More Health Care Providers Turning to Telehealth Tools
Health care providers are increasingly adopting telecommunications tools that allow them to stay connected with their patients. Observers say a shift toward performance-based payment models and accountable care organizations is partly driving the adoption of new technologies. For example, one tool adopted by Geisinger Health Plan uses Bluetooth-enabled scales to monitor the weights of heart failure patients, which officials said led to a 44% reduction in 30-day hospital readmission rates and other improvements.
- "Going Mobile: Providers Deploy Apps and Devices To Engage Patients and Cut Costs" (Conn, Modern Healthcare, 11/29).