The cost of cardiac surgery procedures typically exceeds Medicare reimbursement, which prompted the folks at the Mayo Clinic to change their care model. A large part of that change would require the patient to become more actively involved in their care plan. To help facilitate that participation, the Mayo Clinic developed the myCare program, an iPad application that helps patients understand their condition, track their recovery, and report progress to their providers. The Mayo Clinic researchers tested the application on a group of patients who met the following criteria:
- Scheduled for elective cardiac surgery
- Expected to stay in the hospital for five to seven days
- Over the age of 50
- Live at home
- Can walk
- Can speak and read English
Patients were provided with an iPad and given a 30 minute tutorial on how to use the program. Prior to the surgery, patients used the iPad to learn about their care plan, and complete “To Do” lists, daily education, self-assessments, and recovery-planning modules. Each time a patient completed a module data was sent to the cloud, where nurses and physicians could view the data in a patient dashboard. Providers used the information in the dashboard to monitor each patient’s progress and make recommendations based on their pain levels and mobility numbers. Preliminary data suggests the myCare program can help shorten length of stay, reduce cost of care, and improve patient independence after leaving the hospital. Of the patients who completed a post-discharge survey, 90% expressed overall satisfaction with their care, and more than 90% felt they were well informed about their care while in the hospital. Furthermore, 98% of the patients felt the program provided information that prepared them to better manage their own care after they left the hospital. Mayo Clinic was pleased with the results and is working on rebuilding the program to integrate into the organization’s EHR system and support care plans for other procedures. Perhaps EHR vendors should consider building similar tools that will complement their own products.
