Cardiovascular medicine is witnessing an explosion in capability for remote monitoring of implantable electronic devices, which provide great potential for improved clinical outcomes and enhanced device safety and efficacy, as well as more efficient and cost-effective care. There are numerous devices now utilized in remote monitoring, including ambulatory ECG recorders, implanted loop recorders, pacemakers, cardiac defibrillators, and cardiac resynchronization systems. Cardiovascular physicians, allied health professionals, and office staff need to understand the merits and weaknesses of existing technology. They also need to become well-versed in management of the new wealth of data these devices provide, design and use of appropriate systems to support monitoring technology, and proper utilization of remotely acquired data in clinical decision making, as well as the demands for patient education and orientation to assure compliance. Remote Patient Monitoring in Cardiology outlines the strengths and weaknesses of existing technology; provides a framework for incorporating existing technology into clinical practice with emphasis on professional society guidelines; illustrates, through a multitude of real-world clinical vignettes how data retrieved remotely can be used to drive clinical decision making to positively affect patient outcome; highlights existing barriers that limit the widespread implementation of remote patient monitoring into practice; and proposes areas for development. Remote Patient Monitoring in Cardiology features: Concise, practical, and current guide to appropriate use of these technologies Provides a framework for incorporating existing technology into clinical practice Case-based approach presents real-world examples of applications Highlights barriers that limit widespread implementation of remote patient monitoring

This unique book comprehensively reviews how information technology is changing cardiovascular medical practice. Chapters include a wide range of topics from specific technologies and virtual care education to large system implementation. Extensive illustrative material and specific case studies are included throughout to reinforce key concepts and enable the reader to develop an understanding of how information technology is impacting medical practice. Health equity, medicolegal ethics, and regulatory considerations are also covered. Healthcare Information Technology for Cardiovascular Medicine: Telemedicine & Digital Health provides a foundation for better understanding how these technologies impact cardiovascular care delivery. Its comprehensive analysis enables healthcare providers and other stakeholders to enhance clinical practice through digital health implementation.

Healthcare Kaizen focuses on the principles and methods of daily continuous improvement, or Kaizen, for healthcare professionals and organizations. Kaizen is a Japanese word that means "change for the better," as popularized by Masaaki Imai in his 1986 book Kaizen: The Key to Japan‘s Competitive Success and through the books of Norman Bodek, both o

In 1996, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released its report Telemedicine: A Guide to Assessing Telecommunications for Health Care. In that report, the IOM Committee on Evaluating Clinical Applications of Telemedicine found telemedicine is similar in most respects to other technologies for which better evidence of effectiveness is also being demanded. Telemedicine, however, has some special characteristics-shared with information technologies generally-that warrant particular notice from evaluators and decision makers. Since that time, attention to telehealth has continued to grow in both the public and private sectors. Peer-reviewed journals and professional societies are devoted to telehealth, the federal government provides grant funding to promote the use of telehealth, and the private technology industry continues to develop new applications for telehealth. However, barriers remain to the use of telehealth modalities, including issues related to reimbursement, licensure, workforce, and costs. Also, some areas of telehealth have developed a stronger evidence base than others. The Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA) sponsored the IOM in holding a workshop in Washington, DC, on August 8-9 2012, to examine how the use of telehealth technology can fit into the U.S. health care system. HRSA asked the IOM to focus on the potential for telehealth to serve geographically isolated individuals and extend the reach of scarce resources while also emphasizing the quality and value in the delivery of health care services. This workshop summary discusses the evolution of telehealth since 1996, including the increasing role of the private sector, policies that have promoted or delayed the use of telehealth, and consumer acceptance of telehealth. The Role of Telehealth in an Evolving Health Care Environment: Workshop Summary discusses the current evidence base for telehealth, including available data and gaps in data; discuss how technological developments, including mobile telehealth, electronic intensive care units, remote monitoring, social networking, and wearable devices, in conjunction with the push for electronic health records, is changing the delivery of health care in rural and urban environments. This report also summarizes actions that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) can undertake to further the use of telehealth to improve health care outcomes while controlling costs in the current health care environment.

With a focus on the growing field of cardiology remote monitoring, this state-of-the-art reference provides must-know clinical and technical information as well as recent advances in application, engineering, and clinical impact from the current literature. Authoritative coverage of implantable devices and ambulatory ECG brings you up to speed on recent practice changes in remote monitoring that have alleviated the volume of in-office patient follow-ups, allowed for physicians to monitor more patients, enabled better patient compliance, and most importantly, provided earlier warning signs of cardiac problems.

