Tag Archive for: telehealth

Man brushing teeth

10 Things Disability Care Management Professionals Need to Know About Enabling Technologies

As a disability support professional, you already know a lot about enabling technologies. You may also know that the pandemic accelerated the adoption of remote support technology. Not only does remote supports and virtual visits keep supported people safe, it also has the benefit of helping with the current staff shortage so many agencies are experiencing. It also increases the independence and self-esteem of supported people.

What Are Enabling Technologies?

Enabling technologies are equipment or methodologies that support individuals’ independence in their homes. Devices can be as simple as a medication dispenser, a personal emergency response system, a smartwatch or smart fridge. Or, you may decide to opt in for a more fully-featured and robust solution like GrandCare Systems. GrandCare’s intuitive touchscreen interface provides your resident with self-supporting features such as cognitive assists, medication reminders, to-do task lists, routine check-ins, concierge service ordering and simple video chat features. Optional motion/door, lighting and telehealth sensors can be added to GrandCare for your staff to remotely monitor and assess the well-being of the resident.

But, how do you even get started? How does it work? What technology should you use? How would you actually integrate technology into your existing workflow model? These are all valid and important questions to answer. Here are 10 things disability support and aging service professionals should know about choosing enabling technologies for your organization.

What You Need to Know About Enabling Technologies

1. Assistive technology can mitigate staffing shortages.

Remote support technology allows fewer staff to support more people from a central location. Using a remote support model reduces windshield time and the time your staff spends waiting in someone’s home until such time they are needed. With GrandCare, your staff is engaged only when support is required. This allows fewer staff to support more people, plus the assistive technology can even help your residents to help and support themselves.

2. Investing in technology can save you money with a quicker ROI than you may expect.

In a study from Xavier University’s Department of Occupational Therapy, remote patient monitoring and telehealth technologies including the flagship platform, GrandCare Systems, showed increased client independence, reduced in-person caregiving hours, and cut staffing costs dramatically. LADD, a Cincinnati non-profit that supports people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, opened a smart home for four people in 2020. The Xavier study showed that LADD was able to safely reduce in-person caregiving hours by 75%. Prior to GrandCare and remote monitoring technologies, the cost of supporting these four people was $5,260 per week. Supportive technologies slashed the support costs by over 50% to only $2,607 per week. This represents a cost savings of $2,653 per week. That’s $137,941 per year. LADD was able to recoup the cost of all of their smart home technology (yes, even including the smart fridge and sensory relaxation room) in only 9 months.

3. Assistive technology allows your staff to shift focus to residents with higher support needs.

Most agencies have residents that don’t need 24/7 in-person staff support and some that always will. Why not save your limited staff for those who really need it and use assistive technology to help support those who can support themselves? Automated cognitive assists, such as notifications to brush teeth or take medication, can be provided on GrandCare’s touchscreen and be checked off by the resident. When your staff doesn’t need to be physically present at all locations, they can devote more time to individuals with high support needs.

4. Technology can reduce demand avoidance.

Providers have shared anecdotal stories about residents who were often non-compliant and exhibited problematic behaviors while receiving in-person staff support. But when they began using GrandCare’s assistive technology to nudge the residents on daily tasks and med reminders, it empowered the resident’s independence and self-esteem, plus many of those behaviors largely disappeared. This new way of receiving support put the individual in the driver’s seat and gave them the autonomy they desired.

5. The residents LOVE to interact with it, resulting in better outcomes!

In order to fully succeed with self-supporting technology, it needs to be intuitive, engaging and fun to use. That’s why the GrandCare touchscreen includes engagement features including games, jokes, workout videos, music, live radio, audio books and on-demand video chat. Plus, systems can be customized based on the supported person’s interests like sports, art, religion and food.

6. Enabling technology supports in-person staff.

Even people who receive much of their support remotely sometimes need in-person staff time. While your DSP is present in the residence, they can use the GrandCare touchscreen to check in, document how long they were there, which services they provided, and leave notes about their visit for the next onsite caregiver (also accessible remotely to the rest of the support team).

