HomeVue Health Systems will introduce system to increase access to prenatal care at ACOG annual meeting.

MISSION VIEJO, Calif.--(HEALTH WIRE)--April 25, 1995--HomeVue Health Systems Inc., a manufacturer of home monitors for the remote surveillance of high-risk pregnancies, Tuesday announced that it will introduce an information system that will allow physicians to more closely monitor all pregnancies.

The new system may reduce the number of office visits in normal pregnancies from an average of 14 to as few as five. HomeVue will demonstrate the Preg-Net(tm) system at the annual meeting of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) in San Francisco May 8-10.

The Preg-Net system automates the gathering of key patient information, including health history, signs and symptoms monitoring, and routine questions regarding pregnancy, and provides comprehensive weekly reports to physicians on the progress of the pregnancy. Patients interact weekly with the Preg-net system via touch-tone telephone and receive answers to questions and educational information corresponding to the week of pregnancy. The system alerts patients to contact their physicians immediately if it detects an abnormal occurrence requiring medical attention.

Approximately 70 percent of the 4 million pregnancies in the United States each year are considered normal. However, according to HomeVue president Gary Mounts, it is difficult to determine in advance which pregnancies are high risk. "The Preg-Net system will provide a cost-effective method for physicians to more closely monitor patients through the course of their pregnancies, allowing them to identify those women who are at increased risk of complications before problems occur," he said.

The trend toward managed care is focusing attention on increasing efficiency and reducing costs in health care. Obstetrics is the largest cost category for commercial HMOs, accounting for 30-40 percent of all medical costs. Since obstetrics is largely observational, the creative use of information and communication technology may dramatically reduce costs while increasing access to care for all patients.

The Preg-Net system will allow physicians to care for a larger number of patients more efficiently, and it will provide greater access to care for pregnant women who might otherwise not receive adequate prenatal care. The telephone system will allow women to remain in closer contact with their physicians while alleviating the problems that make it difficult for many women to make frequent office visits, such as taking time off work, arranging transportation to the physician's office, and hiring baby-sitters for other children. The Preg-Net system will be available in several languages, including English and Spanish.

The Preg-Net system, currently undergoing clinical study at Loma Linda University Medical Center and Sharp Hospital in Southern California, is being installed in several university hospitals throughout the U.S. Beginning in April, it is being offered to managed care organizations nationally through Abbey Home Healthcare.

HomeVue Health Systems Inc., based in Mission Viejo, is a medical technology company focusing on developing information and patient surveillance systems to cost effectively manage pregnancies and increase access to prenatal care.

CONTACT: Communicore, Newport Beach, Calif.

Barbara Kane, 714/721-8081