UT Austin Health Launches Telehealth Monitoring Service To Track COVID-19

UT Austin Health recently debuted a new home health monitoring service to assist doctors and health care practitioners with treating patients through telehealth technology.

The new platform remotely tracks the health of people with COVID-19 using the company’s technology platform originally designed to monitor blood pressure and oxygenation of stroke patients.

Platform capabilities will support health care systems, government agencies, and employers in monitoring, evaluating risk and providing real-time alerts to providers when escalation of care is required for patients with COVID-19.

In the vast majority of cases, the physical impact of COVID-19 is “mild to moderate.” But according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 21 percent to 31 percent of COVID-19 patients in the U.S. between February 12 and March 16 were hospitalized, with 5 percent to 12 percent being admitted to an intensive care unit.

Under the Home Health Monitoring program, people who have been exposed to the novel coronavirus may be provided with a digital thermometer that integrates into the platform. Users are prompted to answer questions about their symptoms and to record their temperature.

The program’s algorithms then identify any rise in temperatures and worsening of symptoms that would require the attention of a medical professional.

In that event, an alert is sent to the provider and the patient can be triaged for escalation of care, ranging from a call with their doctor for telehealth evaluation or a visit to the hospital.

In addition, a zero-touch, drive-through testing management system enables health care systems to track the results of patients tested for COVID-19 with the use of a scannable barcode.

This article was originally published by Strategic Partnerships Inc.