For Release: Immediate
HIP Initiates Remote Monitoring for Congestive Heart Failure Patients: First Health Plan in Metro New York Area to Use System
New York, N.Y. May 16 - Congestive heart failure patients who are members of HIP Health Plan will no longer have to travel to a doctor's office to have their conditions monitored. HIP has introduced a program that will enable patients to have their conditions expertly monitored in their own homes.
HIP is the first health care company in the New York metropolitan area and one of the first the Eastern United States to use the remote monitoring technology developed by Alere Medical, Inc.* The program will enable physicians to intervene early with a congestive heart failure patient by viewing real time information on changes in the patient’s symptoms.
Dr. Ronald Platt, HIP’s Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer, said: “The Alere Medical program is yet another example of HIP’s commitment to innovation and quality. Our unwavering goal is to provide our membership with the best and latest in medical practice. For our members who suffer with congestive heart failure, this system is simple, safe, at no cost to patient or provider, and establishes a remote real time relationship between patient and physician.”
The heart-monitoring program provides a scale platform and communications device in the home, which is connected to Alere’s AlereNetä system, which is a proprietary software system that Alere’s registered nurses use to monitor each patient’s status on a daily basis. The patient steps on the scale, which is accurate within 4 ounces and accommodates up to 400 pounds, twice a day. An accompanying communications device prompts the patient to answer a series of yes or no questions designed to assess how the patient is feeling.
The information is transmitted from the patient’s home through a telephone line connection to dedicated nurses who monitor it daily and report problems immediately to the patient’s physician. The purpose of the program is to avoid a crisis. However, if patients experience severe shortness of breath or chest pains, they are told to call 911 or go to their nearest emergency room.
According to Alere Medical, heart failure is a chronic and growing problem for the aging population in the United States. Nearly 5 million Americans are living with heart failure and the disease causes or contributes to 250,000 deaths each year. More than 400,000 new heart failure cases are diagnosed annually with estimated annual hospitalization expenditures exceeding $6 billion.
*Confirmed by Alere.
About HIP
With about 770,000 members, HIP Health Plan of New York is an award-winning health plan and one of the largest in the New York metropolitan area. In recognition of HIP’s commitment to innovation and quality, the plan holds NCQA commendable accreditation. In addition, HIP is ranked among the nation’s top users of information technology and is one of the first, if not the first, to render its Web site in Spanish as well as English. Known for over 50 years as the region’s premier HMO, HIP today also offers a wide range of choice no other health plan can match. For more information, please visit our Web site at www.hipusa.com.
About Alere
Alere® Medical, Incorporated is a privately held care management company and leader in the development of technology and services that remotely monitor patients with advanced heart failure. Alere’s products establish remote connectivity and communication between patients, their physicians, and care managers. Currently in use in 29 states, the AlereNetTM system enables patients with congestive heart failure to have their condition assessed daily to avoid a crisis such as emergency care or hospitalization. Founded in 1996, Alere is headquartered in Reno, Nevada with technology development based in Concord, California.
