Agilent Technologies to Supply Aetna with In-home Monitoring Solution for Disease Management Program; Addition of High-tech Solution Seeks to Improve Member Satisfaction and Compliance.Business Editors/Health & Medical Writers AAHP AAHP American Association of Health Plans AAHP American Academy of Health Physics AAHP Arkansas Association of Health-System Pharmacists AAHP Alabama Association of Health Plans 2001 LOS ANGELES--(BW HealthWire)--June 11, 2001 Agilent Technologies This article needs sources or references that appear in reliable, third-party publications. Alone, primary sources and sources affiliated with the subject of this article are not sufficient for an accurate encyclopedia article. Inc. (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange : A) today announced an agreement with Aetna Inc. to supply its Interactive Healthcare Services (IHS IHS (I.H.S.) first three letters of Greek spelling of Jesus; also taken as acronym of Iesus Hominum Salvator ‘Jesus, Savior of Mankind.’ [Christian Symbolism: Brewer Dictionary, 480] See : Christ IHS ), an in-home monitoring solution for congestive heart failure congestive heart failure, inability of the heart to expel sufficient blood to keep pace with the metabolic demands of the body. In the healthy individual the heart can tolerate large increases of workload for a considerable length of time. (CHF CHF In currencies, this is the abbreviation for the Swiss Franc. Notes: The currency market, also known as the Foreign Exchange market, is the largest financial market in the world, with a daily average volume of over US $1 trillion. ), to Aetna members as part of Aetna's comprehensive disease management program. The announcement was made at the American Association American Association refers to one of the following professional baseball leagues:
The objective of the program is to evaluate how the incorporation of IHS into Aetna's existing Healthy Outlook CHF disease management program improves certain key criteria. The criteria being studied include satisfaction and compliance with the program by members, communication between members and care providers, and the number of clinical interventions. "Aetna and Agilent have an opportunity to change the way heart failure is managed by putting monitoring technology into the hands of health plan members," said Greg Sebasky, vice president and general manager of e-Care Services for Agilent's Healthcare Solutions Group. "These tools can improve a patient's quality of life and keep them out of the hospital. The signing of this contract, combined with Aetna's leadership in the field of managed care, represents a major step forward for disease management." "It's one of our top priorities to create programs that improve the health and ensure the peace of mind of our members," said Dr. Woody Warburton, M.D., Aetna medical director. "We believe that the study with Agilent will enable us to evaluate how members respond to in-home devices such as the interactive scale used to monitor weight gain." By incorporating Agilent's wireless in-home devices into its CHF program, accurate, objective measurements for weight, blood pressure and pulse will be collected daily from Aetna members participating in the study. These vital signs are crucial to monitor in a patient with heart failure. The Agilent IHS devices, which are lightweight and portable, can be placed anywhere in a patient's home. A "home hub" collects patient data from each device and automatically and securely transmits the information over a phone line to nurses at Aetna's Healthy Outlook program central station. Using a PC and a standard Web browser The program that serves as your front end to the Web on the Internet. In order to view a site, you type its address (URL) into the browser's Location field; for example, www.computerlanguage.com, and the home page of that site is downloaded to you. , nurses can view patient information, including historical data and patient notes. The system also automatically flags patients whose daily measurements fall outside pre-set clinician clinician /cli·ni·cian/ (kli-nish´in) an expert clinical physician and teacher. cli·ni·cian n. limits and who require follow-up and intervention. About Agilent Technologies Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) is a global technology leader in communications, electronics, life sciences and healthcare. With 48,000 employees serving customers in more than 120 countries, Agilent had net revenue of $10.8 billion in fiscal year 2000. Information about Agilent can be found on the Web at www.agilent.com. |
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