ATI wins multi-year VAi2 award from VA to improve outcomes for patients at risk for end stage kidney disease

Minneapolis, MN (PRWEB) July 07, 2011

American TeleCare (ATI [FREE Stock Trend Analysis]), Inc., the pioneer in the development and clinical application of video-enhanced telemedicine, announced that it has received a multi-year VA Innovation Initiative (VAi2) Award from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). ATI's Advanced Care ManagementTM (ACMTM) solution will be implemented to care for a targeted group of VA patients at-risk for end stage kidney disease (ESKD).

"VAi2 gives the Department the ability to find and test new solutions for some of our toughest challenges as we strive to provide effective, timely care for veterans in a compassionate manner," said Jonah Czerwinski, senior advisor to the secretary of Veterans Affairs and director of the VA Innovation Initiative (VAi2).

The ACM solution encompasses ATI's best-in-class telehealth technology, condition-specific patient monitoring protocols and clinical care strategies, patient education content, clinical process re-engineering, and ATI's direct operational support for multi-disciplinary clinical teams. ATI will connect highest risk patients with kidney disease to a VA care team that has the specialized expertise to understand and manage the nuances of the enrolled patients' diabetes, hypertension, and other medical and psychosocial complexities. With ATI's ongoing support, the care team will prevent medical crises and disease exacerbation, keep patients out of the hospital, and delay the necessity of dialysis for as long as possible.

"Advanced Care Management extends high-efficiency, high-value care from the VA's hospitals and clinics to veterans in their own homes," said Randy Moore, M.D., M.B.A., chief executive officer, American TeleCare, Inc. (ATI). "Every month the necessity for dialysis is delayed saves money for the VA and gives the veterans another month of a higher quality of life."

The Department of Veterans Affairs provides kidney dialysis for more than 10,000 veterans with ESKD. Every year another 3,000 veterans reach end stage kidney disease. The ACM program will begin in the VA Midwest Health Care Network in Minneapolis, Minn. where enrollment will be drawn from 8,000 VA patients who have kidney disease and may be at-risk for ESKD.

About the VAi2 Competition

The mission of the Veterans Affairs Industry Innovations (VAi2) Competition at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is to provide innovative solutions to complex VA problems. The VAi2 Competition strives to elicit solutions that in turn provide high-quality, effective, and efficient information technology (IT) support to those responsible for providing care to veterans at the point-of-care as well as throughout all the points of the veterans' health care. For additional information, visit http://www.va.gov/vai2/.

About American TeleCare

Founded in 1993, American TeleCare, Inc. (ATI [FREE Stock Trend Analysis]) is the American-owned and managed telehealth company. ATI pioneered the development and clinical application of video-enhanced in-home patient monitoring and direct care. ATI's Advanced Care ManagementTM (ACMTM) program enables care teams to extend the clinical expertise that resides in clinics and hospitals to patients in their own homes. ACMTM establishes continuous healing relationships - keeping patients connected to expert clinical care to improve and maintain their health. ATI solutions offer unequaled clinical capability to remotely monitor, observe, assess, and stabilize patients to prevent disease exacerbation and thereby reduce hospitalization and readmission rates. Visit http://www.americantelecare.com or call 800-323-6667 for more information.

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Read more: http://www.benzinga.com/pressreleases/11/07/p1744297/american-telecare-ati-wins-multi-year-vai2-award-from-the-u-s-departmen#ixzz1RtqOsFE5