Page 1 Case Studies in Telehealth Adoption Partners Health Care Connecting Heart Failure Patients to Through Monitoring
P. 1
Case Studies in Telehealth Adoption
January 2013
Partners HealthCare: Connecting
Heart Failure Patients to Providers
Through Remote Monitoring
Andrew Broderick
The mission of The Commonwealth ABSTRACT: Partners HealthCare’s programs in home telehealth have been driven by its
Fund is to promote a high performance Center for Connected Health, which has pilot-tested and implemented telemedicine and
health care system. The Fund carries remote monitoring solutions. The center focuses on practical innovations that can change
out this mandate by supporting
independent research on health care patient behaviors to realize better clinical outcomes. The center’s Connected Cardiac Care
issues and making grants to improve Program has enrolled more than 1,200 patients since its introduction in 2006 and has expe-
health care practice and policy. Support rienced an approximate 50 percent reduction in heart failure hospital readmission rates
for this research was provided by overall for enrolled patients. The center estimates the program has generated total cost
The Commonwealth Fund. The views savings of more than $10 million since 2006. Human factors and social processes have
presented here are those of the author been important in successfully introducing telehealth technology solutions into work-
and not necessarily those of The
Commonwealth Fund or its directors, flow and patient care. Technology has also had a positive impact on patient activation and
oficers, or staff. engagement in self-care, helping to demonstrate to providers that this new program sup-
ports behavior changes that lead to improved care and quality outcomes.
For more information about this study, OVERVIEW
please contact: Partners HealthCare (Partners), an integrated health system in Boston, is under-
Andrew Broderick, M.A., M.B.A.
Codirector, Center for Innovation going a mission-driven, system-level transformation by aligning the organization
and Technology in Public Health with external forces shaping the future organization, financing, and delivery of
Public Health Institute
abroderick@phi.org health care. Its strategic initiatives center on making patient care more affordable
and accountable through providing integrated, evidence-based, patient-centered
care. Partners’ strategy implementation group has been looking at performance
To learn more about new publications improvement in a number of priority conditions. These initially included diabe-
when they become available, visit the tes, acute myocardial infarction, coronary artery bypass graft surgery, stroke, and
Fund's website and register to receive colorectal cancer, but other conditions will be added to the initial care redesign
Fund email alerts.
Commonwealth Fund pub. 1656 portfolio over time. Care redesign initiatives are working to move the organiza-
Vol. 3 tion from an episodic and specialty approach to a longitudinal, condition-based,
