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This is Fred Ball for Zions Bank, speaking on business.
Through the use of new, in-home telemonitoring technology, patients served by Horizon Home Health throughout Utah are getting a check-up every day in the comfort of their own homes. Horizon, which provides a variety of home health services, has teamed with HomMed', a leader in the rapidly growing home patient telemonitoring industry, to implement a system that collects patients' vital signs on a daily basis. Horizon provides the service through its sister agency, Heritage-Brookside Home Care.
The system is individually programmed for patients according to parameters established by their personal physicians. In just three minutes, it can collect a variety of vital signs such as heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, body weight and temperature. It can measure glucose levels and lung function and gather subjective data on patients' fatigue and general wellness levels.
The collected data are then transmitted via digital wireless technology or by telephone to Horizon Home Health clinicians so even the slightest abnormalities can be detected before they become serious.
Health care professionals like the system because it allows them to work more efficiently. One nurse, for example, can observe the clinical health of numerous patients at a single time and effectively direct medical attention to those who need it.
Scott Woolley, a division CEO and vice president of Horizon Home Health, said the system has already had a significant impact. He said they've been able to catch problems early on and avert major health breakdowns. In one instance, they were able to identify a patient's problem as severe and send that person immediately to the emergency department for prompt medical attention that couldnÕt have waited overnight.
With all of those benefits, it's no wonder home telemonitoring is a rapidly growing form of home care technology. In fact, the entire telemedicine industry, which telemonitoring is part of, is expected to grow to $10 billion by 2005 from its current $500 million mark. And certainly, Horizon Home Health and the HomMed system are leading the way.
For Zions Bank, I'm Fred Ball. I'm speaking on business.
