The good news: Telehealth study of 216 people begins

Carematix and the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing to conduct a four-year study on the effectiveness of telehome monitoring. The study is funded by a grant for more than $1 million from the National Institute of Nursing Research. Read the press release.

The bad news: Home care progress thrown into reverse

The ‘Community Choice’ project began in Philadelphia in 2003. It shortened applications for in-home care from 24 pages to four, and expedited clinical assessments so that people could receive services within 24 hours instead of months. Hospital discharge planners were trained to help people return home instead of automatically referring them to nursing homes…equipment was installed in houses to monitor the vital signs of patients, particularly those with chronic conditions, to avoid costly hospitalizations…After those changes, the number of people receiving in-home services grew from 12,071 to 20,569 over three years. Then, suddenly, things stopped. The planned statewide expansion of the Community Choice project and the use of health-monitoring devices was halted and new restrictions on eligibility – such as prohibiting terminally ill patients from receiving personal care at home – were enacted.
Philly.com news item.