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WebVMC Selected By Assisted Living Facility Arbor Terrace of Decatur to Provide Virtual Medical Care to Residents

Posted on: Monday, 5 June 2006, 09:00 CDT

Arbor Terrace of Decatur, Atlanta's premier assisted living and memory care community for seniors, today announced a partnership with WebVMC, developer of the first comprehensive technology system for disease management, to better manage chronic illnesses prevalent in seniors at their community.

"We selected WebVMC because their system offers better overall clinical management for our community. It monitors and measures our residents' vital signs, which can be sent automatically to their primary healthcare provider (PHP). The PHP has access to this information 24 hours a day, seven days a week," said Barbara Austin, executive director, Arbor Terrace of Decatur. "We are excited about this relationship with WebVMC because it helps us offer an innovative and progressive way to enhance services for our seniors, their families and our medical community."

Arbor Terrace of Decatur's residents can now make the most of their medical visits by using a telehealth system. Constant clinical monitoring allows the PHP to see trends, leading her/him to make better diagnostic and treatment decisions, which, in turn, can reduce costly medication changes.

The operation of the new system is simple. Residents are identified who have key medical diagnoses that require careful monitoring and that could lead to frequent medical complications, such as diabetes, chronic pulmonary disease, dementia or congestive heart failure. Then a routine is established for monitoring their clinical values. Values are recorded at the kiosk, by using a personalized card to identify the patient.

This clinical information is available to the resident's PHP and/or caregiver, regardless of their location, through any computer or via telephone, with a confidential password. If a reading is abnormal, the PHP and/or caregiver will be notified immediately. This clinical oversight offers great peace of mind to resident's family members, especially those family members who live long-distance and are very involved in the medical management of their loved one.

"Remote disease management is a new and effective way to measure and monitor key vital factors in the comfort of the resident's living situation, and to give physicians and nurses access to this information right away so they can identify any changes that need to be addressed," said Scott Sheppard, president and chief technical officer, WebVMC. "With 33,000 assisted living facilities in the U.S., there is a growing need for telehealth systems in these settings, as well as in home care and in hospitals. Offering virtual medical care can manage chronic diseases for better health outcomes and keep patients in the living situation where they are happy."

Austin noted, "Our residents feel more secure knowing their health status and are more comfortable with a system that can manage their condition within their normal lifestyle. Family members love it because they recognize the value of this additional clinical information, which helps the PHP to better medically manage our seniors' health."

About WebVMC:

WebVMC provides virtual healthcare technology using the Internet that creates a "Circle of Care" for the person with a chronic illness, connecting the patient, caregiver and clinician for 24/7 disease management from any location, in multiple healthcare delivery systems--home care, hospitals and assisted living facilities. With innovative capabilities, such as audio tracks, touch-screen access and instant messaging, WebVMC's products are user-friendly, comprehensive solutions that cost-effectively manage patients with chronic illness for better health status and better quality of life. For more information about WebVMC, visit www.webvmc.com, or contact Bill Behnke, 210-240-9400, billbehnke@webvmc.com.

About Arbor Terrace of Decatur

Arbor Terrace of Decatur is part of the Arbor Company, which was formed in 1986 to provide full service development, management and marketing services in the field of housing for the elderly. For more information, visit www.arborcompany.com.

Source: Business Wire

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