Heart Smart, a leading provider of telemedicine monitoring and diagnostic services, was one of the first to expand into remote patient monitoring (RPM) in an effort to help chronic care patients decrease hospital readmission rates and avoid ER visits.
Using a variety of FORA devices and the 24/7 HealthView Telehealth System, Heart Smart enables physicians to monitor and better manage their patients’ chronic conditions including CHF, diabetes, hypertension, and COPD.
“I couldn’t imagine an office not using remote patient monitoring,” said Steve Seltzer, Heart Smart founder and owner.
However, since it is a relatively new concept, many physicians aren’t aware of what it is or how beneficial it can be.
When a CHF patient walks into a cardiology office just to take his blood pressure, it’s inefficient for the patient and it doesn’t allow the doctor to bill for reimbursement.
But with remote patient monitoring, that same CHF patient can improve and maintain his weight and blood pressure at home with RPM devices that automatically upload data to a cloud-based telehealth platform. Physicians can monitor results at any time to catch any potential complications while receiving reimbursement for it.
“Patients seem to love it. They feel their doctor is watching their health every single day and they feel better about it,” Seltzer said.
Heart Smart has successfully implemented remote patient monitoring at primary care offices, OBGYN offices, cardiology offices as well as at a well-known cardiac hospital system in Long Island. Soon, Heart Smart will also be starting a program with a chief interventional cardiologist.
Enrollment is continuously rising and expected to significantly increase this year with the help of further education through Heart Smart’s revamped website, online webinars, and other 2020 goals.
“We will get there with ForaCare’s help, support and loyalty,” Seltzer said.
