Pharos Innovations' RPM technology enables healthcare cost reduction

Pharos Innovations announced today that results of the Henry Ford Health System Patient-Centered Team Care program show a 36% reduction in expected all-cause hospital admissions for enrolled heart failure patients after six months of enrollment and a return of 2.3:1 vs. program costs. The Michigan non-profit healthcare enterprise began using Tel-Assurance, Pharos Innovations' innovative device-free remote patient monitoring (RPM) platform, at its clinics on July 21, 2008 as part of its Patient-Centered Medical Home model; the reporting period runs through December 31, 2008.

Henry Ford's Tel-Assurance program is a cost-effective, simple to use RPM technology proven to reduce healthcare costs and avoidable hospital admissions for chronic condition patients. Despite diversity in populations served, Tel-Assurance clients nationwide, like Henry Ford, generate admission rates well below national averages. Lowering these rates by averting unnecessary hospitalizations reduces healthcare costs -- a key aim of the national healthcare reform discussions.

"We knew there was a better way to help our patients take better care of themselves and, in the process, reduce hospital admissions for those who don't need to be here," said Richard Dryer, MD, medical director, Henry Ford Health System. "Tel-Assurance allows us to take better care of our patients with chronic conditions, such as heart failure, outside of the hospital and keep our beds open for our other patients. As a result of the successes we have seen, our plan is now to extend and expand our program across our organization."

"Henry Ford has found a successful model for improving the health and healthcare outcomes for patients who are underserved and can be difficult to reach and engage," said Randall E. Williams, MD, CEO of Pharos Innovations. "These results lend further proof that remote monitoring technologies, such as Tel-Assurance, are a vital component of successful chronic care management programs and support the Patient-Centered Medical Home model to improve chronic care management and quality of life while reducing healthcare costs even in diverse geographies and low socioeconomic groups."