A four-year-old telehealth program is being credited with causing a sharp decline in surgery patients needing to return to the University of Ottawa's Heart Institute.
The technology allows a patient to be monitored daily by hospital staff after being sent home.
Hospital readmissions have been cut by 54 per cent - saving $20,000 for each patient - according to figures. There are 147 heart patients being monitored through the program.
The TeleHealth program was developed in Ottawa but could soon act as a model for other hospitals.
More than 500 patients have used the program since 2005. They measure and send their vital signs to the Heart Institute each day. An automated calling system deals with follow-up appointments and information on coronary conditions.
The Heart Institute's statistics came from tracking 121 heart failure patients in 2007 and 2008.
