The New England Healthcare Institute (NEHI), based in Cambridge, Mass. has been awarded a grant from the Center for Technology and Aging (Oakland, Calif.) to test the efficacy of home-based monitoring equipment for older adults with chronic illnesses. The $100,000 grant, one of five awarded by the Center nationally, will be used to fund a "Home Telehealth" demonstration project involving patients in the greater Boston area who have been hospitalized for congestive heart failure.
Nationwide, eight of every ten older Americans suffer from one or more costly chronic illnesses, including congestive heart failure. It is estimated that successful utilization of remote patient monitoring technologies could reduce the costs of chronic disease by nearly $200 billion over 25 years by reducing emergency department visits, hospitalizations, hospital readmissions and other health care services.
Participants in the NEHI project will use a Home Telehealth device daily to collect data about their physical health and symptoms. The device sends this information electronically to the patients' care team for assessment and, if necessary, intervention. NEHI will conduct the project in partnership with the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative and Atrius Health.