7. Data collected can be used as a tool to see patterns and provide better support.

GrandCare is a fully-featured telehealth platform. GrandCare can monitor glucose, blood pressure, weight, temperature and oxygenation. It can prompt a supported person to take a required biometric reading, and then wirelessly track, trend and record it for the remote support team. Graphs of health data can be reviewed by the support team so that problematic readings can be addressed before they become health emergencies.

8. It can provide a sense of community.

GrandCare has several community-enhancing features. Supported individuals with a common interest can receive curated content and event notifications. A Community can be about anything: stargazing, movie buffs, people with diabetes, or everyone who lives in a specific location. Community messaging and calendaring and photo sharing are available. If you choose, you can even enable video chats between touchscreens.

9. Smart assistive technology can decrease alarm fatigue for your staff.

Only be alerted when something needs your attention. GrandCare can be programmed to only send alerts based on set parameters. For example, staff could be notified of unusual activities like the front door being opened in the middle of the night, or if there isn’t motion in the kitchen at mealtime. You can also set up telehealth alerts if a health reading is “out of range”. Used in this way, GrandCare becomes a “no news is good news” system since staff are only notified when intervention is truly needed.

10. GrandCare can streamline the process.

Some of the things GrandCare does can be done with other devices, but it does one thing that none of them can: it puts them all on one interactive platform. So now your self-empowering supports, activity monitoring, telehealth monitoring, video check-ins and med reminders are all in one place for easy management.

Want to learn more? Contact GrandCare for a free demo and consultation.

Telehealth Services Coverage

Medicare and Medicaid Introduce New Expansion of Coverage for Telehealth Services

The use of telehealth for delivering healthcare services expanded in recent years, an innovation that owes much to the decision by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to cover selected telehealth services. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the expansion of telehealth services coverage helped providers reach mobility-challenged patients, who found it difficult to leave their homes to receive the healthcare services they needed. It also helped expand access, making it possible for patients to receive services from providers sometimes well outside of their geographic area.

In California, for example, the County of Lasson uses GrandCare’s HIPAA-compliant telehealth capabilities to provide therapy visits. And in Ohio, LADD, a Cincinnati-based non-profit, created a smart home for disabled men, which uses GrandCare and other ground breaking innovations in accessibility, lighting and sensory control. This home is built from the ground up to enable the residents to live safer, more independent and happier lives. According to said Brian Hart, Chief Strategy Officer at LADD, “We have been working on this for a long time and our partnership with GrandCare enables us to provide a safe, scalable and affordable service model.” Reimbursement through Medicaid for these services is possible, because Medicaid has expanded its definition of assistive technology to include support for remote supports, such as reminders and prompts for daily activities, and even video calls to receive remote support from caregivers. 

With the advent of the pandemic, the importance of telehealth became even more apparent, when it allowed patients to receive services safely, even as they sheltered at home. This was especially critical for our nation’s seniors, who were at the highest risk for the most severe forms of the disease. Those in congregate living were often under quarantine, and unable to safely leave their communities for needed care. The pandemic resulted in a dramatic increase in the use of remote telehealth services.

“Before the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), only 15,000 fee-for-service beneficiaries each week received a Medicare telemedicine service. Since the beginning of the PHE, CMS has added 144 telehealth services,” according to CMS. In the 7-month time period between mid-March and mid-October of 2020, over 24.5 million people received a Medicare-covered telehealth service. 

“Telehealth has long been a priority. We started paying for short virtual visits in rural areas long before the pandemic struck. But the pandemic accentuated just how transformative it could be.” – Seema Verma, CMS Administrator

In recent months, Network Health, a Wisconsin-based insurance company, started a new program for its Medicare Advantage members in Wisconsin, using GrandCare in member homes to provide virtual visits with care managers and providers, and reduce loneliness and isolation. They will continue to roll out telehealth and medication management solutions to offer a better member experience.

