St. Cloud Hospital Home Care and Hospice uses HomMed monitors to help care for patients suffering from chronic illnesses, such as congestive heart failure (CHF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hypertension and other conditions.

The HomMed Health Monitoring System is individually programmed for patients according to conditions set by their doctors.

In just three minutes every day, the system collects a variety of vital signs such as heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, body weight and temperature. The technology benefits both patients and health care professionals. When patients’ vital signs are taken on a daily basis, irregularities can be caught before they become full-fledged problems. Nurses can be sent to patients’ homes and, based on the daily data, work directly with the patient’s doctor to adjust medication and diet regimens. Patients also become more aware of their condition and understand the effects diet, activity and other factors have on their health.

Telemonitoring allows health care professionals to work more efficiently since the system allows one nurse to observe the clinical health of numerous patients at a time and effectively direct medical attention to those who need it.

Additional equipment, such as a glucose meter, spirometer to measure lung function, PT/INR system to record blood clotting time, digital camera for wound care and ECG device to monitor heart rhythms, can be attached for specialized patients.

The HomMed System also can gather information on patients’ fatigue and general wellness levels. At the end of the vital sign gathering process, the monitor asks the patient a variety of questions. These questions allow us to further customize the telemonitor to each patient, based on his or her diagnosis. For example, a patient with high blood pressure might be asked, “Are you experiencing any dizziness today?” The patient responds to each question by pressing the “yes” or “no” button on the monitor.

The data is transmitted via digital wireless technology over a virtual private network for review by our clinicians, who can detect and address even the slightest abnormalities before they become serious, thereby preventing emergency room visits and hospitalizations.

Medicare covers HomMed Telemonitoring at no additional fee. St. Cloud Hospital Home Care is actively pursuing coverage for telemonitoring services from private insurance companies. Check with your insurance provider to determine your coverage.

The central station used by clinicians to monitor patient information	Equipment used by patients in their homes