individuals who have had surgical interventions for cardiac disorders or who have been placed on a new medication regimen are also excellent candidates for remote monitoring.  

Patients are evaluated for TeleHealth monitoring by their home care case managers. A risk assessment tool is used to define a patient’s individual needs and capability to manipulate a blood pressure cuff and other devices, and respond to disease-specific questions that are integral to the daily assessment.  A standard telephone landline is required to connect the TeleHealth device with our TeleHealth nurse.  Once the individual agrees to participate in the remote monitoring, the TeleHealth nurse calls the patient or caregiver to welcome them to the program and to orient them to the procedure for measuring weight, blood pressure, pulse, oxygen level, and blood glucose level for individuals with diabetes.  

Initially the nurse provides support on a daily basis to help the patient/caregiver overcome any anxieties, and to give meaning to the values that are being transmitted from the TeleHealth device in the home to our office. The TeleHealth nurse also provides education in symptom management by using the patient’s actual readings to identify behaviors that may have contributed to the abnormal values. The nurse coaches the patient to identify behaviors that have, or will have, a positive effect on the overall well being of the patient. 

We send regular trend reports to your office for review, or before an office visit to substantiate the effects of interventions. Physicians benefit by having actual daily data instead of self-reported data to assist in their treatment decision process.

Program objectives: 

• Improved patient healthcare outcomes and decreased re-hospitalization rates
• Prevention of further decompensation in newly diagnosed patients
• Educating patients through coaching and guidance to help them establish positive disease management practices 
• Behavior modification through empowerment and education

For more information on our TeleHealth Program, call (914) 682-1480.