Telehealth Platform Successfully Piloted To Deliver Enhanced Value In Multidisciplinary Care Management

Falls Church, VA /PRNewswire/ - Innovation Health and GrekTek have completed a pilot leveraging the Everbeat telehealth platform, formerly branded HealthyWatch, to improve the quality of care delivered to a high-risk cardiovascular patient population in Northern Virginia. Developed by Potomac, Maryland-based Grektek Holdings, Inc., Everbeat encourages the patient to regularly record important health data, which is automatically available to their health care providers.

During the Innovation Health pilot, 20 members from a high-risk population of cardiovascular patients were managed by a Multidisciplinary Care Team (MDCT) in an effort to reduce avoidable Emergency Department visits, extended hospitalizations and readmissions.

These patients were given access to the Everbeat Smartphone Application, which linked to a Bluetooth-enabled scale and blood pressure cuff and were taught how to use the Everbeat system to record daily health information including their weight, blood pressure, medications and symptoms. By analyzing this information and providing a daily risk score, the Everbeat dashboard alerted the MDCT to any significant changes in physiologic parameters or symptoms so they could intervene and provide assistance before symptoms worsened.

"Educating health teams and patients about how to get the most out of the telehealth system has truly made a difference. That, coupled with telehealth's power to improve daily case manager workflow, have been the keys to success for this program," said Michelle Myers, MDCT Clinical Supervisor at Innovation Health.

Over the 90-day study period, three Emergency Department visits, seven medication adjustments and four urgent, unplanned office visits were avoided. Alerts were addressed through immediate and contextualized follow ups with the MDCT and their physicians, providing more timely and cost-efficient patient care. These results are aligned with Innovation Health's objectives to deliver better healthcare at a lower cost.

According to the former medical director of the MDCT, Kurt Elward, "With broader implementation, this program could have a dramatically positive effect on the overall value of the MDCT and the health outcomes of the patients."

This small-scale pilot further highlighted the potential success of a focused and integrated telehealth solution that combines high touch and high tech.

About Innovation Health
Innovation Health provides health benefits plans to more than 125,000 members. The result of a unique partnership between Aetna, a CVS Health business, and Inova Health System, innovation Health was formed in 2013 as a new way to deliver and finance more affordable, quality health care for employers and individuals in Northern Virginia, Maryland and D.C. Through its integrated care model, Innovation Health provides a premier health plan, health system, and physicians for improved health outcomes and cost savings. For more information on Innovation Health visit InnovationHealth.com.

About Grektek
Grektek Holdings, Inc. is an innovative health solutions provider based in Potomac, Maryland. Grektek delivers customized, easy to use, reimbursable remote patient monitoring and chronic care solutions that encourage patient accountability and better outcomes through daily patient generated health data. The Everbeat system includes an FDA clearance pending watch for taking ECGs; more information at www.grektek.com.