ACC Launches New Remote Patient Monitoring Platform
Founded in 1949, the American College of Cardiology (ACC) provides cardiologists with career-advancing opportunities and educational programs. Additionally, the organization champions a patient-centered approach to improving cardiovascular care. As part of its effort to improve heart health services, the ACC maintains the Innovation Program, which supports the development of technologies with the goal of enhancing patient care. The program connects the ACC with digital health technology companies to create digital solutions for health care delivery.
Ultimately, the ACC Innovation Program aims to transform cardiovascular health service delivery by incorporating digital platforms and tools in health care. During its 2019 annual meeting, the ACC organized the Innovation Challenge, which included a digital-enabled device category. A startup called Cliexa was among the finalists in this category. Based in Denver, Cliexa designs digital health care solutions for patient onboarding, provider documentation, and telehealth connectivity.
In June 2021, ACC launched cliexa-PULSE, a remote health monitoring platform developed in collaboration with Cliexa. The platform functions as a mobile application that allows cardiologists to follow their patients’ progress and medications, facilitating the management of cardiovascular conditions and patient monitoring.
The application’s home page is divided into tabs including Report Symptoms, My Report, Medications, and Milestones of Care.
- To report symptoms, patients answer a set of questions targeting cardiovascular manifestations like irregular heartbeat, chest pain, and shortness of breath.
- The My Report tab provides a detailed record of the patient’s symptoms over time.
- In the Medications tab, patients can search the names of the drugs they take and add them to the app.
- Milestones of care cover important events such as new diagnoses, cardiovascular incidents such as strokes or heart attacks, and updates regarding new drugs or procedures. This tab helps both clinicians and patients to record and access a complete medical history.
The application design comprises four modules that specifically cater to patients with atrial fibrillation, coronary artery disease, heart failure, and hypertension. The modules consist of tailored questions and tips that focus on lifestyle changes.
Cardiologists can use the application to easily access their patients’ data before and after clinic visits, in order to optimize their treatment plans. PULSE also includes features such as remote check-in, electronic health record integration, and Merit-based Incentive Payment System metrics. These features support patient reporting as well as population health studies.
As a remote patient monitoring (RPM) platform, PULSE yields many benefits. It helps clinicians track patient symptoms and treatment in real time. Through the application, cardiologists can efficiently collect patient data including changes in symptoms, recent hospitalizations, and current treatment status.
Patients can connect their PULSE profile to other health-related devices and applications, such as iHealth and Fitbit. By integrating all their health data in one place, patients can directly share their medical history and activity with their doctor.
Beyond its medical benefits, the app provides financial advantages to medical practices. RPM programs yield greater monthly reimbursements via Medicaid and Medicare, such that doctors managing patients in these programs stand to earn thousands of dollars every year.