This year’s Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) final rule once again expands CMS coverage for telehealth services. Although one category of new covered services is designed to be temporary, remaining on the list through the end of the declared public health emergency, others are permanent additions to the list of covered services. It’s part of a strategy, according to CMS, to “create a healthcare system that results in better accessibility, quality, affordability, empowerment, and innovation.”

“Telehealth has long been a priority,” said CMS Administrator Seema Verma. “We started paying for short virtual visits in rural areas long before the pandemic struck. But the pandemic accentuated just how transformative it could be.”

Among the many additional to this year’s schedule is a welcome broadening of the coverage for remote monitoring services. In addition, CMS has created new codes for coverage of online assessments, making it possible for qualified non-physician health care professionals to perform these services. “Medicare beneficiaries will now be able to receive dozens of new services via telehealth, and we’ll keep exploring ways to deliver Americans access to healthcare in the setting that they and their doctor decide makes sense for them,” said HHS Secretary Alex Azar.

HIPAA Compliant Telehealth

HIPAA Compliant Telehealth – Is Your Organization Ready for a Post-COVID World?

The day will come, hopefully soon, when this pandemic is behind us. When it is, will you be ready with a HIPAA-compliant telehealth platform?

The use of telehealth for senior health care visits has soared this year, from a low of just a fraction of one percent (0.1%) of Medicare primary visits in February of 2020 to almost half of all visits (43.5%) in April, just two months later. Safety is one obvious reason for this surge. But what made it even possible is that the federal government drastically reduced HIPAA restrictions on telehealth visits. Suddenly, anyone with Zoom could, and did, use it for health care visits, without worries about the repercussions of HIPAA data breaches.

The good news is that this effort to ensure access to health services has had the desired effect of helping seniors, who are especially at risk of the more serious effects of COVID, to shelter in place without sacrificing their health care. And, in fact, both patients and health care providers have seen the long-term benefits of moving many services to telehealth.

The bad news is that this relaxation of HIPAA enforcement won’t last forever. The Office of Civil Rights (OCR), which enforces HIPAA, issued the Notification of Enforcement Discretion for Telehealth Remote Communications During the COVID-19 Nationwide Public Health Emergency, which waives many HIPAA requirements for telehealth visits. Specifically, “Covered health care providers will not be subject to penalties for violations of the HIPAA Privacy, Security, and Breach Notification Rules that occur in the good faith provision of telehealth during the COVID-19 nationwide public health emergency,” according to the US Department of  Health and Human Services (HSS).

The HIPAA waiver is set to last as long as the publicly declared National Health Emergency, which is currently set to expire in January, 2021. As long as the federal government continues to prioritize COVID as a national priority, and US Health Secretary Alexa Azar continues to extend the National Health Emergency, the HIPAA waiver will continue. It will not be forever, and it may even be for very much longer. And that’s why this question is so important. Are you ready?

The only way to continue using telehealth for visits in a post-COVID world is to start looking for a HIPAA-compliant solution, the sooner the better.

GrandCare is one such solution. It is a remote monitoring and communications platform for seniors. It’s a proven solution that has been on the market since 2005. GrandCare’s large, simple touch appliance and home health care program helps professional caregivers and families to have HIPAA-compliant video conferencing, send messages, and monitor a loved one’s health & safety. It’s been adopted by senior communities, home health care providers, healthcare payors, disability providers, and even individual families.

Find out more about GrandCare at www.grandcare.com or call us 262-338-6147

Telehealth and the aging population

How COVID-19 is Driving Rapid Adoption of Telehealth for Aging Populations

If necessity is the mother of invention, crisis may be the father of adoption. Nowhere has the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic been felt more strongly than on seniors and the disabled. The need for social distancing has made clear the value of technology for bridging that distance.

