GOLDEN, Colo. (Business Wire) -- Microlife Medical Home Solutions, Inc. announced that it launched two clinically-validated and practice-tested solutions designed to help improve healthcare quality and reduce healthcare costs by transforming physician practices to a patient-centered model of care. Microlife's WatchBP and WatchWT programs will allow physicians to better assess and treat hypertension and obesity thereby reducing future health complications and medical expenditures.
A 2007 report by the Commonwealth Fund indicated that the U.S. healthcare system ranks last in healthcare quality and is the most expensive in comparison with those of other industrialized nations. In order to decrease the economic strain on the U.S. healthcare system, systematic solutions and medical practice transformations are needed. Microlife's WatchBP and WatchWT programs will help fill that need.
“Over 70 million adults are affected by hypertension or obesity, costing the U.S. economy an estimated $170 billion dollars in lost productivity and medical expenditures,” said Scott McDoniel, Ph.D., Director of Clinical Affairs for Microlife Medical Home Solutions. Dr. McDoniel continued to say that, “These two medical conditions will increase as the U.S. obesity rate rises by an additional 20% by year 2015.” Jim Hill, Ph.D., Professor of Pediatrics and Director of Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado School of Medicine indicated that family physicians will be instrumental in reversing obesity. ”Physicians need simple and effective tools that can help their patients reduce excess bodyweight.” WatchWT is such a tool which can be easily integrated into a physician's office by utilizing hand-held medical devices and supporting educational materials that follow evidence-based guidelines for treating obesity.
Physicians' management of hypertension is equally troubling. “Recent studies indicate that less than 40% of hypertensive patients are under control (blood pressure values ≤ 140/90 mmHg) and nearly 30 million hypertensive patients are incorrectly diagnosed and are either over or under medicated,” said Dr. McDoniel. Microlife developed the WatchBP solution as a way to help physicians accurately diagnose and treat hypertension and empower patients to be an active participant in managing their health.
An important component to Microlife's programs is utilization of a coordinated care team. Wilson Pace, M.D., FAAFP, Professor of Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and Director of the American Academy of Family Physician's National Research Network indicated that, “Primary care physicians will need to utilize clinical support staff such as nurses or medical assistants to help manage care. Physicians can become more efficient by integrating shared medical visits to educate/counsel patients on hypertension or weight management, which is better for the patient and healthcare system.” Microlife's WatchWT and WatchBP programs can be used within shared medical visits. “Since most physicians are not offering shared medical visits, we developed structured outlines and educational materials to help these practices integrate group visits for their patients,” said Dr. McDoniel.
R. Scott Hammond, M.D., FAAFP, family physician at Westminster Medical Clinic and Associate Clinical Professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine adopted Microlife's WatchWT and WatchBP practice solutions. “Two things drive effective care; good data and patient accountability. The best medical decisions are made with the best data. Patients also need to believe that my advice and treatment is meaningful, understandable, and important to their well-being. Microlife provides accurate, reliable, patient-centered solutions that engage my patients and empowers them to manage their health. These programs help me provide my patients with extremely effective hypertension and obesity treatment.” Microlife is working with several physician practices evaluating best-practice standards for WatchWT and WatchBP. Dr. McDoniel states, “Our primary goal is to ensure effective outcomes for both physician and patient. Often, physicians do not apply evidence-based guidelines because they are not practical.” WatchWT and WatchBP programs apply evidence-based solutions that are practice-based.
Microlife Medical Home Solutions, Inc. is working with other physicians and allied healthcare providers in pilot-testing both WatchWT and WatchBP solutions. Microlife will present WatchWT and WatchBP at the upcoming American College of Physicians Internal Medicine conference in Philadelphia, PA and American Society of Hypertension conference in San Francisco, CA.
About Microlife Medical Home Solutions, Inc. — A U.S. subsidiary of Microlife Corporation, Microlife Medical Home Solutions, Inc. is dedicated to meeting the needs of physicians and their busy practices. Our proprietary hand-held medical devices and systematic solutions offer physicians evidence-based and practice-tested methods for accurate assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Microlife is committed to working with physicians to help reduce hypertension and obesity rates and its associated healthcare expenditures by providing efficient and cost-effective solutions.
