SummitWest Care Extends Care to Rural Colorado with Telehealth and Remote Patient Monitoring

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo., Sept. 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- SummitWest Care, a non-profit home care agency servicing rural regions across Colorado, announced today the launch of a Telehealth and Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) program. In partnership with Health Recovery Solutions (HRS) and Colorado Mesa University, SummitWest will extend care services to chronic care patients and provide advanced screening and monitoring of college students to ensure a safe return to school in the midst of the COVID pandemic. 

As the coronavirus continues to spread across the country, it presents multiple challenges to the US healthcare system, including further limiting access to care in rural communities and placing an additional strain on provider resources. In coordination with local hospitals, SummitWest will enroll COVID positive patients in the telehealth and remote monitoring program following hospital treatment. SummitWest will also target post-surgical patients and chronic care patients including those with COPD, CHF, and hypertension.

In addition, as students return to school, ensuring the safety of students and staff is the top priority for colleges and universities. SummitWest's partnership with Colorado Mesa University, will include comprehensive screening of vitals and symptoms, and allow for immediate triage of symptomatic students and staff. Through the Telehealth platform, patients will have access to a COVID Care Plan, providing them with COVID-specific resources, from educational videos to a symptom self-management tool.

Once enrolled in the Telehealth and RPM program patients receive a 4G tablet and Bluetooth biometric monitoring devices. Patient tablets include customizable care plans and medication reminders as well as disease-specific symptom surveys and educational videos. Each day, patients record their vital signs using the biometric devices and answer condition-specific symptom surveys, providing SummitWest's nursing team with a comprehensive view of their health and wellbeing.

The SummitWest team can monitor patients' health status 24/7 and leverage risk alerts to identify exacerbations. When a risk alert is received, SummitWest nurses can immediately connect and triage patients through video conferencing available via the telehealth platform. Through early identification and triage, SummitWest's team can prevent adverse health outcomes that would normally lead to a costly hospital readmission and ED visit.

Telehealth and RPM capabilities will allow increased access to care with more personal attention between in-person visits. For many elderly and chronic care patients in rural communities, loneliness and social isolation severely impact their mental and physical health. SummitWest will now offer virtual visits to connect patients with their providers and with their family and loved ones.

"We see telehealth and RPM as an essential service for chronic care patients, post-surgical patients, patients with a high fall risk, and patients at-risk or recovering from the Coronavirus," said Charleen Raaum, CEO of SummitWest Care. "Our mission has always been to help patients recover in the comfort of home, surrounded by their loved-ones. The telehealth and RPM program will allow us to offer personalized care to our patients and track their recovery 24/7, ensuring they're receiving the care they need, when they need it." 

In Colorado, nearly one million residents live in rural communities with limited access to healthcare services. Since 2002, SummitWest has been committed to bringing affordable, quality care to their surrounding communities. To further expand care services, SummitWest will offer telehealth and remote patient monitoring as a private program, offering patients and families remote audio/video check-in, medication management at an affordable price. This private program will allow patients throughout the community to benefit from telehealth and RPM.

"SummitWest Care is at the forefront of telehealth innovation, as they partner with hospitals, nursing homes, and Colorado Mesa University. They are setting the standard for care delivery, using telehealth and RPM to protect patients, students, and the larger community from the virus," added Health Recovery Solutions CEO, Jarrett Bauer. "We're excited and proud to partner with SummitWest as they launch this new service for patients and students in their region."

About SummitWest Care
SummitWest Care is a not-for-profit, free-standing agency that has been delivering quality home care services since 2002. SummitWest Care's primary functions are to provide people of all ages with choice skilled home health, in-home services with personal care to preserve dignity and help people maintain a good quality of life, education on safety and health information to improve optimal self-care and prevention of social isolation. SummitWest's mission and commitment to our clients is "You Matter, We Care" ensuring client centered care based on dignity, respect and compassionate care. SummitWest Care offers medical services, now with Telehealth and Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) to increase access to care, In-Home Support services and Wellness Programs. To learn more about SummitWest Care, visit www.summitwestcare.com.

About Health Recovery Solutions
Health Recovery Solutions (HRS) supplies leading health systems with the most advanced remote monitoring platform and technology-enabled management services focused on changing patient behavior to reduce readmissions and improve clinical outcomes. HRS' disease-specific telehealth solutions are customized with educational videos, care plans, and medication reminders while also integrated with Bluetooth peripherals to engage patients. For clinicians, HRS' software allows for the management of high-risk patients and provides seamless communication with them through video chat, wound imaging, and text messaging. For family members and caregivers, HRS' software gives them the ability to be fully involved in their family member's care and well-being. To learn more about Health Recovery Solutions, visit www.healthrecoverysolutions.com or call (347) 699-6477.

SOURCE Health Recovery Solutions

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