TELUS Health and Tunstall Power At-Home Patient Monitoring

Canadians living with chronic illnesses may be able to skip a hospital visit thanks to a new partnership between Tunstall and Telus Health.

The two healthtech-focused organizations are working together to offer Canadians remote patient monitoring and video conferencing. The services will prevent unnecessary hospital admissions through the Telus Home Health Monitoring solution, powered by Tunstall’s Integrated Care Platform.

The telehealth software solution means clinicians can help patients with chronic diseases manage their health remotely and offer their support to patients living anywhere in Canada.

“Creating tools that allow patients to partner with their caregivers to manage their own health is a foundational step in our pursuit of a fully integrated healthcare ecosystem,” said Dr. Michael Guerriere, Telus Health’s chief medical officer.

Through the tool, patients can track and upload their own vital signs while virtual care teams monitor the biometrics in real-time. That information means clinicians can intervene before a health issue crops up.

“Our home health monitoring projects have resulted in significant cost savings and reduced patient emergency room visits and hospital re-admissions. Patients using this technology reported being highly engaged in their health and enjoying an improved quality of life,” said Guerrier.

Canadians over 60 years of age generally have three or more chronic diseases, according to a recent report from the Public Health Agency of Canada. With the population of those over 65 expected to surge as a majority of Baby Boomers hit the age milestone in the next decade, the healthcare system in Canada will be faced with new patient care management challenges.

But the growing senior age cohort—many of whom will live with chronic illnesses—presents an opportunity for telehealth companies to develop new ways to interact with patients.

“With the growing numbers of citizens living with long-term conditions and increased expectations of care delivery, healthcare providers are under continued pressure to deliver new models of care and improve patient outcomes through the adoption of technology-enabled care systems such as [the Tunstall Integrated Care Platform],” said Gordon Sutherland, CEO of Tunstall Healthcare Group.

The remote patient monitoring technology has been launched in Europe, Australia and China, as thousands of patients with chronic conditions use the platform. Tunstall reports its in-home telehealth services are used by 3.5 million people every day in 51 countries.