Tele-Health

MichelleP
MichelleP Member Posts: 254
edited March 2014 in Caregivers #1
I'm so excited and happy. After many denials for home nursing from the insurance company I found out that the Visiting Nurse Assoc has a Federal Grant for tele-health. The insurance and/or medicare pays nothing and neither will you. I got a call this morning and they will be here to set it up for us on Wednesday. See article below:

Technology plays an important role in all of our lives today and especially in health care. SMMC Visiting Nurses is taking advantage of the ways technology can improve patient care through our Telehealth Program. Here is how it works:

* Jan Prewitt-Small, RN, our Telehealth Nurse, will set up our "Well-at-Home" device in the home of a patient who could benefit from daily monitoring of vital signs. We can check blood pressure, pulse, temperature, weight, blood sugar or blood oxygen levels. The device is easy for the patient to use. Data is sent over the phone line back to the agency where the nurses can remotely keep close watch on how a home care patient is doing. The system also allows the patient's doctor, or even a designated family member, to see these vital signs through a protected website. This feature is ideal to reassure adult children, who may live outside of the area, about their elderly parent's ongoing health.

In addition to the monitoring of vital signs, the device can also be set up to remind patients to take medications or when/how to follow the doctor's orders. It will also ask the patient to respond to questions about how they are feeling and provides education about their disease and why they need to take the medications ordered by the doctor.

Happy dance....Happy dance :)

Comments

  • jimbeam50
    jimbeam50 Member Posts: 47
    #2
    Good news! Glad to hear
    Good news! Glad to hear you're finally getting some much needed help. Good luck. SHeila
  • soccerfreaks
    soccerfreaks Member Posts: 2,788 Member
    #3
    Some questions
    Michelle, this sounds like potentially very good news for you and your husband and, it sounds like, for extended family as well.

    I would ask at least the following questions, however, when they show up to set up, given just the information provided in the article:

    * It mentions use of the phone line. Does that mean that it cannot be hooked up to a cable provider (for example) instead? Does that mean that while it is connected my phone line must be dedicated to it? Do I need a second phone line for phone calls now?

    * Will there be particular times each day/night when I will be required to perform these tests for blood pressure, sugar, and so on, and how frequent will they be?

    * You say that nurses will be able to 'closely' monitor events. It is hard to imagine nurses sitting in front of my husband's personal monitor for 24 hours, seven days a week. Can you please define 'closely' to my satisfaction? (Now, Michelle, even a visiting nurse would not be able to provide monitoring 24/7, so don't forget that; my point is, you will want to know what they DO mean by 'closely' monitoring.)

    * How will my husband's doctor get access to this well-protected site, and can I expect him to use it? Is it accepted by doctors routinely? If he does look at it, will my insurance cover his 'look'?

    * Who will interface with my husband's doctor(s) to monitor 'doctor's orders', to update them and to assure that what my husband is advised to do is coming from his doctor and is the latest and greatest? And how do we avoid the possibility that two different doctors give conflicting orders or even the SAME order (therefore leading to the possibility of double dosages and such)?

    I am not trying to rain on your happy dance, Michelle :). I was involved with technology in the health care industry all through the 1990s (document imaging, to be precise) and with technology for much longer (since 1980), so I am aware of its frailities (as well as its strengths).

    Even if this program is still in the trial stages, as it sounds like it may very well be, it is a superior option to nothing. But I would ask at least some of those questions, Michelle, so that you can be completely aware of what to expect and NOT later surprised by any deficiencies you were unprepared for.

    Good luck, with this Michelle! Please let us know how it works out.

    Take care,

    Joe
  • MichelleP
    MichelleP Member Posts: 254
    #4
    soccerfreaks said:

    Some questions
    Michelle, this sounds like potentially very good news for you and your husband and, it sounds like, for extended family as well.

    I would ask at least the following questions, however, when they show up to set up, given just the information provided in the article:

    * It mentions use of the phone line. Does that mean that it cannot be hooked up to a cable provider (for example) instead? Does that mean that while it is connected my phone line must be dedicated to it? Do I need a second phone line for phone calls now?

    * Will there be particular times each day/night when I will be required to perform these tests for blood pressure, sugar, and so on, and how frequent will they be?

