How to Implement Surgical Remote Monitoring

WHITEPAPER PREVIEW

Chapter one: Why Surgical Remote Patient Monitoring?

Surgery is often a confusing and overwhelming process for patients. Patients are learning complex pre- and post-surgery instructions, managing anxiety and dealing with stress – often for the first time.

Providers often feel as if they are sending patients into a blackhole, especially after discharge.
Although providers hope for patients to have a straightforward recovery, the reality is that:

• 30-day postoperative complications have been observed as high as 43.5%ⁱ
• 30-day surgical readmissions have been observed as high as 32.5%²

These challenges are heightened during COVID-19 as hospitals face bed capacity issues and are under pressure to decrease the surgical backlog and discharge surgical patients sooner - all while considering patient safety.

Surgical Remote Monitoring represents a scalable way for providers to stay connected with patients pre and post-operatively, thereby increasing confidence for earlier discharge and improving patient safety across the surgical experience.

Many hospitals have successfully implemented Surgical Remote Monitoring with excellent results, including:

• Mount Sinai Hospital: ↓66% 30-day readmissions³
• University of Alabama & Birmingham (UAB) Health: ↓1 day Length of Stay and $1,369 surgical costs/patient⁴
• Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre: ↓41% 30-day ER visits, ↓4% 30-day Readmissions⁵
• Rush University Medical Center: ↓2 days LOS, ↓$2,386 costs/patient, ↓70% SSIs⁶
• St. Francis Hospital: ↓45% 30-day readmissions during COVID-19⁷

In this white paper, we will walk you through the nuts and bolts of implementing a Surgical Remote Monitoring program to achieve similar results to the organizations above.

1 Tevis SE, Kennedy GD. Postoperative complications and implications on patient-centered outcomes. J Surg Res. 2013;181(1):106-113.doi:10.1016/j.jss.2013.01.032

2 Wiseman JT, Guzman AM, Fernandes-Taylor S, Engelbert TL, Saunders RS, Kent KC. General and vascular surgery readmissions: a systematic review. J Am Coll Surg. 2014;219(3):552-69.e2. doi:10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2014.05.007

3 Keng CJS, Goriawala A, Rashid S, et al. Home to Stay: An Integrated Monitoring System Using a Mobile App to Support Patients at Home Following Colorectal Surgery. Journal of Patient Experience. December 2020:1241-1246. https://doi.org/10.1177/2374373520904194

4 Theiss, L., Wood, L., Xie, R., dos Santos Marques, I. C., Gunnells, D., Hardiman, K. M., Kennedy, G. D., & Chu, D. I. (2020). Patient Engagement Technologies (PETs) Reduce the Costs of Index Surgical Encounters. Journal of the American College of Surgeons, 231(4), e105.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2020.08.268

5 TB Newswatch. (2021, January 29). New Interactive Digital Tool Improves Access to Patient Care. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9xaBcoWYFQ

6 Schlund, D., Poirier, J., Bhama, A.R. et al. Value of an interactive phone application in an established enhanced recovery program. Int J Colorectal Dis 35, 1045–1048 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00384-020-03563-5

7 Gomez, R., & Sardana, A. (2020, September 28). St. Francis Hospital Keeps Cardiac Patients Safe During COVID-19 with SeamlessMD, CutsReadmission Rate by 45% [Press release]. https://bit.ly/3sEMKSA

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