Dr. Robert Groves Talks Telehealth Solutions and Care Management on Bright Spots in Healthcare

Robert Groves, MD, has been innovating health care for 40+ years across diverse roles, from private practice to delivery and payer systems. He helped launch one of the first Electronic Intensive Care Unit (eICU) models, which uses tele-technology and computer algorithms to optimize intensive care unit patient management. As executive vice president and chief medical officer at Banner|Aetna, he is known for implementing revolutionary health care technology and programs that simplify care, reduce costs, and boost accessibility. He is widely regarded as an industry thought leader and is regularly invited to speak on emerging topics, including AI and telehealth solutions in health care.

Rates of chronic disease are rising in the United States, a trend that is expected to continue as the population ages. Coupled with a growing physician shortage, the American Medical Association has declared an urgent crisis: health care leaders are tasked with finding ways to provide expanded chronic condition management with fewer resources. According to experts like Dr. Groves, telehealth solutions and remote patient monitoring tools can help bridge the gap. In a recent episode of the Bright Spots in Healthcare podcast, he shares his insight successfully leveraging technology to create better care outcomes.

Telehealth solutions transform ICU care

In 2005, Banner Health, the largest delivery system in Arizona, tapped Dr. Groves to help implement a technology-powered solution to augment care across 400 intensive care unit (ICU) beds. Referred to as an eICU, Dr. Groves explains that the setup is comprised of “an audio-visual connection to every ICU bed coupled with a set of algorithms that are constantly evaluating all the patient data to identify adverse trends.” A board-certified intensivist virtually oversees the patients 24/7 and can immediately review and respond to requests or address adverse trends picked up by the algorithms. Rather than replacing bedside workers, continuous remote monitoring empowers clinical staff with actionable insights that improve efficiency and outcomes. “The idea is we can intercede before those adverse trends become adverse outcomes,” he adds.

The Banner Health eICU program results are impressive. Over 12 years, adjusted outcomes were 20-30% better than the predicted Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score used to estimate ICU mortality. “What that translates to is tens of thousands of lives saved; I think it was 15,000 lives and about $800 million saved in that same time frame,” Dr. Groves said.

Dr. Groves credits four key principles with the success of the eICU program and notes that they can be applied to other areas of medicine as well, like chronic care management.

• Continuous remote care and algorithmic monitoring for adverse events
• Immediate bidirectional communication between patients and clinicians
• Following evidence-based practices that are in line with each patient’s diagnosis
• Measuring program results and making continuous adjustments to improve quality

Scaling continuous remote care

Telehealth solutions have opened new doors when it comes to care management, but bringing physicians up to date with current technology tools still poses a challenge. Dr. Groves has championed several tech-based initiatives for Banner|Aetna members that utilize continuous remote care, including a virtual diabetes program powered by Virta Health. The high-touch program leverages the same principles to help patients effectively manage their diabetes and taper the need for costly medication.

Dr. Groves also believes technology has a part to play in primary care. In an ideal world, primary care physicians would utilize continuous remote care to keep patients and their care teams connected. Because “…our doctors are not quite there yet,” according to Dr. Groves, he introduced telehealth solution 98point6 to bridge the gap. The on-demand, text-based care platform deeply integrates with Banner|Aetna’s system, making it easy for members to access care from a board-certified primary care provider from anywhere. “It's essentially real-time, but asynchronous communication,” he adds, which is incredibly convenient for members.  

Listen to the full episode of the Bright Spots in Healthcare podcast hosted by Eric Glazer for additional insight from Dr. Groves, Dr. Reetika Kumar of Independence Blue Cross and Sebastian Seiguer of Scene Health. In the episode, you’ll learn how health care leaders are using telehealth solutions to drive improvements in care management and more.