Abstract
This high-intensity, telemedicine-enhanced, acute care model aims to reduce unnecessary emergency department visits while providing quality care in a more patient-centered environment. The program was implemented among adults living in senior-living communities (SLCs) in Rochester N.Y., consisting of both independent and assisted living residents. Older adults are faced with difficult choices when an acute illness requires same-day assessment. They often must choose to delay care until an appointment is available or obtain care at an ED, and both options are associated with significant health risks and costs. Telemedicine represents an additional option for same-day acute care. Participants who called their geriatric primary care practice with an acute complaint were offered usual care or a telemedicine visit. Telemedicine visits were facilitated by a trained telemedicine assistant following a predefined protocol based on chief complaint and could include live videoconferencing, stored images, video, and sound files, 12-lead ECG, and lab work. Of the 539 visits requested, 509 (94.4 %) were successfully completed in a timely manner with a care plan in place. Satisfaction among all stakeholders was high, and a detailed analysis of utilization of health services and cost-effectiveness is underway. With its potential to reduce cost while increasing patient satisfaction, acute care telemedicine models such as this should be ideally situated for expansion under the evolving healthcare system.
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Wood, N.E., Shah, M.N. (2015). High-Intensity Telemedicine-Enhanced Acute Care for Elders Model. In: Malone, M., Capezuti, E., Palmer, R. (eds) Geriatrics Models of Care. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16068-9_29
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16068-9_29
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