The telephone line is now a lifeline for heart failure patients eligible for a new telehealth program offered by Baptist Health Home Care.

Baptist Health Home Care, in concert with Baptist Health Madisonville, kicked off the new service April 16 with installation of the equipment in patients’ homes. The interactive system electronically links patients with a nurse who educates the patient on how to stay well.

Monitoring is performed with in-home equipment including weighing scales, a blood pressure cuff and pulse oximetry to measure oxygen levels in the blood. Those readings are taken daily and transmitted to a central monitoring service via telephone lines or an internal cellular modem. If any of the readings are cause for concern, a home health nurse is alerted to contact the patient.

Telehealth service requires a doctor’s order and eligibility for home care. In the coming months, Baptist Health Home Care will extend telehealth services to additional Kentucky communities it now serves.