NASHVILLE, Tenn. and
TAMPA, Fla., Oct. 27, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- By 2025, chronic
diseases may affect an estimated 164 million Americans – nearly
half of the current U.S. population. To address this looming
crisis, WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (NYSE: WCG) is piloting an
in-home telemonitoring program for its Medicare Advantage members
with chronic conditions in Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee. The pilot will include up to 500
members diagnosed with congestive heart failure and diabetes.
Telemonitoring in the home enables live, real-time access to
patient vital signs, allowing for immediate medical response to
concerning changes. Clinicians triage the vital signs in real time
and notify the member's physician and care team of changes and
exacerbations of the member's condition, which drive adjustments to
the member's plan of care.
Recent studies examined the impact of telemonitoring on the
quality, access and cost of care for managing certain chronic
diseases. The results were encouraging. The studies showed that the
benefits of telemonitoring included reduced hospital admissions and
readmissions, reduced length of hospital stays, fewer visits to the
emergency department and reduced mortality rates.
Through its interactivity, telemonitoring is aimed at increasing
member compliance through education and progress reporting. Through
a better understanding of their health condition, members are
better equipped to react to symptoms more quickly and correctly,
encouraging increased quality of life, comfort and
independence.
"Because chronic diseases can be disabling and may reduce a
person's quality of life, WellCare wants to offer convenient
treatment options to help our members get the care they need," said
Tim Mullen, WellCare's chief
operating officer for Arkansas,
Mississippi and Tennessee. "We are partnering with VRI, a
remote monitoring company, to provide our participating members
with telemonitoring, which increases access to care by enabling our
network of physicians to provide greater levels of care and service
to these members."
The program will deploy connected devices to monitor a member's
daily vital signs such as blood pressure, pulse, weight and blood
glucose levels and provide voice connectivity 24/7 to
clinicians.
"We are excited about the opportunity to help WellCare empower
its members to take greater control of their health and improve
their quality of life," said VRI's CEO Chris Hendriksen.
As of June 30, 2016, WellCare
serves 98,000 Medicare Prescription Drug Plan members and 41,000
Medicare Advantage members in Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee.
About WellCare Health Plans, Inc.
Headquartered in
Tampa, Fla., WellCare Health
Plans, Inc. (NYSE: WCG) focuses exclusively on providing
government-sponsored managed care services, primarily through
Medicaid, Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug Plans,
to families, children, seniors and individuals with complex medical
needs. WellCare serves approximately 3.8 million members nationwide
as of June 30, 2016. For more
information about WellCare, please visit the company's website at
www.wellcare.com or view the company's videos at
https://www.youtube.com/user/WellCareHealthPlan.
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SOURCE WellCare Health Plans, Inc.