Remote Patient Monitoring Service Connects Patients and Caregivers, Helps to Prevent Hospital Stays

Published: Tuesday, May. 1, 2012 - 11:21 am

DALLAS, May 1, 2012 -- /PRNewswire/ -- Chronic conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, coronary heart disease, congestive heart failure and diabetes account for nearly 80 percent of physician visits, over 80 percent of hospital inpatient stays, over 90 percent of prescriptions, and over 95 percent of home healthcare visits.(1) Worse, patients recently hospitalized with one or more of these conditions are at significantly higher risk for readmission.

To help healthcare providers and payers better address this problem, AT&T* has signed an agreement with Valued Relationships Inc. (VRI) to deliver a remote patient monitoring service to more effectively manage chronic diseases and help reduce hospital readmissions. The end-to-end managed service is scheduled to be available in the third quarter of 2012.

The managed solution will allow a VRI nurse-staffed telemonitoring center to monitor patients around the clock for everything ranging from basic vital signs to chronic diseases, following standard of care guidelines established by physicians and healthcare providers. The intelligent service can alert caregivers when intervention is needed.

Thanks to advances in technology and the solution announced today, caregivers can efficiently care for patients outside of the hospital walls. With the aging population, chronic diseases on the rise and a shortage of healthcare workers, remote patient monitoring solutions can help reduce the amount of time patients spend in hospitals by enabling caregivers to continuously monitor their health.

"This innovative solution will connect providers to patients for monitoring and intervention. Patients will have peace of mind knowing their biometric data is being monitored for trending analyses, to improve outcomes and help prevent relapses," said Randall Porter, Assistant Vice President, AT&T ForHealth, AT&T Business and Home Solutions. "AT&T is providing multiple facets of this managed solution from wireless connectivity and sales and marketing support to device delivery and return."

"AT&T and VRI have teamed up to make in-home remote patient monitoring simpler and more effective for healthcare organizations to deploy and scale. Providers and payers no longer have to finance, deploy, or monitor the alerts gathered by telehealth devices. Instead, within 48 hours of their patients being discharged from the hospital, these organizations receive actionable data that enables them to provide the care needed so that patients do not have to return to the hospital," said Andy Schoonover, CEO of VRI.

Remote Patient Monitoring Service Key Facts:

    Healthcare providers and payers can provide a list of patients to AT&T, and VRI will equip, train, monitor and respond to alerts for one monthly price charged to the provider or payer.
    Device management and logistics including delivery of devices to the patient's home, collection of the devices when monitoring is completed and troubleshooting is provided as needed.
    24x7x365 support and monitoring of health and vitals data reported by the equipment installed in the patient's home.
    Daily adherence reminders as needed.
    Service captures data from wirelessly connected personal health devices such as blood pressure cuffs, weight scales and pulse oximeters and sends it over a highly-secure network to care representatives.
    On taking a reading, information is logged, and software analyzes if the reading requires intervention. If intervention is required, care representatives call the patient and follow patient notification triage processes to ensure the technology was working properly, that the patient used the technology according to proper clinical protocols, and that the patient's condition, if necessary, is addressed.
    Advanced analytics tools, reporting capabilities and professional services.

Healthcare providers and payers can see a demonstration of the solution at booth #1328 at ATA 2012.

(1) Kalorama Information: Patient Monitoring Systems Markets Remote and Wireless May 2010

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

Cautionary Language Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

Information set forth in this press release contains financial estimates and other forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results might differ materially. A discussion of factors that may affect future results is contained in AT&T's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. AT&T disclaims any obligation to update and revise statements contained in this news release based on new information or otherwise.

About VRI

With over 20 years of experience, VRI is one of the largest providers of telehealth monitoring, monitored medication dispensing and adherence solutions, and medical alert systems in the country. VRI's services support patient self-management and health plan Care Management operations that enable seniors, the chronically ill, and those with disabilities to maintain their independence and avoid long-term care facilities, and avoid preventable ER use, hospitalization and hospital readmission. The company currently serves approximately 75,000 active clients across the United States through commercial and government-funded health benefit programs administered by national health plans, regional BCBS organizations, and other Managed Care Organizations. For more information, or to view the full range of VRI services and products, please visit http://www.monitoringcare.com.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is a premier communications holding company and one of the most honored companies in the world. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation's fastest mobile broadband network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet, voice and cloud-based services. A leader in mobile broadband and emerging 4G capabilities, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide of any U.S. carrier, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries.  It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse® and AT&T | DIRECTV brands. The company's suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world. In domestic markets, AT&T Advertising Solutions and AT&T Interactive are known for their leadership in local search and advertising.

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SOURCE AT&T Inc.

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