Israeli continuous remote patient-monitoring company Biobeat is taking its business beyond the hospital with the launch of a home-based version of its technology.
The new offering comes in the form of a take-home kit consisting of a wireless photoplethysmography (PPG) vitals monitor, adhesives used to place the monitor on the patient's chest and an instruction manual. It also includes iOS and Android apps, which allow patients to view their condition and transmit their data to their care team.
On the provider side, Biobeat's cloud patient-management system allows clinicians to review their patients' readings in real time. Teams will also be notified when their patients' conditions change through an adjustable, algorithm-based early warning alert system.
Biobeat's home system uses the same FDA-cleared chest sensor as its in-hospital offering, and is able to continuously track 14 vital signs, such as blood pressure, heart rate variability, skin temperature and one-lead ECG. The company said the new offering is now available to providers worldwide.
WHAT'S THE IMPACT?
Remote patient monitoring technologies that enable so-called "hospital at home" care delivery models come with a handful of benefits for the patient and provider alike. The former can enjoy the comfort of their own bed and easier access to loved ones, while the latter can avoid the burden and costs that come with managing an inpatient stay.
However, these benefits have become even more apparent as the COVID-19 pandemic stretches into its second year. Hospital unit capacity has dwindled in the face of high demand, with low- and medium-acuity patients being kept off the premises whenever possible.
“As hospitals continue to grapple with over flooded [COVID-19] wards and increasing rates of infection, it is crucial to empower health staff with trusted clinical-grade wearable AI-powered patient monitoring tools that will allow them to provide hospital-level care from a distance," Arik Ben Ishay, CEO of Biobeat, said in a statement. "In this way, providers can better manage patient influx, reduce facility expenses and most importantly, improve patient outcomes."
THE LARGER TREND
Although remote monitoring technologies were steadily making gains prior to 2020, the past several months have heralded unprecedented support from key government agencies and a swath of virtual or remote offerings from vendors.
Notably, the FDA expanded the use of connected, noninvasive vital sign monitors early on in the public health emergency, allowing many FDA-cleared devices to extend their reach outside the hospital. Similarly, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services supported several new allowances for telehealth and remote monitoring programs, chief among which have been the new Acute Hospital Care at Home program and expansions to its Hospitals Without Walls initiative.
As a result, hospitals like Brigham and Women's have been working with vendors to establish new hospital-at-home programs that take advantage of new tools and payment structures that are now within their grasp.
