Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/562eed/health_it_in_care) has announced the addition of the "Health IT in Care Management to Improve Health and Effect Behavior Change" report to their offering.
The most sophisticated technology in the world will not engage patients and members in health improvement if they are not convinced of the value of the program to their health, the commitment of their providers to the process and the credibility of the entire care team.
Those are some of the findings detailed in Health IT in Care Management to Improve Health and Effect Behavior Change, which describes the enrollment and engagement of patients in telemedicine programs in a variety of care settings.
In this 35-page report, Dr. Randall Williams, chief executive officer, Pharos Innovations, describes the prerequisites for using technologies to engage patients in chronic disease improvement programs, setting the scene for care management and behavior change.
Sharing how technology has enhanced patient engagement and self-management in their specific populations are Katherine Scher, R.N., C.C.M., program manager for the Center for Clinical Care Design at Henry Ford Health System, and Dr. Thomas Kline, medical director, Iowa Medicaid Enterprise. In chronicling the Henry Ford experience, Scher describes how the health system case managers were able to successfully engage a subset of chronically ill patients with the use of telemedicine once its physicians helped to identify the appropriate population and enroll these patients.
In detailing the Iowa Medicaid experience, Dr. Kline demonstrates how telemedicine can be a pivotal health improvement tool for a largely rural population for whom resources are limited, access to care providers is difficult and disease management and care management programs are still in their infancy. Looking to Wagner's Chronic Care Model for inspiration, the Iowa Medicaid program found a way to use telemedicine to engage the patients and get the providers on board.