MEADVILLE, PA – Meadville Medical Center will monitor patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) and other chronic diseases as it strengthens its efforts to combat chronic illness.

The hospital tapped telehealth company Authentidate for software and applications as part of a collaboration with Highmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield.

"Meadville Medical Center is using the remote vital signs monitoring program to improve chronic condition outcomes and ongoing care for our patients after discharge from the hospital,” said Barry Bittman, MD, chief innovation officer at Meadville.

“As part of our Community Care Network model, the Electronic House Call (EHC) solution will allow our clinicians to remotely monitor our patients' conditions and continue to coordinate their care after they leave the hospital," he adds. "Electronic House Call is designed for this type of program and includes the intuitive technology and rich feature-set that we were seeking to support our continuous care objectives, our patients and our own clinicians.”

The EHC remote patient monitoring solution allows patients to return home, while providing for frequent updates of patient data to healthcare providers without a face-to-face visit, Bittman said.

Medical teams use EHC remote patient monitoring to oversee the progress of their patients, reducing costs and allowing for improved patient care, Authentidate officials say. EHC is used for patients who require ongoing management of their chronic diseases such as chronic heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, hypertension and sleep apnea.

The EHC touch screen device is designed to deliver continuity of care to specific patient segments that require regular monitoring of medical conditions. Automated reminders increase patients' compliance with care plans, diets, medication schedules and follow-up physician visits, Authentidate executives claim. While improving medical condition monitoring, EHC can also provide patients with disease management education. Healthcare providers can view each patient's vital statistics and make adjustments to care plans on the secure Web application, which is then communicated to the patient via the EHC device.

"We are delighted to support Meadville Medical Center with our EHC solution," said Marcus Wagstaff, sales director at Authentidate. "EHC enables a higher level of patient care, which supports both the hospital's and the healthcare insurer's goals for improved outcomes and reduced readmissions."