Key result
Telemonitoring is linked to ~70% fewer HF hospitalizations and decreased costs.
Why the study?
Knowledge regarding the impact of telemonitoring on preventing readmissions and related healthcare costs in patients with chronic heart failure remains scarce.
Does adding a telemonitoring solution to standard of care reduce hospitalization and associated costs in patients with heart failure?
Observational (n=43)
No
Does adding a telemonitoring solution to standard of care reduce hospitalization and associated costs in patients with heart failure?
Effect estimate: 70% reduction
Absolute Event Rate: 14% vs 47%
p-value: p=.002
Adding a telemonitoring solution to standard of care significantly reduced hospitalization-related costs and the incidence of heart failure hospitalizations in patients with a recent admission.
May reduce HF hospitalizations and costs; leaves open randomized confirmation before practice change.
BACKGROUND Many patients with chronic heart failure (HF) experience a reduced health status, leading to readmission after hospitalization despite receiving conventional care. Telemonitoring approaches aim to improve the early detection of HF decompensations and prevent readmissions. However, knowledge about the impact of telemonitoring on preventing readmissions and related costs remains scarce. OBJECTIVE This study assessed the effectiveness of adding a telemonitoring solution to the standard of care (SOC) for the prevention of hospitalization and related costs in patients with HF in Finland. METHODS We performed a nonrandomized pre-post telemonitoring study to estimate health care costs and resource use during 6 months on SOC followed by 6 months on SOC with a novel telemonitoring solution. The telemonitoring solution consisted of a digital platform for patient-reported symptoms and daily weight and blood pressure measurements, automatically generated alerts triggering phone calls with secondary care nurses, and rapid response to alerts by treating physicians. Telemonitoring solution data were linked to patient register data on primary care, secondary care, and hospitalization. The patient register of the Southern Savonia Social and Health Care Authority (Essote) was used. Eligible patients had at least 1 hospital admission within the last 12 months and self-reported New York Heart Association class II-IV from the central hospital in the Southern Savonia region. RESULTS Out of 50 recruited patients with HF, 43 completed the study and were included in the analysis. The hospitalization-related cost decreased (49%; P=.03) from €2189 (95% CI €1384-€2994; a currency exchange rate of EUR €1=US $1.10589 is applicable) during SOC to €1114 (95% CI €425-€1803) during telemonitoring. The number of patients with at least 1 hospitalization due to HF was reduced by 70% (P=.002) from 20 (47%) out of 43patients during SOC to 6 (14%) out of 43 patients in telemonitoring. The estimated mean total health care cost per patient was €3124 (95% CI €2212-€4036) during SOC and €2104 (95% CI €1313-€2895) during telemonitoring, resulting in a 33% reduction (P=.07) in costs with telemonitoring. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that the telemonitoring solution can reduce hospital-related costs for patients with HF with a recent hospital admission.
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Kokkonen et al. (2023) conducted an observational in Heart Failure (n=43). Telemonitoring solution vs. Standard of care (SOC) was evaluated on At least 1 hospitalization due to HF (70% reduction, p=.002). A telemonitoring solution added to standard of care reduced the proportion of heart failure patients with at least one hospitalization from 47% to 14% (P=.002) and decreased hospitalization costs.
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