The Pharos Solution

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Tel-Assurance® is an elegantly simple, scalable, cost-effective, evidence-based and proven remote patient monitoring solution that targets the clinical and financial burden of chronic conditions.

As the prevalence of chronic conditions continues to grow, better care coordination is becoming critical to the success of all healthcare organizations. Currently, cost-effective chronic care management is limited either by the number of patients/members care providers and care managers can interact with, or by their frequency of communication. By incorporating the voice of the patient/member, Tel-Assurance closes this gap and allows for better care coordination without the need for additional resources.

Developed and validated by practicing physicians and care coordinators, Tel-Assurance can seamlessly augment your organization’s care management efforts. Through the use of leading-edge technology, Tel-Assurance provides a platform to monitor patient behavior on a daily basis. Participants receive the contact they need to stay healthy and loyal, and your staff is able to manage more patients with less effort and time.

Patients spend less time in the hospital and more time connecting to your organization’s outpatient services. When they do require admission, they are more likely to go home sooner. Loyalty to your organization is built through a daily “dose” of your brand.

Through targeted survey questions, Tel-Assurance can expand the efficiency, effectiveness and reach of care coordination programs for:

HEART FAILURE

The Problem
According to the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality’s (AHRQ) 2007 National Health Care Quality Report, today more than five million Americans have heart failure, with 550,000 new cases reported each year, costing the U.S. an estimated $29.6 billion. Heart failure accounts for approximately 6.5 million hospital days annually in the U.S. and one-third of the heart failure patients who are discharged from the hospital are readmitted within 90 days.
Source: Cowther, M., Maroulis, A., Shafter-Winter, N, et al. 2003.
Evidence-based development of a hospital based heart failure centre. Evidence-Based Nursing. (6) 4-6

Pharos Findings
Pharos clients have reported the following results using Tel-Assurance for treating heart failure:

• 60% decrease in all-cause admissions
• 50%+ reduction in 30-day readmissions
• 66% one-year patient retention
• Three- to five-fold increase in care management caseloads

Bed-day reductions using Tel-Assurance have delivered a 2:1 financial return providing a 50% to 100% return on investment. Measurable outcomes are typically seen within three months of program implementation.

DIABETES

The Problem
According to the Milken Institute’s 2007 study, “Unhealthy America: The Economic Burden of Chronic Disease,” in 2003, diabetes affected some 13.7 million Americans and was responsible for $132 billion in treatment costs and lost economic output. Left unchecked, the disease progresses and requires acute treatment for a variety of complications.

Pharos Findings

• Using Tel-Assurance in a statewide study of a diabetic population at a large regional healthcare entity resulted in a 2.5 point reduction in HbA1c levels within six months.
• In a randomized trial, Tel-Assurance doubled the improvement in HbA1c compared to high-intensity case management alone.

DEPRESSION

The Problem
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, in a given year, approximately 20.9 million American adults, or about 9.5% of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given year have a mood disorder, including major depressive disorder, the leading cause of disability in the U.S. for individuals ages 15 to 44. The direct and indirect costs of mood disorder illnesses total over $43 billion per year. For patients with chronic conditions, depression is very common as these individuals address the challenges and frequent limitations of their chronic conditions.

Pharos Findings
The Iowa Medicaid Congestive Heart Failure Population Disease Management Demonstration reported a 20% cost decrease for participants suffering with co-morbid depression.

ASTHMA

The Problem
The American Lung Association estimates that approximately 20 million Americans have asthma, costing the healthcare system more than $18 billion per year. According to annual U.S. prevalence statistics for chronic diseases, every day in America, 40,000 people miss school or work, 30,000 people have an asthma attack and 1,000 people are admitted to the hospital due to asthma.

COPD

The Problem
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a lung disease in which the lungs are damaged, making breathing difficult. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, COPD is the 4th leading cause of death in the U.S. and causes serious, long-term disability. COPD kills more than 120,000 Americans each year. More than 12 million people are diagnosed with COPD and it is estimated that another 12 million have COPD but remain undiagnosed.

HIGH RISK MATERNITY

The Problem
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hospitalizations for pregnancy-related complications occurring before delivery account for more than $1 billion annually. With convergent factors, such as older moms, chronic health conditions among pregnant women and multiple births due to infertility treatments, medical experts predict even higher costs in upcoming years.

MEDICATION ADHERENCE

The Problem
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 50% of all U.S. patients are not compliant with their doctors’ medication treatment plans. This medication non-compliance (non-adherence), the failure to take drugs on time in the dosages prescribed, is as dangerous and costly as many illnesses. According to a U.S. Senate subcommittee study, medication noncompliance results in more than 300,000 deaths in the U.S. per year.