“COVID-19 has accelerated the need for family members, caregivers, and healthcare professionals to have remote access to seniors as well as the disabled,” said Laura Mitchell, CEO of GrandCare systems, a leader in the aging and technology industry. “There has always been interest in technology tools among forward-thinking senior communities and home health care agencies, but since the pandemic, we have been inundated with calls and requests for video chat, telehealth capabilities and activity monitoring. Suddenly the value of these tools for the well-being of seniors and disabled people has become very concrete, very measurable.”

Mitchell was interviewed by host Karen Jagoda on a recent podcast hosted by Empower Patient Radio. In the episode entitled “COVID-19 Driving Faster Adoption of Telehealth for Aging Population,” Mitchell discussed the effects of COVID on senior housing and care services, and the tools that can help residents stay connected with family and friends, engaged and active, and healthy.

Empowered Patient Radio is a series of podcasts that focus on the latest innovations in digital health and the changing dynamic between doctors and patients. The audience includes medical professionals, researchers, patient advocates, entrepreneurs, patients, caregivers, solution providers, students, journalists, and investors.

Listen to the podcast: COVID-19 Driving Faster Adoption of Telehealth for Aging Population with Laura Mitchell GrandCare
View the transcript: Download transcript 
Check out the entire podcast series: Empowered Patient Radio

GrandCare - it's a gift from God

“It’s a Gift from God!”

I was so worried about my dad. He’s pretty independent at 78, but he struggles with a few health issues and a month ago he had a scary fall. He kept forgetting to take his medication and it’s dangerous for his blood pressure. I live 40 minutes away. I checked on him all the time, but he wouldn’t always hear the phone and it drove me crazy. That’s when we found GrandCare.

It’s a big touchscreen he calls his “window to us.” My kids message him and video chat right from the GrandCare app on their phones. I sent him pictures of our new house and I added some old nostalgic ones of him and my mom when they were younger. He doesn’t feel like he’s missing out on our lives, and my kids are a lot more connected with their granddad.

Dad thinks it’s phenomenal. It’s really helped with his depression. He’s smiling and laughing again. His favorite features are the weather reports and watching old shows on YouTube. And if he forgets to take his medication, the system reminds him right on the touchscreen. If he doesn’t see it, he’ll get an automated text message.

GrandCare reminds him to take his blood pressure every day, and then tracks it so I can be sure he’s doing okay. I have Dad bring the graphs with him to his doctor, too.

He’s still in his house. He’s still independent. And we all finally have some peace of mind.

My dad calls it a “gift from God.” I do too.

Looking for the perfect Father’s Day gift for your dad? For a limited time get $100 off your order.
www.grandcare.com, Discount Code: dadspecial20. Or call us 262-338-6147.

*For HIPAA and security purposes, names and identifying details in this story have been changed.

virtual visits and Telehealth

Solution to Distancing and Quarantine? How about Some Virtual Visits and Telehealth

The spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) in the United States makes this a difficult time for senior housing communities. The risk level may be unknown, but our focus is clear: keep our seniors safe, protected, and connected to loved ones.

Virtual visits can help alleviate loneliness and isolation in quarantined residents. Telemedicine and telehealth are obvious ways to reduce physical exposure while maintaining healthcare services. The more providers embrace technology in times like this, the safer everyone will be.

Time is of the essence, but it’s hard to fund and deploy telehealth and virtual visit technology for your residents quickly. That’s why we want to put GrandCare in your hands at cost so you can quickly and affordably implement these vital technologies.

Payment options are flexible.

Feel free to reach out to me directly for immediate support. Stay Safe.

Laura Mitchell
CEO, GrandCare Systems
262-338-6147
www.grandcare.com

Telehealth Services Expanding Under Medicare

Exciting news! The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a new ruling last week that adds telehealth benefits to Medicare Advantage plans. Previously, certain telehealth benefits were only available to seniors in Original Medicare, and only if they lived in remote, rural areas.

