Chronic Condition Monitoring

To help the patient better manage his diabetes, a long-standing condition, his primary care physician arranged for the patient to receive McKesson’s in-home patient communication appliance. The device gathers data from the patient about his diabetes, such as his glucose levels and body weight and guides him through a series of simple questions. The information is then sent over a regular phone line to one of McKesson’s nurses. The data is also available to the patient’s primary care physician.

At the call center, a registered nurse monitors the patient’s information aided by McKesson’s clinical software to ensure the patient is taking optimal care of himself. If the nurse spots anything of concern, such as significant fluctuations of glucose levels or a sudden weight-gain, she will contact the patient to gather more information. If the change is significant, she will also contact the patient’s physician and in extreme cases, the nurse may call the patient and advise him to seek immediate care. The service is reimbursed by the patient’s health insurance.