A New Hampshire hospital is preparing to launch its own virtual clinic, which would use mHealth and telehealth technology to connect with recently released patients in their homes and avoid costly rehospitalizations.
Lebanon-based Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center plans to use home-based patient monitoring tools and services to connect with patients outside the hospital and track their health, according to the Brattleboro Reformer of Brattleboro, Vt. The goal is to improve clinical outcomes by making sure patients are following a post-discharge care plan and allowing clinicians to intervene if they spot a potential health crisis.
"We're asking, 'Why does the patient always have to come to us, and are there some things that can be done remotely that will add value or improve outcomes?'" Ethan Burke, the hospital's director of primary care and population health, told the Reformer.
The hospital is working with labor officials in New Hampshire and neighboring Vermont to hire 20 medical assistants and 10 pharmacy technicians for the proposed clinic. Vermont recently joined the growing list of states that now allows Medicaid reimbursement for some telemedicine services.
