Telehealth news and events we have been talking about around our office this week
This recent study conducted by doctors at the Mayo clinic and published in the Annals of Thoracic Surgery in early September is garnering attention in multiple fields including medicine, IT, and business. The researchers used “off-the-shelf” fitness monitors (Fitbits) to measure mobility in elderly patients recovering from cardiac surgery. Their findings show a significant relationship between steps taken and recovery time, and suggest information gathered from monitoring technologies may improve quality of care and post-discharge outcomes.
Additional commentary on the study:
Med City News: Mayo Clinic Study: Fitbit data can be an early warning sign of slow recovery from surgery
Forbes: Fitbit Could Help Monitor Progress After Heart Surgery
Colorado-based hospital group to form digital health subsidiary
Neil Versal, MobiHealth News
Catholic Health Initiatives is a Colorado-based health system with a plan to expand virtual services by moving them to a magnet subsidiary which will include telehealth, telemedicine, mobile, media, and gamification. The new subsidiary then plans to market its virtual services to employer groups and payers. Many details are still to come, but we are keeping out eyes on this innovative strategy as CHI’s reach continues to expand nationally.