Monitoring congestive heart failure.

With the aging of the baby boom generation, the prevalence of congestive heart failure, already the most common cause of readmission to hospitals, is expected to nearly double over the next 40 years and could become a major drain on health care resources. Congestive heart failure sufferers often require frequent hospitalizations, each costing about $10,000.

A physician at the University of Illinois at Chicago Medical Center has an innovative solution to this looming health care crisis. Boaz Avitall, director of cardiac electrophysiology, working with Advanced Medical Devices of Milwaukee (Wis.), has developed a system that closely monitors congestive heart failure patients in their homes several times daily, resulting in fewer readmissions to the hospital and substantially lower costs. In a pilot study, the hospital readmission rate for 35 congestive heart failure patients using the Home Health Monitor was 14% over a six-month period, compared to the national readmission average of 42% over a three-month period.

The price per person for the monitor is $408, compared to the average $1-2,000 cost of home care for congestive heart failure patients which provides for 10-20 visits. The system includes a computerized central monitoring station at the UIC Medical Center staffed 24 hours a day by cardiology nurses and technicians, with cardiology fellows and attending physicians on call. Hardware in the home consists of a small, portable monitor, scale for body weight, automatic blood pressure cuff, finger probe to...