West Michigan health company helps pioneer remote patient monitoring

This spring, it became clear that COVID-19 was going to — at least temporarily — change the way health care is delivered. Organizations across the nation pivoted to incorporate telehealth systems into care plans.

Holland-based Atrio Home Health, too, saw the increased need for remote patient monitoring and telehealth capabilities. The senior home care agency was one of five organizations in the nation and the only service provider in Michigan to test and influence modifications on a new remote patient monitoring platform that is now in use by more than 10,000 patients nationwide.

Atrio partnered with Texas-based tech startup VitalTech on the development of the remote patient monitoring system. The partnership began as a pilot program at senior living nonprofit Holland Home, an affiliate of Atrio, with 30 residents and the goal of making VitalTech’s VitalCare platform more user-friendly and feature-rich. The program is now capable of monitoring everything from oxygen level and temperature to weight and blood pressure.

The enhanced platform can be used by clinicians, patients, caregivers, and family members to monitor a patient’s health, collect and save data for future use, and alert clinicians and family members to health care issues — all without entering the home, which has been proven particularly necessary during the COVID-19 pandemic. The units are sold for approximately $35 to $500 each, depending on individual patient need.

Joint venture

“I had the privilege of partnering with Atrio at the inception of its remote monitoring program. Based on the needs they expressed, VitalTech’s software team developed several functionality features within our platform that helped not only Atrio, but other customers as well,” says Athar Zafar, vice president of sales and solutions for VitalTech. “Several of the robust features we have today are there because of Atrio’s valuable input. We are grateful for their partnership.”
Patient Rick Zweering has been part of a pilot program to hone new remote patient monitoring software being developed by VitalTech and Holland-based Atrio Home Health.
Atrio and VitalTech worked together for more than a year redeveloping features on the VitalCare platform using feedback from Atrio clinical staff and their family members. The result is a patient-centered and personalized care platform that allows Atrio to closely monitor a patient’s health and care, while maintaining privacy and safety for the patient and the clinician. Atrio has expanded home health services here in West Michigan with the addition of 35 remote patient monitoring units, which it has begun to deploy with its Lakeshore clients.

Atrio Home Care is a joint venture between Holland Home, Resthaven, and Clark that provides home health and help at home services to seniors in West Michigan. Atrio Home Care employs 225 nurses, therapists, aides, and other clinicians delivering a broad range of skilled and private-duty services. Based in Grand Rapids and Holland, Atrio serves about 2,500 seniors and their families in Kent, Ottawa, Allegan, Barry, Ionia, and Montcalm counties each year.

Atrio’s existing plans in place to add telehealth capabilities to its services were accelerated by the pandemic. Those plans were made a reality when a local donor provided a $100,000 estate gift to provide better care and monitoring for individuals in Lakeshore communities. The gift from the Edna Mae Haworth Trust allowed Atrio to purchase the remote patient monitoring units from VitalTech and install the units in patient homes, something that would not otherwise have been possible this quickly.

Pilot program

“This gift from the Edna Mae Haworth Trust made it possible for us to get VitalTech (remote patient monitoring) equipment into patient homes on the lakeshore and monitor the health and well-being of those residents more quickly,” says Kelly Wierenga, administrator at Atrio Home Health Lakeshore and lead on the pilot program. “VitalTech’s use of our feedback during the pilot has given our caregivers a tool which focuses on the types of diseases we see most in our community, and provide care that is specific to those issues for each patient.”

Rick Zweering has been a part of the pilot program from the beginning and has provided feedback on his experience during the pilot process. While not an Atrio patient, Zweering has used the technology to communicate health concerns to his own providers.

"My first task in the morning is to record my vital health data, which can be accomplished in the amount of time it takes to brush and floss my teeth,” Zweering says. “Logging information has been so helpful in my personal health life, as well as in several virtual communications with my health professionals.”