According to a statement in Health Data Management, Ochsner Health System in New Orleans, developed a program utilizing a Carematix Blipcare wireless weight scale for remote patient monitoring to cut readmissions of heart failure patients by 40%.

The program began in February 2014, when Ochsner sent more than 100 heart failure patients home with a Carematix Blipcare wireless scale. Daily readings were sent to the Epic EHR (Electronic Health Record) system. Patients were monitored and medications adjusted accordingly.

“The results have been encouraging with higher levels of patient engagement in their care and readmissions cut by 40 percent,” says Richard Milani, M.D., chief clinical transformation officer at Ochsner. Dr. Milani will be presenting data on this program during the 2014 American Heart Association Scientific Sessions (#AHA14). His presentation titled “Impact of Addressing Social and Behavioral Factors in Reducing Heart Failure Readmission” is scheduled for November 18 from 3:00-4:30 pm (South Hall A2-Core2).

“The results of this program are a validation that our chronic care monitoring solutions have matured to the point where the technology and the supporting infrastructure have become reliable and affordable enough to directly impact readmissions,” says Dr. Sukhwant Khanuja, CEO of Carematix.

The Carematix Blipcare wireless scale is available for $99 and is the only WiFi enabled scale with multiple user controls–including a “Guest” Button. It is also the only weight scale in the world that measures “Balance” and tracks the patient’s equilibrium on an ongoing basis. The scale recently won the 2014 CTIA Health, Fitness and Wellness award.