"In cardiology telemedicine is introduced for care for patients with heart failure and (possible) arrhythmia. mHealth telemonitoring might be a powerful tool for remote diagnosing and managing arrhythmias, heart failure and blood pressure. This thesis focuses on the question whether introducing digital remote patient monitoring (DRPM) by a dedicated mHealth program in the routine care management of adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) patients improves care for these patients.The project was funded with a successful crowdfunding campaign. Critical success factors contributing to this success are described. The crowdfunding campaign could have met the needs of donors, leading to enforcing of the public engagement. Appropriate patient selection for participation in mHealth contributes to an efficient use of mHealth and lower emergency care utilization. Results of a study to evaluate a mHealth telemonitoring program for managing arrhythmia, heart failure and blood pressure in symptomatic ACHD patients are presented. mHealth can be an acceptable alternative for ILR implantation in detecting arrhythmia in symptomatic ACHD patients in respect to diagnostic yield, safety and management decisions, especially in those without syncope. A narrative review is presented of scientific publications published regarding extended arrhythmia screening in ACHD patients. The number of studies found was limited. The studies found demonstrated a higher rate of arrhythmia and bradycardia detection leading to clinical care changes by extending the time of rhythm monitoring to more than 24 hours. Although several non-invasive diagnostic tools are, in symptomatic patients, a good alternative for ILRs, the optimal mode of detection is still unclear. Future directions for DRPM and key points for future DRPM research are given."--

This issue of Cardiac Electrophysiology Clinics covers remote monitoring in heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and stroke/TIA among other conditions. The issue also includes cardiac and vascular pressure sensors and leadless cardiac pacing, helping the clinician to keep current with the latest advances in technology.

Methods to improve self-care and clinical management of heart failure are required, especially in light of the anticipated increase in heart failure prevalence and associated high costs. Remote patient monitoring (RPM) has been shown to improve heart failure outcomes, but the feasibility and efficacy of mobile phone-based RPM systems are still unknown. The main objectives of this research were to investigate the optimal design of a mobile phone-based RPM system, and to determine the effects of the system on self-care, clinical management, and health outcomes.The results from the subgroup analysis indicated that the RPM system improved self-care, heart function, and heart failure prognosis at statistically significant and clinically meaningful levels. These improvements were found to be a result of enhanced self-care knowledge and practices, as well as enhanced clinical management enabled by the system. No differences in mortality or hospital admissions were found between groups, but the trial was underpowered to detect changes in these outcome measures. In summary, mobile phone-based RPM was found to be a feasible and effective tool to help improve heart failure management and outcomes.A mobile phone-based RPM system was first developed using a user-centric design process. It was then evaluated with a six-month randomized controlled trial consisting of 100 patients attending a heart function clinic. The quality of life improved only for the intervention group, but both intervention and control groups improved with respect to self-care, heart function, and heart failure prognosis. The clinic was determined to be a confounder. Patients who were enrolled into the clinic for less than six months showed significantly greater improvements (six months is required for patients to stabilize from medication optimization). Therefore, a subgroup analysis using data from the 63 patients who were enrolled into the clinic for over six months at time of recruitment was performed.

The first complete guide to the rapidly expanding field of telehealth From email to videoconferencing, telehealth puts real-time healthcare solutions at patients’ and clinicians’ fingertips. Every year, the field continues to evolve, enhancing access to healthcare, supporting clinicians, and improving the patient experience. However, since telehealth is in its infancy, no text has offered a comprehensive, definitive survey of this up-and-coming field—until now. Written by past presidents of the American Telemedicine Association, Understanding Telehealth explains how clinical applications leveraging telehealth technology are optimizing healthcare delivery. In addition, this timely resource examines the bedrock principles of telehealth and highlights the safety standards involved in the diagnosis and treatment of patients through digital communications. Logically organized and supported by high-yield clinical vignettes, the book begins with essential background information, including a look at telehealth history, definitions and roles, and rural health. It then provides an overview of clinical services for adults, from telestroke to telepsychiatry. The third section addresses pediatric clinical services, encompassing pediatric emergency and critical care, telecardiology, and more. A groundbreaking resource: •Chapters cover a broad spectrum of technologies, evidence-based guidelines, and application of telehealth across the healthcare continuum •Ideal for medical staff, public healthcare executives, hospitals, clinics, payors, healthcare advocates, and researchers alike •Incisive coverage of the legal and regulatory environment underpinning telehealth practice

Oncology Informatics: Using Health Information Technology to Improve Processes and Outcomes in Cancer Care encapsulates National Cancer Institute-collected evidence into a format that is optimally useful for hospital planners, physicians, researcher, and informaticians alike as they collectively strive to accelerate progress against cancer using informatics tools. This book is a formational guide for turning clinical systems into engines of discovery as well as a translational guide for moving evidence into practice. It meets recommendations from the National Academies of Science to "reorient the research portfolio" toward providing greater "cognitive support for physicians, patients, and their caregivers" to "improve patient outcomes." Data from systems studies have suggested that oncology and primary care systems are prone to errors of omission, which can lead to fatal consequences downstream. By infusing the best science across disciplines, this book creates new environments of "Smart and Connected Health." Oncology Informatics is also a policy guide in an era of extensive reform in healthcare settings, including new incentives for healthcare providers to demonstrate "meaningful use" of these technologies to improve system safety, engage patients, ensure continuity of care, enable population health, and protect privacy. Oncology Informatics acknowledges this extraordinary turn of events and offers practical guidance for meeting meaningful use requirements in the service of improved cancer care. Anyone who wishes to take full advantage of the health information revolution in oncology to accelerate successes against cancer will find the information in this book valuable. Presents a pragmatic perspective for practitioners and allied health care professionals on how to implement Health I.T. solutions in a way that will minimize disruption while optimizing practice goals Proposes evidence-based guidelines for designers on how to create system interfaces that are easy to use, efficacious, and timesaving Offers insight for researchers into the ways in which informatics tools in oncology can be utilized to shorten the distance between discovery and practice