60 apply for Center for Technology and Aging remote-monitoring grants

The Center for Technology and Aging, Oakland, Calif., says it has received 60 applications for a planned $500,000 in grants to demonstrate how remote patient monitoring technologies can reduce healthcare costs and lower disease acuity for older adults. The Oakland, Calif.-based center will make five grants of up to $100,000 each, mostly within California.

"The time is right for more rapid adoption of RPM technologies that can reduce emergency room visits, help seniors stay in their homes--and out of expensive care settings--and live more safely, even with complex chronic conditions," the center's director, David Lindeman, says in a press release.

"Remote patient monitoring technologies have been shown to be effective in helping to manage chronic disease, post-acute care and monitoring the safety of older adults," Lindeman adds. "These technologies can help slow the progression of chronic disease, speed recovery after discharge from an acute care setting and help vulnerable adults avoid injuries."

The Center for Technology and Aging cites reports estimating that wide use of remote monitoring devices could cut the cost of chronic disease management by $200 billion over the next 25 years and that Medicare could save $12 billion a year in hospital readmissions with such technology.

The organization will announce grant the winners in July.

For more information:
- see this Center for Technology and Aging press release

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