Philips Telehealth Solutions has been chosen to provide telehealth monitors to SunCrest Healthcare, a Madison, Tenn.-based provider of home health, companion care, and therapy.

SunCrest plans to use telehealth technology to observe patients remotely, easing the in-patient load at hospitals while at the same time offering assurance to patients that they're being regularly monitored by healthcare providers.

"We selected Philips as a partner after a long evaluation process because of their innovative track record in healthcare, both in the acute setting and in home care," says SunCrest's Healthcare's president and CEO, John W. Dant III. "We believe that Philips will continue to bring forth technologies that will assist us in delivering the highest quality of care to our patients."

Philips's telemonitoring equipment is installed in the patient's home, enabling patients and caregivers to regularly monitor weight, blood pressure and other vital signs associated with chronic diseases such as heart disease. The home care team is also able to remotely perform assessments and deliver supplemental educational materials via a home hub called the TeleStation.

Enabling doctors and clinicians to send patients remote health status surveys, telehealth technologies make for better and more timely care decisions and have shown to significantly reduce unnecessary hospitalizations and visits to the emergency room, thereby lowering costs.