“Today’s policies represent a historic step in bringing innovative technology to Medicare beneficiaries.”

These new changes, starting in 2020, mean that patients will have the option to use telehealth to receive medicare care, and have it covered. What does this mean for GrandCare? Instead of being required to go to a healthcare facility for every service, seniors will be able to use GrandCare’s one -touch, HIPAA-compliant video chat on their GrandCare system to connect with their healthcare and clinical providers. It also means expanded access to telehealth services from providers who may practice in other parts of the country, and may not otherwise be reachable by the senior patient. This also enables medical homecare providers, such as the visiting nurses, to better access patients using telehealth monitoring tools and virtual check ins, without having the excess “windshield” time and cost of transport.

“Today’s policies represent a historic step in bringing innovative technology to Medicare beneficiaries,” said CMS Administrator Seema Verma. “With these new telehealth benefits, Medicare Advantage enrollees will be able to access the latest technology and have greater access to telehealth. By providing greater flexibility to Medicare Advantage plans, beneficiaries can receive more benefits, at lower costs and better quality.”

With geographical restrictions lifted, CMS is ensuring that seniors in all parts of the country will have access to telehealth and telemedicine services. According to CMS, “These policies continue the agency’s efforts to modernize the Medicare Advantage and Part D programs, unleash innovation and drive competition to improve quality among private Medicare health and drug plans.”

GrandCare’s easy-to-use, HIPAA-compliant video chat feature has always allowed seniors an easy face-to-face chat with healthcare providers. GrandCare also uses Bluetooth wireless technologies for remote monitoring of vitals and biometric readings, and offers better medication management and compliance monitoring. With the new CMS ruling, GrandCare users will enjoy a new convenience, better and faster access to care, while being covered by Medicare.

GrandCare Announces Certified Dealer Training in April

System2.pngGrandCare Systems announced today the re-launch of their platinum distribution channel by certifying authorized custom integrators, dealers, installers and other organizations. GrandCare will be offering a 2-day intensive training session on market opportunities, aging and health conditions, the competitive landscape, as well as complementary products and services. The training will also cover sales and marketing strategies and a deep dive into the GrandCare technology.  Participants will learn to successfully customize, implement and install GrandCare, while offering additional value-added services to help individuals remain healthy and happy at home.

Launched in 2006, GrandCare Systems is the pioneer in connected living and connected health in the private home. GrandCare is a comprehensive, fully tested and rugged system that combines social interaction with activity sensors and telehealth devices. Family members and other caregivers can monitor activity patterns, assess health readings, and send personalized messages and reminders to the GrandCare touchscreen platform in the private home.

If you or someone you know would be a good fit for the GrandCare distribution direct to consumer channel, we would like to hear from you.

What?
GrandCare Dealer Training

Who?
Anyone that would like to resell GrandCare technology and services

Where?
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

When?
April 12th – 14th (Training begins at 1pm on the 12th and ends at 1pm on the 14th)

Early Bird Special: $1500 (register before March 15th)

Regular Training Rate: $2500

Additional rewards for previously authorized GrandCare Dealers

Details will be provided upon registration

[REGISTER HERE]

Preventing Senior Isolation

Green Bank, West Virginia, is arguably the most isolated place in the nation. A large telescope designed to monitor for signals from the universe requires a 13,000 square mile “quiet zone”, encompassing much of West Virginia and even stretching as far north as the Maryland border. In this “quiet zone”, residents live with no cellular telephone service, no Internet, no radio, and until recently, no microwaves. For the most part, the residents of this community are completely isolated. They have very limited means of communicating with the outside world. Today, seniors living outside of Green Bank, West Virginia are also feeling cut off and lonely. But why?

One could argue that our current population is the most connected it has ever been. People walking around with cell phones, tablets, connected wearables, bluetooth head pieces, and smartwatches are more connected than ever.  The difficulty is that technologies that support better communication are often complicated, daunting and rarely designed for the 65+ population in mind.

