Impact of Passive Health Status Monitoring to Care Providers and Payers in Assisted Living

Abstract

The objective of this study was to assess the impact of passive health status monitoring on the cost of care, as well as the efficiencies of professional caregivers in assisted living. We performed a case-controlled study to assess economic impact of passive health status monitoring technology in an assisted-living facility. Passive monitoring systems were installed in the assisted-living units of 21 residents to track physiological parameters (heart rate and breathing rate), the activities of daily living (ADLs), and key alert conditions. Professional caregivers were provided with access to the wellness status of the monitored residents they serve. The monitored individuals' cost of medical care was compared to that of an age, gender, and health status matched cohort. Similarly, efficiency and workloads of professional caregivers providing care to the monitored individuals were compared to those of caregivers providing care to the control cohort in the control site. Over the 3-month period of the study, a comparison between the monitored and control cohorts showed reductions in billable interventions (47 vs. 73, p = 0.040), hospital days (7 vs. 33, p = 0.004), and estimated cost of care (21,187.02 dollars vs. 67,753.88 dollars with monitoring cost included, p = 0.034). A comparison between efficiency normalized workloads of monitoring and control sites' caregivers revealed significant differences both at the beginning (0.6 vs. 1.38, p = 0.041) and the end (0.84 vs. 1.94, p = 0.002) of the study. The results demonstrate that monitoring technologies have significantly reduced billable interventions, hospital days, and cost of care to payers, and had a positive impact on professional caregivers' efficiency.

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