Lourdes Foundation Receives $20,000 Grant for HomeCare/Hospice Telemedicine Program

Lourdes Foundation has been awarded a $20,000 grant from the Catholic Health Partners (CHP) Foundation.  This funding will allow Lourdes HomeCare/Hospice to purchase new telemonitoring equipment which helps keep patients with chronic diseases from being readmitted to the hospital. 

The benefit of telemonitoring is that patients are capable of managing their disease by viewing their own statistics, and nursing staff can perform medical intervention if problems arise.  These factors contribute to the underlying goals of the telemedicine program—to prevent patients from being re-admitted to the hospital and to provide continuity of care to patients who need assistance managing their chronic illness.

The system serves two critical roles in the care of chronically ill patients.  It is a receiving hub for the transmission of vital sign measurement data, and it is a medium for interactive communication between caregivers and patients. The system prompts patients to answer health assessment and education survey questions – which can be customized to manage any disease – and utilizes a patented artificial intelligence to automatically send a specific survey to follow up on out-of-limit readings. These automated interactions enable nurses to quickly identify and contact patients who are showing signs of distress or crisis.  And with permission, this electronic record can follow the patient to any other healthcare setting, including their physician’s office. 

“We are extremely appreciative of the CHP Foundation’s generosity and ongoing support,” says Kay Williams, MSW, Director of Lourdes HomeCare/Hospice. “This grant will allow us to provide better support for our patients and primary caregivers, thus enhancing quality of life and care during their greatest time of need.”

Lourdes HomeCare/Hospice is committed to enhancing quality of life by supporting patients and families physically, emotionally and spiritually.  Its team of health care professionals creates an individual plan of care for every homecare and hospice patient – specific to their needs and desires, and supports that patient as well as his or her primary caregiver throughout their care.

For information about Lourdes HomeCare, please call 270-415-3600 and Lourdes Hospice call 270-415-3636 or go online at www.eLourdes.com/HomeCare.asp.