Sweetwater Medical Associates is a family practice and internal medicine facility in Sugar Land, Texas. It has five providers, as well as a staff that includes eight medical assistants (MAs).
PROBLEM
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Sweetwater has been constantly understaffed. The research team always seems to be limited in time, having difficulty monitoring patients at risk for hypertension and obesity to help manage their chronic conditions and look for markers. signs of impending problems.
“We serve a wide range of patients with chronic conditions, including hundreds of people with hypertension and obesity, and it is important to help,” said Eric Navarette, practice director at Sweetwater Medical Associates. patients better understand their condition.”
“Before we monitor patients remotely with an AI-powered virtual assistant, a patient will visit the office, where their blood pressure and/or weight is measured and recorded, or possibly they regularly monitor these metrics using automated machines, the process – often non-digital with pen and paper – at home, which is then shared at the visit or through telehealth,” he continued.
Staff also noticed that many patients with these two chronic conditions also frequently called the office to check in or seek care. Incoming calls are huge.
“We knew there was a better way to manage these patients with RPM technology, so we started to analyze the solutions that were available to us,” explains Navarette. “The continuous flow of patient data can proactively alert providers of a complication, so they can quickly intervene and reduce the risk of worsening or escalation of care, such as going to the emergency room or being hospitalized.”
SUGGESTIONS
100Plus, a Connect America company, provides an AI-powered remote patient monitoring platform that allows healthcare providers to remotely monitor and manage their health patient.
“We looked at three solutions and chose 100Plus because it’s so comprehensive and includes an AI-powered virtual assistant that no one else has,” notes Navarette. “At the same time, they provide significant assistance in analyzing our patient population to determine who is best suited for the RPM program and onboarding them.
“We’ve also seen enhanced clinical workflow efficiency, especially as fewer calls to our MA from patients. Our new RPM platform and clinical workflow has also really increased patient engagement.”
Eric Navarette, Sweetwater Medical Association
He continued: “An analysis was performed on our group of patients using a proprietary tool that automatically looked at patient records for diagnostic codes related to obesity and hypertension, as well as as mapped return conditions”.
The provider then helped Sweetwater narrow the patient pool to those who had attended the practice for an appointment within the past 12 months.
“The provider team then began reaching out to obtain patient consent to be included in the RPM program, including phone calls, emails, and texts to eligible patients, explains the purpose of the RPM program, how it works from the patient’s perspective, and its benefits,” explains Navarette.
He added: “100Plus also handles patient admissions. “The right connected devices were sent to registered patients, such as pulse oximeters to measure blood oxygen levels along with blood pressure cuffs, scales and blood glucose meters. One A significant part of the patient communication and referral process is also done by AI virtual assistants.”
MARKET
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MEET CHALLENGES ONLY
Sweetwater launched the RPM program in October 2021 with 100 patients and has now expanded the program to 240 patients.
“Readings are taken by the patient in their home and automatically recorded in the provider’s portal, which can be viewed by the provider, and the data can be shared with caregivers or family members.” family, if the patient wants to,” notes Navarette.
He continued: “Providers and MAs regularly access the portal to review readings and determine a patient’s condition or whether they need to change therapy and treatments. “Patients can now also access their readings on their smartphones through the recently launched patient portal.”
Test calls are made by the MA to registered patients to discuss results, as needed. So basically, frontline MAs work with patients – an AI virtual assistant called Esper also plays an important role.
For patients, virtual assistants interact with them. Many patients liken the virtual assistant to a person, offering nudges and/or praise and providing a sense of support, which can foster a sense of personal responsibility.
By regularly measuring and seeing their vital signs first-hand, Sweetwater staff believe this can also increase patients’ motivation to make healthier decisions in improving their health. improve this biometric information.
The 100Plus RPM platform is not currently connected to Sweetwater’s EHR, but that is the plan for the future.
RESULT
Sweetwater staff were delighted with RPM technology and saw impressive results in the first six months: Patients participating in the program experienced an average reduction in systolic blood pressure of 5.80 mmHg for those with the condition. increased blood pressure and average weight loss of 3.45 pounds for those with obesity.
“We’re also seeing enhanced clinical workflow efficiencies, particularly with fewer calls to our MA from patients,” Navarette reported. “Our new RPM platform and clinical workflow has also really boosted patient engagement.
“One might think it’s counter-intuitive since we’re using telemedicine, but it’s effective in taking patient vitals, near real-time data flow, and automatic recording. Retrieving those results in a patient portal is allowing our MAs to review the data and reach and engage patients armed with that data, whether it’s a ‘Do’ phone call. great’ for the patient or a call might ask for probing questions or a change in therapy or medication,” he continued.
Either way, team members are reporting that patient engagement has been enhanced overall, he added.
TIPS FOR OTHER PEOPLE
“Technology can be difficult,” advises Navarette. “Look for technology partners that offer a variety of support, such as the analytics phase to select patients from your patient pool who are best suited to the RPM program, as well as training and recommend them – even supply and distribute linked care equipment.
He added: “The AI virtual assistant is also a game changer, as the technology reduces a lot of the tedious work for our small staff, streamlining clinical workflows. ours and allows for increased patient engagement.”
Sweetwater sees technology as the future, and while it means change, it has the potential to lead to change for the better, he reports.
“With AI-powered RPM, we are streamlining our clinical workflow, improving operational costs, and most importantly, improving patient outcomes,” Navarette concludes.
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