A new program called Connected Maternity Online Monitoring (MOM) at Ochsner Health System in New Orleans is seeing success with giving smart health monitoring devices to pregnant women. Notably, the O Bar which gets patients set up with devices free of charge was modeled after Apple’s Genius Bar and the program is set up to work with HealthKit.
As reported by CNBC, Ochsner Hospital’s Connected MOM program offers expecting mothers devices like smart scales, blood pressure monitors, and activity trackers. Specifics on what models weren’t shared, but they are compatible with Apple’s HealthKit platform. The report tells the story of one patient, Lisettte Hatamian, who decided to give the new program a try.
Ochsner’s electronic medical record system supports Apple’s Health Records so doctors can easily review data of Connected MOM patients. There’s also an easy way for patients to communicate with doctors via Ochsner’s app.
The program has shown benefits for both the hospital and patients. For doctors, the Connected MOM program has reduced in-person appointments by up to 30%. On the patient side, it means less time away from work.
Ochsner just recently signed up its 1,000th patient for the Connected MOM program. The next evolution of the initiative will be to offer enrollment to higher risk patients.
