Carolyn Buck Luce Shares Thoughts on the Future of Telehealthcare

Carolyn Buck Luce

Carolyn Buck Luce, Managing Director at Imaginal Labs, shared her thoughts on the future of telehealthcare in a recent blog post. Carolyn presented at the Telehealthcare Leaders Forum, held April 17 and 18, 2013, in Newport, Rhode Island, and shared insights on how innovation can address dramatic changes in the healthcare system.

Carolyn’s blog post is insightful and reminds us that disruptive innovations are driven by unmet needs. Several key themes resonated for me as I read Carolyn’s blog post…

• Now is the time to act
•  Healthcare reform efforts by Medicare and Medicaid are fueling changes in how healthcare is delivered and emphasizing the need to improve patient outcomes and decrease costs
• Patients want a more active role in managing their health
• Healthcare providers and payers are incentivized to deliver better care and decrease costs
• Now is the time to innovate
• New technologies and tools are available to deliver health care more efficiently and less expensively
• New business models and strategies are being considered—players across the healthcare industry from providers, health systems, payers, home care agencies, and life sciences companies recognize the need to do business differently and put patients and their outcomes at the center of their business

I’d love to hear your thoughts on Carolyn’s post. Specifically, how are you and your organization using disruptive innovations and technology to enhance patient outcomes and decrease costs?

New Products: Tunstall Vi, Cellular PERS, Tunstall iVi Fall Detection Pendant

New Telehealthcare Products

Tunstall Americas released three new products that improve patient care and enhance outcomes. "These exciting products underscore the value of our telehealthcare specialization and our commitment to innovation," said Brad Waugh, President and CEO, Tunstall Americas. "Capabilities like the Tunstall Vi's second button that support non-emergency services and enhance patient care is a great example of the power of our Integrated Engagement Platform."

These solutions expand on Tunstall's proven telecare/PERS systems, and will be on display at the American Telemedicine Association meeting in Austin, Texas, May 5-7, 2013.

• Tunstall Vi telecare/PERS unit is sleek in design with an attractive non-clinical look and features a 2^nd button that can be customized for non-emergency needs such as nurse triage, medication refills, or appointments. The base console supports push-button and intelligent fall detection pendants. It is compatible with land line, cable, and VoIP phone services and is FDA listed and UL approved. 
  
• Tunstall CEL450, home based cellular PERS, brings safety into homes without traditional telephone or internet phone service. This FDA listed, UL approved system provides families with more choices in home health monitoring solutions.
  
• Tunstall iVi Fall Detection Pendant automatically detects falls. The monitoring center is alerted when a fall is detected. Receiving assistance quickly after a fall ensures better outcomes for patients. The iVi Fall Detection Pendant is compatible with the Tunstall Vi and CEL450 units.

These exciting additions to Tunstall's Integrated Engagement Platform improve care management, decrease costs, and help provide better outcomes. "Tunstall is unique in our depth of experience and dedication to remote patient monitoring, particularly Personal Emergency Response," said Kevin Doyle, Telecare/PERS Solutions Manager. "Since we design and manufacture our own equipment and have over 30 years' experience in emergency contact center services, healthcare entities increasingly view Tunstall as the best long-term partner."

David Lee Scher, MD, Shares Thoughts on Remote Patient Monitoring and Value-Based Healthcare

Remote patient monitoring is on the rise

David Lee Scher, MD, is a pioneer adopter of remote patient monitoring (RPM) technology more than 13 years ago, and has become an astute observer and expert on barriers to the adoption of RPM and other digital technologies. He recently posted on his blog, The Digital Health Corner, an interesting blog on how remote patient monitoring will lead to value-based healthcare.

The post provides insights into how newer payment models, such as Medicare payment penalties and bundled payments that are a part of the Affordable Care Act are “…creating an economic environment which is conducive to the widespread use of remote patient monitoring for recently discharged hospital patients and those with chronic diseases, says Dr. Scher.” In the post, Dr. Scher talks about why RPM is a practical solution, why it needs to be utilized now, and where it fits into existing strategies.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on Dr. Scher’s post. Specifically, what challenges do you see in adopting remote patient monitoring.

Dr. Scher participated in a panel discussion at the recent Telehealthcare Leaders Forum. As a part of the panel, he and his colleagues shared insights on overcoming clinical, financial, and marketplace barriers to speed the adoption of telehealthcare solutions and technologies, which include remote patient monitoring technologies.

Tunstall Americas Grand Opening Event for New Data and Operations Center in Pawtucket, Rhode Island

Pawtucket, RI - Data and Operations Center location

Tunstall Americas, a leader in independent living technologies and 24/7 healthcare communication services, will host a grand opening on Tuesday, April 16 at 4:30pm at their new data and operations center at 100 Freight Street in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

The opening marks an important milestone in the growth of Rhode Island's healthcare technology business sector, and the result of close cooperation between Tunstall Americas, the City of Pawtucket, and the State of Rhode Island. Multiple state and city agencies and departments have collaborated to make this relocation a reality.

Full Article

Powerhouse Pharma Panel to Address How Innovation May Enhance Patient Outcomes at the Telehealthcare Leaders Forum

Telehealthcare Innovation Panel Announced

The inaugural Telehealthcare Leaders Forum includes a panel of life science industry leaders that will share their views on new technologies such as telehealth, telecare/PERS, and mhealth, and how these technologies help the industry enhance patient outcomes, manage chronic conditions, improve patient adherence, demonstrate treatment value, and enable data sharing.

Comprehensive Event Info

Register Online or by phone (877) 354-6111

On Wednesday, April 17, Carolyn Buck Luce, retired Market Leader from Ernst & Young, will moderate a panel comprised of...

Lisa Callender oversees strategy and operations for contact centers at Bristol-Myers Squibb. Lisa has extensive expertise in consumer and business marketing operations and strategies including consumer insight and satisfaction.

Lynn O'Connor Vos is Chief Executive Officer and President of Grey Healthcare Group. Lynn is leading efforts to use digital capabilities to transform healthcare marketing to impact outcomes and achieve improvement. She developed text4baby, the country's number one mobile health program.

Vera Rulon is Director, External Medical Communications at Pfizer Medical. Vera managed the Clinical Informatics team at Oxford Health Plans, where she supported building a Special Management Company that created an episode of care reimbursement strategy.

Ceci Zak is the Vice President of Commercial Capabilities at Sanofi. In this role, Ceci oversees a think tank and learning lab for novel business solutions, the digital center of excellence, and commercial training. Prior to this role, Ceci held numerous roles in marketing and sales within the industry.

Tunstall Announces Telelehealthcare Leaders Forum

Tunstall Americas announces the inaugural Telehealthcare Leaders Forum, an educational and informational event for healthcare organizations, payers, pharmaceutical companies and key leaders throughout the healthcare industry.

Full Story & Agenda

The Telehealthcare Leaders Forum is scheduled for April 16^th to 18^th in Newport, Rhode Island, and includes healthcare industry stakeholders and experts, and government officials. For more information on the event, e-mail TLF@TunstallAMAC.com, call 1-877-354-6111, or visit www.tunstallamac.com/TLF.