Telehealth services may help older adults to successfully stay in their homes after a care transition, according to preliminary results of a pilot project at the West Virginia University Office of Health Affairs.

The Take Me Home Transition Program offers supports and services, including telehealth services, to long-term care residents who qualify to return to their own homes, said a story in WVU Today. The pilot includes people who participate in the Aged and Disabled Waiver Program and the Traumatic Brain Injury Waiver Program. Both are existing home and community-based programs.

Participants receive customized medical equipment through vendor partnerships. While participants who have an internet connection can receive a tablet, those who do not may use a landline phone. The West Virginia Bureau for Medical Services runs the program.

Outcomes

Results so far have been impressive. During their six-month evaluation in the program, only one of the 26 participants has had an extended, but voluntary, stay at a rehabilitation facility, the WVU Today article said. The pilot began in July 2018 and will conclude at the end of 2021.

One participant avoided hospitalization because a telehealth provider was able to manage her hypertension by adjusting her medication, said Steve Davis. Davis serves as associate professor with the School of Public Health, an adjunct professor with the School of Medicine, and the principal investigator of the Home and Community-Based Services Telehealth Pilot.

“After the program was over, however, the participant was hospitalized,” Davis told WVU Today. “It was a direct correlation. The remote patient monitoring and care coordination with the nurse prevented the hospitalization.”

When the pilot ends, the research team will analyze cost-effectiveness and survey participants on the program’s quality. A final report is expected to be submitted to West Virginia in December 2021.

McKnight’s Senior Living reported news of the pilot in its Home Care Briefs for Friday, July 2.

For more information about Telehealth and RPM, please check out the CAST Telehealth/RPM Selection tool.