The Pennsylvania-based health system is the first to merge data collected from a remote care management platform into its Epic electronic health record system.
The EHR integration with the Force Therapeutics platform—which is seamless and requires no additional effort or documentation by clinicians—has resulted in better care at more affordable costs by improving connectivity and information sharing between patients undergoing hip and knee surgeries and their providers, according to Geisinger.
“Force helps us keep in touch with patients in between the typical visits we would usually have in orthopedics,” said Michael Suk, MD, Geisinger’s chief physician officer and chair of the Geisinger Musculoskeletal Institute and the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. “Knowing what patients are doing between two- and six-week visits is incredibly important. We can monitor progress, continue to send encouragement and hopefully have a positive effect on their quality and outcomes.”
In fact, the Geisinger-Force collaboration over three years has resulted in significantly improved outcomes, including a 30 percent reduction in hospital length of stay, 56 percent reduction in skilled nursing facility utilization, as well as an 18 percent reduction in readmissions.
Geisinger credits remote monitoring with improving patient outcomes by fostering compliance to prescribed treatment plans and providing clinical teams with real-time data and alerts integrated into the EHR.
By Greg Slabodkin | Health Data Management
Image Credit: Greg Slabodkin / Health Data Management
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