CHOC Hospital has launched an innovative new telehealth program to help improve the short and long-term outcomes of high-risk patients with complex congenital heart defects.
Parents of patients in the CHOC Heart Institute’s Cardiac High-Risk Interstage Program are now being issued iPads enabled with Locus Health. This HIPAA-compliant platform monitors vital health data in real-time to be shared with a patient’s care team. The Locus platform is currently used in more than 25 leading children’s hospitals in the U.S. and Canada. CHOC is the first hospital in California to implement the platform.
Patients in CHOC’s Cardiac High-Risk Interstage Program have single ventricle circulation, causing structures on the right or left side of their hearts to be severely underdeveloped. Heart surgery is performed shortly after birth, followed by a second surgery months later. The time between the two interventions is critical due to the baby’s fragile health and risk for life-threatening problems. Monitoring and evaluating a patient’s information on a regular basis has been proven to help with early recognition of possible serious problems and to save lives.
“The goal of our program is to yield the best outcomes for our highest risk heart babies while they recover in the comfort of their own homes,” said Dr. Nita Doshi, a CHOC pediatric cardiologist. “The Locus platform offers our physicians and our patients’ families with an innovative and convenient way to connect and share important information. Our providers have access to data in real-time, providing parents with peace of mind knowing their babies are still under our watchful eyes – even though they are no longer in the hospital.”
The Locus platform is also able to leverage providers’ existing workflows, enabling care teams to more efficiently manage data collected on large groups of patients. This frees up their time to focus even more on direct patient care. Of note, Locus has been proven to reduce the length of a pediatric patient’s hospital stay by more than 30 percent.
“In an era when telehealth has never been more vital, we are thrilled to bring Locus to CHOC. Our platform was designed by doctors and nurses who saw the need to implement remote patient monitoring into pediatric care and has been proven to benefit patients, parents and healthcare providers alike. We are excited to have our first partner in California be CHOC, which has provided incredible care for children in California for more than 55 years,” said Kirby Farrell, Locus Health CEO.
