Health Care Innovation Awards: Firstvitals Health and Wellness Inc. Project Profile

Project Title: "Improving the health and care of low-income diabetics at reduced costs"
Geographic Reach: Hawaii
Funding Amount: $3,999,713
Estimated 3-Year Savings: $4,829,955

Summary

FirstVitals Health and Wellness Inc., in partnership with AlohaCare, received an award to implement and test a care coordination and health information technology plan that will better regulate glucose levels for Medicaid-eligible patients with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes who have the complication of peripheral neuropathy. FirstVitals will create a secured database that will receive data feeds from a combination of wireless glucose meters and tablets, which are expected to improve health education and social networking around diabetes management issues. The "real time" information will be available to integrated care coordinators, patients, physicians and other approved caregivers, informing decisions about care and enabling caregivers to track and monitor glucose levels, improve medication adherence, and increase patient safety and the effectiveness of treatment. The project will reduce foot ulcers and amputations and attendant complications, and reduce emergency room visits and hospitalizations. Over a three-year period, FirstVitals' program will involve and educate dozens of healthcare workers, train an estimated 11 to 12 healthcare coordinators and will create an estimated 7 to 9 jobs. The new workforce will include integrated care coordinators both clinical and non-clinical, a clinical diabetes educator, and a medical director.

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