It could be a difficult leap for someone who has witnessed the rise and fall of the typewriter, for example, to be expected to set up and operate a laptop computer or figure out how to place a video call. “Technophobia” may be running rampant in senior housing, leaving loved ones with limited means for contact. It does not seem right that in this “connected world” we live in that one whole gaping generation is left in the cold, alone and lonely.  

Enter GrandCare Systems, a company created in 2005 to combat senior isolation and help keep families connected and provide “peace of mind”.  The GrandCare System was designed to be self maintaining and require ZERO technical know-how from the loved one. It simply works and seamlessly connects them to one touch video chat with family, friends and even healthcare providers. Pictures automatically populate the large GrandCare touchscreen from various family facebook photo albums. Family can login to the care portal from any mobile device or computer and send messages, reminders, schedule appointments, add to dos and check in to see if mom needs anything.  

Is your loved one lonely or isolated?  That’s not right. Let GrandCare help. Contact us.

LB Homes Achieves Four Star Medicare Rating, Attributes Success to Technology

 

Minnesota-Based Home Care Agency Uses grandCARE Technology to Improve Patient Care and Outcomes

 

Over100YearslogoFergus Falls, MN – Lakeland Home Care, an LB Homes agency, announced today that they have received a four star quality of patient care rating by Medicare. The average quality rating is 3 stars. LB Homes attributes their high rating to a number of factors including GrandCare’s remote monitoring, telehealth and socialization platform. LB Homes uses this technology in a service called “LB Homes Connect” to provide top-notch care to remote clients.

Medicare ratings, which are determined through an analysis of nine separate quality measures, include flu vaccination rates, drug education, increases in mobility, and fewer hospitalizations. Telehealth, telemedicine, and medication adherence technology from the GrandCare platform can assist in mitigating readmissions and proactively alerting LB Homes nurses should something go wrong.

LB Homes monitors patient vitals using GrandCare telehealth devices like blood pressure cuffs, weight scales and glucometers. The LB Connect system reminds LB clients when and how to take their readings, instructions for medications and can alert trained caregivers of potential problematic situations.

“We have seen healthier and happier clients and we know that [LB Homes Connect] has prevented emergency room visits.” said Carrie Miller, Telehealth Program Coordinator at LB Homes. “Our nurses are more efficient and effective knowing that…we can intervene long before things get critical.”

GrandCare CEO Charlie Hillman understands the importance of in-home technology for the health and well-being of our aging population:

We’ve built a robust and comprehensive caregiving platform, but we have learned that better outcomes are delivered through the people using these tools. LB Homes is proving that remote technologies can empower the best caregivers to provide even better care. That’s how it’s supposed to work. Congratulations to LB Homes on this prestigious recognition.

About LB Homes: LB Homes began helping seniors find quality housing and healthcare services nearly a century ago. Founded in 1915 in the town of Sauk Centre, Minnesota, Lutheran Brethren Homes began its ministry in senior services and eventually expanded to Arizona and Texas. In 1959 they opened the Broen (Memorial) Home in Fergus Falls, MN.

Over the years LB Homes expanded to now include long term care, home care services, end of life care, short stay care, assisted living, and enhanced assisted living.

For more information, please visit www.LBHomes.org
805 E. Channing Ave, Fergus Falls, MN 56537

About GrandCare: GrandCare Systems, founded in 2005, combines digital health assessment, biometric readings, activity of daily living sensing, medication management, smart home automation, video chat and virtual touch-based communications into the most comprehensive and fully-featured technology in the private home market. GrandCare is designed for individuals seeking a caregiving solution for an aging loved one or for professional in-home, long term care or clinical caregiving providers.

For more information, visit: www.grandcare.com or call 262-338-6147

PR Contact:
Laura Mitchell Consulting
Digital Health Marketing
media@lmcllc.us
262-707-6726
@laurahmitchell