Internal Medicine: Open Access
Open Access
ISSN: 2165-8048
+44 1300 500008
ISSN: 2165-8048
+44 1300 500008
Avni Thakore
Cardiologist, St Francis Hospital. Roslyn, NY
Scientific Tracks Abstracts: Intern Med
Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) is one of the most common diagnoses in hospital admissions for patients aged 65 and older. Furthermore, patients with CHF contribute to the approximate 200 billion in health care cost from heart disease each year. Remote physiologic monitoring (RPM) was implemented supported by clinical care coordination to create a “high tech and high touch” quality improvement plan for patients who have been hospitalized and diagnosed with congestive heart failure. A dedicated RN clinical case manager utilized a structured protocol including telehealth visits to follow and manage a preidentified panel of patients at Catholic Health employed physician practices with the following criteria: Diagnoses of Unspecified Heart Failure or Acute/Chronic Systolic Heart Failure, EF =<40-45%, and 1 or more hospital admissions in 12 months. The measures of success included enhanced medication adherence, reduced time to guideline directed medical therapy, reduced ER admissions and hospitalizations, and improved patient quality of life (Minnesota Quality of Life Questionaire). Enrollment period is 18 months before endpoints and performance are assessed. Early findings from approximately 150 patients enrolled across four cardiology practices appear to indicate increased patient engagement, low ER/hospital utilization and a trend toward reduced time to GDMT. The innovative design of the RPM program leverages the intersection of population health data analytics, advances in healthcare technology and existing care delivery models to effectively manage our high-risk, highspend patients in the community setting.
Dr. Avni Thakore, President of Catholic Health Physician Partners, is an award-winning and widely published cardiologist whose medical career has focused on advancements in healthcare research, population health, and patient engagement rates via EHR, and remote monitoring. She has used innovation in healthcare IT to improve access to care and clinical outcomes. She received her medical degree at Harvard Medical School and completed her training at Massachusetts General Hospital and Boston Medical Center.