    * You say that nurses will be able to 'closely' monitor events. It is hard to imagine nurses sitting in front of my husband's personal monitor for 24 hours, seven days a week. Can you please define 'closely' to my satisfaction? (Now, Michelle, even a visiting nurse would not be able to provide monitoring 24/7, so don't forget that; my point is, you will want to know what they DO mean by 'closely' monitoring.)

    * How will my husband's doctor get access to this well-protected site, and can I expect him to use it? Is it accepted by doctors routinely? If he does look at it, will my insurance cover his 'look'?

    * Who will interface with my husband's doctor(s) to monitor 'doctor's orders', to update them and to assure that what my husband is advised to do is coming from his doctor and is the latest and greatest? And how do we avoid the possibility that two different doctors give conflicting orders or even the SAME order (therefore leading to the possibility of double dosages and such)?

    I am not trying to rain on your happy dance, Michelle :). I was involved with technology in the health care industry all through the 1990s (document imaging, to be precise) and with technology for much longer (since 1980), so I am aware of its frailities (as well as its strengths).

    Even if this program is still in the trial stages, as it sounds like it may very well be, it is a superior option to nothing. But I would ask at least some of those questions, Michelle, so that you can be completely aware of what to expect and NOT later surprised by any deficiencies you were unprepared for.

    Good luck, with this Michelle! Please let us know how it works out.

    Take care,

    Joe

    Joe
    I always know I can count on you my dear friend for great advice yet again :) You brought up some very important questions I need to ask. She will be here tomorrow afternoon and I'll let ya know!

    Thanks Joe!
  • MichelleP
    MichelleP Member Posts: 254
    #5
    soccerfreaks said:

    Some questions
    Michelle, this sounds like potentially very good news for you and your husband and, it sounds like, for extended family as well.

    I would ask at least the following questions, however, when they show up to set up, given just the information provided in the article:

    * It mentions use of the phone line. Does that mean that it cannot be hooked up to a cable provider (for example) instead? Does that mean that while it is connected my phone line must be dedicated to it? Do I need a second phone line for phone calls now?

    * Will there be particular times each day/night when I will be required to perform these tests for blood pressure, sugar, and so on, and how frequent will they be?

    * You say that nurses will be able to 'closely' monitor events. It is hard to imagine nurses sitting in front of my husband's personal monitor for 24 hours, seven days a week. Can you please define 'closely' to my satisfaction? (Now, Michelle, even a visiting nurse would not be able to provide monitoring 24/7, so don't forget that; my point is, you will want to know what they DO mean by 'closely' monitoring.)

    * How will my husband's doctor get access to this well-protected site, and can I expect him to use it? Is it accepted by doctors routinely? If he does look at it, will my insurance cover his 'look'?

    * Who will interface with my husband's doctor(s) to monitor 'doctor's orders', to update them and to assure that what my husband is advised to do is coming from his doctor and is the latest and greatest? And how do we avoid the possibility that two different doctors give conflicting orders or even the SAME order (therefore leading to the possibility of double dosages and such)?

    I am not trying to rain on your happy dance, Michelle :). I was involved with technology in the health care industry all through the 1990s (document imaging, to be precise) and with technology for much longer (since 1980), so I am aware of its frailities (as well as its strengths).

    Even if this program is still in the trial stages, as it sounds like it may very well be, it is a superior option to nothing. But I would ask at least some of those questions, Michelle, so that you can be completely aware of what to expect and NOT later surprised by any deficiencies you were unprepared for.

    Good luck, with this Michelle! Please let us know how it works out.

    Take care,

    Joe

    Joe
    The Visiting Nurse came and installed the tele health unit today. It will be run through our current Fios line. We have a daily scheduled appointment as to when she will be calling. (We have caller ID anyway, so we'll know it's her). There is a Cam on the computer so she will be able to observe him while he uses equipment currently attached to the system, weight scale, stethoscope, oximeter, blood pressure cuff and also something that they will train me on tomorrow that will perform and EKG. He can test himself between calls if he wants and it will all be uploaded to their database. Also, all vitals etc can be accessed by his doctor or myself at anytime. If the nurse sees something that requires immediate attention she will contact his doctor immediately. As far as who pays the doctor I was told this is all paid for through the Federal Grant.

    I feel so much better now knowing that he can be observed on a daily basis (including week ends). In his current physical condition it's very difficult to transport him. I do that with weekly chemo and X-rays, but this is comforting. It's almost like having a nurse right in the room checking on him.

    I hope I answered all the questions Joe....and thanks again for all your advice. I appreciate it a lot!

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