Alexander Blood, MD: Remote Monitoring for Cardiology

A remote lipid and hypertension program could increase medication adherence and improve overall care, while also closing some of the racial and regional discrepancies that exist in cardiovascular care.

In a late-breaking abstract presented during the 2021 American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions, investigators from Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, found in a study of 10,000 patients that standardized, remote, algorithmic care can effectively optimize and complement guideline-directed therapy at scale, reduce cardiovascular risk, and minimize the need for in-person visits

In an interview with HCPLive®, Alexander Blood, MD, Clinical Fellow in Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, explained how the results of the study prove there is a way to close some of the gaps that are persistent in medicine.

In the study, enrolled patients into a remote hypertension and lipids education and management program that included an end-to-end disease management solution with identification, engagement, device integration, education, and medication titration.

The program also included non-licensed navigators, supervised by a team of pharmacists, nurse practitioners and physicians coordinated care using customer relationship management software, task automation, and omni-channel communication.

In the hypertension program, 92% of patients reached their blood pressure goals, while in the lipids program, 94% of patients reached their LDL-C goal.