Heart Failure Study Validates Use of Pharos Innovation's Proprietary, Device-Free Remote Monitoring Platform to Reduce Healthcare Utilization and Medical Costs NORTHFIELD, Ill., July 8
NORTHFIELD, Ill., July 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Pharos Innovations, a pioneer in
assisting clients to achieve next generation clinical and financial
performance improvement through a device-free remote monitoring platform,
announced today the results from the Iowa Medicaid Congestive Heart Failure
Population Disease Management Demonstration. The one year demonstration,
conducted between October, 2006 and October, 2007 confirmed that Pharos
Innovations' Tel-Assurance remote monitoring platform reduced the need for
costly acute care services, saving Iowa Medicaid nearly $3 million. In
addition, the demonstration confirmed an additional $2 million costs had the
interventions not been applied -- for a total of $5 million savings versus
trend.
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"These results represent a breakthrough in the management of complex
chronic conditions," said Dr. Randall Williams, CEO and founder of Pharos
Innovations. "It proves that this new model of daily, proactive patient
monitoring can demonstrate dramatically different results than traditional
disease management has shown."
The demonstration results, which were compiled by the project steering
committee, validated by a comprehensive evaluation plan and certified through
the Disease Management Purchasing Consortium (DMPC), the largest source of
contracting assistance in disease and population management, include:
-- Nearly $3 million savings from reduced healthcare service utilization
for the participant group, compared to a $2 million increase for the matched
cohort group
-- 24% reduction in hospital admissions, compared to a 22% increase for
the matched cohort group
-- 22% decrease in total bed days, compared to a 33% increase for the
matched cohort group
-- 2x increase in the size of care managers' case loads due to program
efficiencies
Iowa Medicaid Enterprises (IME); the Iowa Chronic Care Consortium (ICCC),
a voluntary collaboration of public, private, academic and government
organizations whose purpose is to develop capacity for the state of Iowa to
effectively manage the most prevalent chronic diseases affecting Iowans, and
Pharos Innovations partnered for this demonstration. It was launched to
evaluate the impact of Tel-Assurance, a scalable, cost-effective and proven
remote monitoring platform, in reducing cost and improving quality,
self-management and care coordination for Iowa Medicaid members with heart
failure.
"We know that involving patients in their care empowers them and
encourages the adoption of healthier lifestyles and behaviors," said Dr. Tom
Kline, IME medical director. "This demonstration showed that implementing a
technology-leveraged chronic care model, such as Tel-Assurance, can transform
care coordination from episodic, reactive and human resource based to a daily,
proactive, efficient and self-care supportive model."
"These results indicate that a communication- and technology-based remote
monitoring platform can transform care coordination, even for the challenging
Medicaid population, to encourage the adoption of healthier lifestyles and
produce industry-leading clinical and financial performance improvements,"
added William Appelgate, Ph.D., executive director of the ICCC.
The one year study, notable for its industry best practice level
methodology, used a one year baseline and compared program participants to a
matched cohort group. Due to the demonstration's success in saving money and
improving care, Iowa Medicaid will extend the use of the program beyond the
demonstration.
For a copy of the detailed Project Evaluation Report or for more
information about the demonstration results, please contact Bonni Kaplan,
senior director of marketing and communications at Pharos Innovations, at
(847) 790-7649 or bkaplan@pharosinnovations.com.
About Pharos Innovations
Founded in 1995, Pharos Innovations assists healthcare providers and
payers in achieving next generation clinical and financial performance
improvement. An innovative, device-free platform, Tel-Assurance(R), improves
care coordination and drives dramatic clinical improvement and cost savings by
remotely monitoring patients and averting unnecessary clinical events. Our
enabling technologies proactively involve patients in their care and result in
the early identification of clinical deterioration.
Tel-Assurance substantially expands the reach, efficiency and
effectiveness of clients' current health management programs for complex
chronic conditions. The Pharos solution is strongly validated to show measured
clinical improvement and financial impact, is the recipient of the prestigious
American Heart Association National Outcomes award and was selected for the
first ever National Institutes of Health (NIH) sponsored evaluation of remote
monitoring interventions. For more information visit
http://www.pharosinnovations.com or call (847) 881-8705.
Contact: Bonni L. Kaplan
Pharos Innovations
847-790-7649
bkaplan@pharosinnovations.com
SOURCE Pharos Innovations
