A system which enables cancer patients to receive more treatment at home is being introduced by one of the leading hospital operators in North America – and it could prove to be of interest to the international private medical insurance industry.
Mount Sinai Health System – a globally renowned centre of clinical excellence – is to use Current Health’s remote patient monitoring (RPM) platform to help manage care for cancer patients for the first time.
The Current Health platform monitors patients continuously and remotely, allowing physicians and nurses to provide enhanced virtual care for high-risk patients from their own home.
Its developers claim that as a result, health systems can reduce hospitalisations, expand their ability to provide care regardless of setting and improve patient outcomes.
Cancer patients who are treated with chemotherapy are at increased risk for infection due to neutropenia, a decrease in white blood cells common after receiving chemotherapy.
To combat the risk of infection, the safest environment for patients undergoing chemotherapy is their own homes.
The new partnership means that Mount Sinai oncologists will distribute Current Health’s proprietary wearable device to high-risk cancer patients, including those who are starting on a new chemotherapy regimen or those who have recently visited an oncology urgent care facility.
The device continuously and passively collects vital sign data, which is then transmitted back to Mount Sinai care teams in real time.
The platform alerts physicians to data abnormalities and potential issues, allowing them to proactively intervene as needed, rather than relying on patients to determine when they may or may not need medical assistance.
The teams behind the initiative said it could prove increasingly important for international patients and others during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
Christopher McCann, CEO and co-Founder of Current Health, added, “More and more, we’re seeing patient demand for more home-based care options. Mount Sinai is at the forefront of this trend, enabling oncology patients to recover at home under the watchful eye of their physicians. Their commitment to delivering best-in-class patient experiences and outcomes is a true model for forward-thinking providers.”
Dr Cardinale Smith, chief quality officer for cancer services for the Mount Sinai Health System, who is leading the remote monitoring program of cancer patients at Mount Sinai, said that Mount Sinai has “always prided itself in delivering the best possible patient experiences and outcomes”.
Dr Smith said: “It’s important to us that our patients know they are being monitored by qualified care teams and supported during an exceptionally uncertain and stressful time. The Mount Sinai Health System has been one of the earliest adopters of home-based care models and one of the first to prove that it works.
“With technological advancements like Current Health’s RPM platform, we can expand the health system’s capabilities to do this for high-risk cancer patients.”
