A partnership between a Time Warner Cable division and a video conferencing system has created an affordable home health monitoring “breakthrough” offering meant to improve follow-up care for patients once they’re back at home.
Time Warner Cable Business Class and Tely Labs, the maker of the telyHD videoconferencing platform, are launching a trial for ‘Virtual Visits,’ touted as an easy-to-use telyHD video calling system that allows health care providers to offer quality patient follow-up virtually.
The comprehensive solution could contribute to reduced hospital readmission rates and associated costs, the partnership says, adding that the partnership overcomes former obstacles of cost and logistics.
“Technology is key to addressing the increasing pressures of cost and compliance in healthcare,” said Sreekanth Ravi, president and CEO of Tely Labs, in a statement. “While telemedicine is not new, an affordable and easy-to-use solution, coupled with TWCBC’s operational reach, is a genuine breakthrough.”
Hospitals are penalized for readmissions above a certain threshold under the Affordable Care Act, and the home health monitoring system has the potential to help hospitals free up outpatient facilities and reduce the amount of missed appointments, in-room care costs for readmissions, and health care reform-related penalties, says Ravi.
Using the “Virtual Visit’ solution, health care workers can remain in their clinical setting and communicate with patients to provide quality care in a home setting.
“Our partnership with Tely Labs has enabled Time Warner Cable Business Class to provide a secure solution for hospitals and physicians that effectively engages with patients in their own home,” said Greg King, senior vice president and chief product and strategy officer at TWCBS. “‘Virtual Visits’ can help reduce stress on a patient during the critical post-discharge period, while simultaneously enabling follow-up assessment and recovery tracking by the healthcare provider.”
Written by Alyssa Gerace
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