Determination in Action
Our latest annual report features compelling patient stories just like this one. The report also includes our COVID-19 response, technological advancements, patient stories and community collaboration.
Reliable Care From Home
November 29, 2021
Renown Health has always been on the frontlines of technological advancement, and that innovation remained unwavering during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our telehealth teams heeded the call to provide home monitoring for our patients, transforming how we provide care.
The care providers at Renown successfully monitored lower acuity COVID-19 patients from the comfort of their own homes.
Bernard Lee was diagnosed with COVID-19 and pneumonia, and was able to return home to continue his recovery with a home monitoring system. While at home, Bernard’s health took a turn for the worse while he was sleeping, but thanks to the continuous monitoring of Health at Home, his worsening vitals did not go unnoticed. “This monitoring system really saved my life,” Bernard said. “It was telling me that my sats were low, but I didn’t even feel the common COVID symptoms; I just felt tired.”
Because of his low oxygen saturation (sats) and the continuous monitoring, he woke up to providers calling to check on him in the early morning. He was immediately transferred to the Renown Intensive Care Unit to be cared for and monitored by our expert care teams.
Today Bernard is recovering, feeling great and continuously refers to the team and the home monitoring system as his guardian angels.
How Does It Work?
Health at Home monitoring works by using passive sensors – typically in the form of a small disposable finger probe – to send real-time biometric information such as blood oxygen saturation and respiratory rate to a care team. Monitoring data collected by the sensor is then shared with the patient’s smartphone using a secure Bluetooth connection. Then, as directed, the program actively engages patients to answer clinical questions such as, “are you having trouble breathing?” and “what is your temperature?” and these responses are pushed, along with the monitoring data, to clinicians at Renown for evaluation and management.