FCC funds allocated to support telehealth and connected care services
(Miami, Florida) – Community Health of South Florida, Inc (CHI), a nonprofit health care organization providing affordable quality primary and behavioral health care services to South Florida residents, has selected WITHmyDOC, a South Florida-based digital health company, to enroll its most vulnerable patients in a sophisticated remote physiological monitoring (RPM) and virtual health program. CHI is one of 447 health care providers in the U.S. to benefit from the second round of funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the Consolidated Appropriations Act.
“This technology will help us improve patient outcomes and streamline our comprehensive care far beyond the walls of our health center,” said Dr. Saint Anthony Amofah, Chief Medical Officer at CHI. “Healthcare is evolving with tools like this to help us better understand our patients lifestyles and better serve them to live healthier lives by making immediate adjustments to their healthcare plans.”
According to the FCC website, remote physiological monitoring and mobile health applications can lead to better health outcomes and significant cost savings for patients and healthcare providers alike.
The FCC established a $200 million COVID-19 Telehealth Program in April 2020 to help health care providers deliver connected care services to patients at their homes or mobile locations in response to the pandemic. To build on the program’s success, Congress appropriated an additional $249.95 million to fund the second round of the Program as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2021. On September 29, 2021, the FCC approved
72 applications for funding commitments totaling $41,113,186 for Round 2 of its COVID-19 Telehealth Program. CHI was one of the beneficiaries, allowing it to purchase connected devices so clinical staff can monitor a patient’s blood pressure, weight, pulse, and glucose levels without in-person visits, helping to reduce the potential spread of the COVID-19 virus.
This funding will help support CHI’s mission to deliver safe, accessible, compassionate, and culturally competent quality health care to its nearly 75,000 patients treated in 13 health centers in Miami Dade and Monroe Counties. A federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), CHI is a national leader in the clinical quality measures, ranking among the top 30% in the nation.
WITHmyDOC’s RPM@Home™ System uses a web-based intelligence platform to monitor patients and transmit real-time data to healthcare providers, enabling them to remotely track the health of their patients at home. Providers can review patient biometric data as frequently as needed between office visits. As a result, symptoms are easier to detect, diagnose and treat. Each WITHmyDOC RPM@HomeTM Kits includes a 4G Android tablet, a blood pressure device, a weight scale, a glucometer and a protective waterproof case. All devices are wireless and Bluetooth enabled.
According to Richard Rodriguez, CEO of WITHmyDOC , the goal of RPM is to “diminish morbidity and mortality from COVID-19 by targeting those most at-risk of contracting a severe illness because of the virus. This includes patients with complex chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma and heart failure.”
“WITHmyDOC is well-positioned to provide connected devices and related telehealth and remote monitoring services to CHI and we are thrilled to have this opportunity to help support patient care,” he continued, adding that collecting vitals more frequently and the resulting improved patient care can lead to an increase in HEDIS scores. Better HEDIS scores affect health centers’ bottom line, since better measures mean higher reimbursement.
That is the goal for CHI as is implements this program that promises to transform lives and transform the processes used by physcians and healthcare professionals.
“WITHmyDOC will help us meet our objectives to increase health care resources to our underserved population through affordable quality care,” said Dr. Amofah. “RPM eases the burden on both providers and patients, giving us visibility into the patient’s vitals while conducting telehealth encounters with our most chronically ill patients.”
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About Community Health of South Florida, Inc.
For more than 50 years, CHI has been a beacon of hope providing access to high-quality healthcare for all regardless of insurance status, income level or background. The non-profit federally qualified health center
offers comprehensive healthcare services including primary care, pediatrics, OB/GYN, dental, urgent care, behavioral health, vision, radiology, pharmacy, telehealth, laboratory, transportation and more. CHI has 13 health centers and 36 school-based sites and two mobile units to provide medical and dental services. CHI is a recipient of the Florida Governor’s Sterling Award. It is accredited by the Joint Commission and is also designated as a patient centered medical home by the National Committee for Quality Assurance. CHI is also designated as a behavioral health medical home. In addition, CHI is home to the Brodes H. Hartley Jr., Teaching Health Center, training the next generation of doctors in family medicine and psychiatry.
About WITHmyDOC
WITHmyDOC is a digital health company that uses a web-based intelligence platform for remote patient monitoring to transform healthcare. Patients are connected to their care teams, providing the real-time data needed to control symptom and disease progression. WITHmyDOC partners with health systems, physician practices and healthcare organizations to provide remote patient monitoring that facilitates proactive intervention for chronic care management and to support telehealth visits. For more information visit www.withmydoc.com.
SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WITHmyDOC
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/withmydoc/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WITHmyDOC
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/withmydoc/
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Community Health:
Tiffani Helberg
VP of Communications
(305) 321-7541 THelberg@chisouthfl.org
WITHmyDOC:
Tamara Beliard info@withmydoc.com
