Pallone & Holt: House Approves Funding for Telehealth Technology

Washington, D.C. --- U.S. Reps. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Rush Holt (D-NJ) announced today that the U.S. House of Representatives approved a Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 omnibus bill that includes their request of $238,000 to expand the Visiting Nurses Association of Central New Jersey (VNACJ) telehealth program.

The funding approved today will enable VNACJ to purchase new, state-of-the-art telemonitoring technology, which will permit the association to expand its current program.

Telehealth is the use of electronic information and telecommunications technologies to support long distance clinical health care, patient and professional health-related education, and public health and health administration. Remote health monitoring technologies deliver health management programs that guide patients in self-care, education and the collection of clinical information, including health self-assessment, symptoms and vital signs.

In conjunction with CentraState Healthcare System and the Monmouth County Office on Aging, VNACJ launched and implemented a successful telehealth program for patients in central New Jersey with congestive heart failure, diabetes, and obesity. In 2007, VNACJ was able to monitor 442 frail cardiac patients, which decreased rehospitalization by 60 percent.

"The Visiting Nurses Association of New Jersey's telehealth program is saving lives and helping reduce the cost of health care in our state," Pallone said. "The program is so successful that there is currently a waiting list for those interested in participating in the program. The funds approved today will ensure that more New Jerseyans, who are unable to make it to the doctor on a regular basis, have access to this important service."

“This is the type of successful local program we should be supporting,” Holt said. “We can’t fix the economy without fixing health care. By providing preventative care to New Jersey residents, the Visiting Nurses Association of New Jersey is saving health dollars and improving outcomes for patients.”

The VNACJ is New Jersey's largest Visiting Nurse Association and is the second largest in the country, with over 1,000 employees providing comprehensive in-home, community-based and primary health care services to more than 100,000 individuals each year.

This week, the House approved a $410 billion spending bill that combines nine appropriations bills into one omnibus bill funding domestic programs and foreign operations for FY 2009, which officially began on October 1, 2008. The bill now goes to the Senate for its approval before heading to the president's desk for his signature.