VITAL SIGNS VIA BROADBAND: - Broadband Illinois

-28-and perform triage whenever convenient or necessary reduced hospitalization costs relative to acontrol group by 44 percent. In another study, video visits were substituted for some in-personvisits for a set of rural home care patients; 98 percent of patients reported satisfaction with thevideo-supplemented care, and all patients found the equipment easy to use. 89 As with the abovestudy, the ability to receive care when needed by the patient was highly valued by both patientsand caregivers. Additionally, the reliability of the video system was a substantial advantage inthe rural setting, because in-person visits were subject to traffic and weather problems. 90Finally, newer home monitoring technologies, such as motion/fall detectors andmedication monitors, are available but not yet widely used. This is because Medicare and mostinsurers will not reimburse patients or caregivers for their use, and there is at present limitedresearch into their effectiveness. 91A Case Study: Montefiore’s Population-Based Telemonitoring StrategyMontefiore Medical Center in New York City is the university hospital and academicmedical center for the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. With 4 hospitals and 21 ambulatorymedical facilities located throughout the Bronx and Westchester, Montefiore is one of the 50largest employers in the state of New York. The Care Management Company (“CMO”), asubsidiary of Montefiore, contracts with medical insurance plans at varying levels of capitationto manage care for 100,000+ plan members in the area. According to internal estimates, 20percent of CMO’s Medicare population accounts for 84 percent of its Medicare costs. Whetherhigh utilizing patients belong to Medicare, Medicaid, or commercial plans they are often frail,have chronic diseases, and many have substantial social support needs. CMO’s telemedicine89. Dimmick et al at 131.90. Dimmick et al, at 130.91. Olson, High Tech Devices. See also Alwan et al at 9.