Health Recovery Solutions (HRS), a national provider of Telehealth and Remote Patient Monitoring solutions (RPM), announced today the launch of its COVID-19 Recovery Care Plan. The COVID-19 Recovery Care Plan was developed to support providers who are offering Telehealth and RPM to their patients recovering from COVID-19 at home. The care plan will ensure that clinicians understand how to properly leverage telehealth and RPM in the recovery period, both for patients who were treated in the hospital and are recovering at home, and those who have confronted the virus entirely at home from the onset of symptoms.
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread across much of the country, with many experts fearing a second wave later this year. At-risk populations are still advised to stay home and follow the CDC guidelines to reduce exposure. While new patients are getting infected, other patients are recovering from the virus and confronting myriad ongoing symptoms including mental health challenges, neurological issues, heart and lung damages, debility, pain, among others. The COVID-19 Recovery Care Plan will support clinicians in identifying symptoms and addressing mental health issues, ultimately helping to improve the overall physical function of their patients.
The number of patients recovering at home is increasing daily. Those hospitalized and particularly those who required ventilator support are the most challenging to support in their recovery. The goal of the COVID-19 Recovery Care Plan is to guide clinicians in the specific care requirements of this growing population.
The COVID-19 Recovery Care Plan, informed by a review of the most current literature from the Centers for Disease Control, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the British Medical Journal, addresses the specific needs of patients recovering at home. It includes recommended interventions by discipline, a virtual visit guide, the PHQ9 depression screening, symptom survey questions, patient video education from the American Academy of Emergency Physicians and suggested daily biometrics depending on the patients' prognosis and symptoms.
"It's important that our clients have not only the right technology but also the right clinical content to help guide the care for this challenging cohort of patients. The COVID-19 Recovery Care Plan is designed to give clinicians critical data and information to effectively manage their patients but equally to educate patients about their condition so they can be more active participants in their own care - a proven best practice strategy. HRS' mission is firmly rooted in the care of patients, and the release of the COVID-19 Recovery Care Plan supports that mission," said Patty Upham, VP of Clinical Services at HRS.
In early March HRS released its COVID-19 Care Plan which consists of a COVID-19 screening tool, symptom surveys, custom education, and accompanying clinical best practices on symptom survey cadence and video visits. Providers across the nation have used, and are continuing to leverage the COVID-19 Care Plan to monitor patients at home who have contracted or are at risk for the virus, ensuring that patients are able to remain safe and decreasing the chance of community spread.
"At NVNA & Hospice we have incorporated the HRS COVID Care Plan on our entire telehealth census since its inception in March 2020. This allows for an effective, ongoing layer of patient monitoring for COVID-19 symptoms. The care plan also provides clear, simple and accurate guidance to both assure and educate patients about the virus and to help stop the spread. It is an effective reference and clinical teach-back tool," said Cheryl Nelson, Clinical Manager Telemedicine & Home Health at NVNA & Hospice. "Our team is looking forward to the COVID-19 Recovery Care Plan for the same reasons. The ability to monitor and track trends associated with the physical and mental impact patients experience post-COVID will be critical for timely clinical intervention. The HRS data collected and shared will also serve to broaden our global understanding of the longer term impact of the virus."
Health Recovery Solutions' client base includes more than 250 health systems and enterprise home health agencies across 46 states. The company is in close coordination with multiple clients, their clinical team, and their reimbursement team on telehealth best practices specific to the evolving Public Health Emergency.