FL Healthcare Org Aims to Enhance At-Home Care Through Virtual Services

To create a successful at-home care system, Lee Health partnered withHealth Recovery Solutions (HRS) to implement virtual resources, aiming for lower levels of hospital readmissions and emergency room visits.

Lee Health is a nonprofit healthcare organization from Southwest Florida. The hospital said it aims to implement new methods of caring for its residents. HRS develops novel ways of telehealth and remote patient monitoring (RPM), driven by the goal of assisting providers and working toward an optimal clinical system.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many hospitals implemented virtual solutions to continue caring for patients. Although the prevalence of restrictions is not as high as at the peak of the health crisis, Lee Health said that sustaining virtual options will benefit patients and providers.

Lee Health worked with HRS to improve the overall health of the hospital using virtual resources, specifically aiming to lower readmissions and visits to the emergency room.

After being approved for the program by a provider, patients receive a telehealth kit that provides all necessary resources, such as a 4G tablet and biometric monitoring devices. The program also consisted of education on how to use this technology, along with daily monitoring from Lee Health Clinicians.

“Remote patient monitoring allows us to care for patients in the most appropriate care setting based on their personal needs and where they are most comfortable – at home. It allows us to virtually track their health in real time and intervene when needed to prevent worsening health conditions," said Zsolt Kulcsar, Medical Director of Lee Virtual Health.

"Digital health is transforming the way we provide medical care and is giving patients more options in seeking the right care, in the right place and at the right time," continued Kulcsar.

The program will start with patients with congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hypertension, and post cardio-thoracic surgery . However, it will eventually encompass other conditions.

At-home care methods have increasingly become more prevalent since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, working to coexist with restrictions and expand forms of care.

In June 2022, Memorial Hermann Health System worked with Contessa to expand at-home care options by including resources such as acute hospital care and rehabilitation services using in-person, virtual, and RPM methods.

In July 2022, Tampa General Hospital created an at-home program to provide for patients while allowing them to remain in the comfort of their homes. The program consisted of in-person and virtual visits from members of the clinical team, along with continuous RPM.