OTN enhances Telehomecare program with innovative new platform
Vivify Health selected to scale OTN's chronic disease remote monitoring program
TORONTO, June 15, 2017 /CNW/ - OTN (Ontario Telemedicine Network) is enhancing its Telehomecare program with a new and innovative platform provided by Vivify Health that will further meet patient needs.
OTN Telehomecare, which began as a pilot in 2007, is a remote patient monitoring program for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and/or congestive heart failure (CHF), two of the top three chronic conditions that lead to hospitalization. In addition to monitoring patient data daily, specially trained nurses provide regular health coaching aimed at giving patients the skills they need to manage their condition and live the healthiest life possible.
Nine of Ontario's 14 Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) provide the Telehomecare program. Telehomecare supports the provincial government's 'Patients First' agenda and has been shown by several of the LHINs to reduce hospital admissions and ER use among this patient population by over 60 per cent. As well, a recent OTN patient survey indicated that over 98 per cent of patients were satisfied with the program and 95 per cent indicated that the program improved their ability to self-manage their condition.
OTN underwent an open competitive procurement process to identify the best solution to meet the needs of the evolving Telehomecare program. Out of 13 proposals received, Vivify Health was selected as OTN's exclusive Telehomecare vendor. Vivify offers remote care management via cloud services that leverage consumer mobile devices and offers numerous clinical modalities for health consumer monitoring and engagement.
"We're truly excited to be working with Vivify Health," says Dr. Ed Brown, CEO, OTN. "This platform is a flexible, high-quality solution that offers us a range of superb new features that will make life easier for patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers alike. The platform enables us to expand the program provincially and also opens the door for new ways for patients to manage their conditions and interact with their healthcare providers."
Procuring Vivify reflects OTN's commitment to continually refresh its foundational technology, starting with this new best-in-class patient support infrastructure, adds Dr. Brown.
Vivify Health is widely and successfully used by many clients, including four of the five largest health systems in the U.S., and customers representing over 700 hospitals and payers. It was also recently awarded a Veterans Affairs Home Telehealth contract.
Vivify's solution, licensed to OTN through subsidiary Vivify Health Canada, Inc., is user friendly and offers a range of features that include videoconferencing, evidence-based and customized protocols/guided pathways, multiple languages, educational videos, integrated wireless devices, 24x7x365 end user technical support, analytics, Interactive Voice Response (IVR) and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) solutions.
"Over the past year, Vivify Health has forged an amazing relationship with leaders at OTN as we moved through the rigorous steps required to win their confidence as an expert digital health partner," says Eric Rock, CEO and Founder of Vivify Health. "We are very excited to work hand-in-hand with an organization that has set the global benchmark for scalable telehealth services. Vivify will enable OTN to deliver new and innovative programs, further improving the health and vitality of Canada."
Telehomecare is a collaborative effort between OTN, the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, and Ontario's LHINs.
About OTN
OTN brings virtual care innovation to the healthcare system so that the people of Ontario can get the care they need when and where they need it most: at home, in their community or in hospital. For more than a decade, OTN has increased access to health care and education across the province with one of the world's most extensive telemedicine networks. Working with its many partners and leveraging its unique knowledge of health care and digital technology, OTN addresses challenges by introducing and spreading new ways of delivering care that benefit patients, care providers and the healthcare system. An independent, not-for-profit organization, OTN is funded by the Government of Ontario. For more information please visit www.otn.ca.
About Vivify Health
Vivify Health's mobile digital health platform empowers provider organizations to automate remote biometric data collection, deliver prescriptive care plans and interact virtually with patients of all levels of technology expertise. Connecting the care continuum to the home, Vivify Health's customers customize and deliver nearly 100 clinical pathways at any time, on any interval and to any digital device. Vivify Health is implemented in organizations representing over 700 hospitals, measurably transforming healthcare costs and outcomes for the better. For more information, visit www.vivifyhealth.ca.
SOURCE Ontario Telemedicine Network
To arrange an interview with Dr. Ed Brown, please contact Gillian Wansbrough, 416-446-4110 x4004, or [email protected]. To arrange an interview with Eric Rock, please contact Joy Dinaro, Amendola Communications, 847-809-0406, or [email protected]
Share this article