Stevens’ third Health, Technology and Society roundtable: treating chronic respiratory illnesses

HOBOKEN, N.J. — Enhancing the management of non-hospital-based, chronic respiratory illnesses through modern technology was the topic of the third healthcare forum held at Stevens Institute of Technology on Wednesday, October 31, 2007. The forum provided professionals from diverse backgrounds the opportunity to discuss the possible use of telemedicine in treating a patient with chronic respiratory diseases, specifically those with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Dr. S . Vincent Grasso, surgeon, medical informaticist, adjunct professor at Stevens and forum coordinator, introduced the forum’s topic on asthma and COPD with several major statistics. He stated that in the US alone, there are currently 20 million asthma patients and 14 million COPD patients. Also, direct healthcare costs for asthma in the US total $20 billion annually, and total estimated costs of healthcare for COPD in 2002 were $32 billion: $18 billion for direct costs and $14 billion for indirect costs. Grasso then stated that in 2003, Americans made 110 million visits to hospital emergency rooms, 25 percent of which were due to respiratory diseases. These statistics provided evidence for the need of telemedicine as a solution to enhance care for COPD patients, as well as alleviate the economic burden of hospital emergency rooms.

Forum members were able to observe Grasso’s developing technology firsthand, as he demonstrated how a COPD patient can easily gather medical information from their own home and then send that information to doctors via a wireless service. They discussed how this new technology would provide doctors the ability to use telemedicine to better monitor a patient throughout the day, as well as reducing transportation costs and travel time to hospitals for patients. Most importantly, the discussion focused on how telemedicine can relieve congested emergency rooms where underserved patients often have the only opportunity to receive primary care.

In addition to Grasso, forum panelists included James Tuchi, Managing Director of Pharmacy Industry Consulting Services at Cohn Consulting Group, J.H. Cohn, LLP; Victor L. Marchione, MD, internal medicine and pulmonary doctor; Jonathan Banno, Respiratory Sales Specialist at Sepracor, Inc.; Padmini Persaud, CMA, Project Coordinator of the I Quit Smoking Program at Palisades Medical Center; Fatimah Aquino, RN, Director of Nursing at the Margaret Anna Cusack Care Center; J. Anthony Forstmann, Special Limited Partner of Forstmann Little & Co. in New York; and Hyun Ouk Hong, Consultant in the Adverse Event Reporting Division at Sanofi-Aventis Pharmaceuticals.

“The ability to provide home healthcare incorporating portable and robust medical devices, the information system platform, as well as an online specialist network insures that the aging population in this country can receive the necessary examinations in the home that will minimize the inconvenience of having to go to offices, clinics or hospital emergency rooms. There will be true economic benefit to the providers and comfort to the recipients,” stated Forstmann.

Hong, a recent Stevens graduate, attended a graduate-level human physiology course taught by Grasso, during his senior year. “It was wonderful to be back at the Babbio Center at Stevens and this time, as a panelist on the Healthcare Roundtable discussion,” stated Hong. “As a former pre-medical student, I believe it is a privilege that anyone interested in pursuing a healthcare field has the opportunity to attend these discussions and learn from the professionals.” Hong will attend medical school next fall.

The forum stressed that home-care programs via networking resources and the development of new technology are effective in the long-term treatment of chronically hypercapnic COPD patients, and in reducing hospital admissions. Patrick A. Berzinski, Director of University Communications for Stevens moderated the forum.

About Stevens Institute of Technology

Founded in 1870, Stevens Institute of Technology is one of the leading technological universities in the world dedicated to learning and research. Through its broad-based curricula, nurturing of creative inventiveness, and cross disciplinary research, the Institute is at the forefront of global challenges in engineering, science, and technology management. Partnerships and collaboration between, and among, business, industry, government and other universities contribute to the enriched environment of the Institute. A new model for technology commercialization in academe, known as Technogenesis®, involves external partners in launching business enterprises to create broad opportunities and shared value.

Stevens offers baccalaureates, master’s and doctoral degrees in engineering, science, computer science and management, in addition to a baccalaureate degree in the humanities and liberal arts, and in business and technology. The university has a total enrollment of 2,150 undergraduate and 3,500 graduate students, with about 250 full-time faculty. Stevens’ graduate programs have attracted international participation from China, India, Southeast Asia, Europe and Latin America. Additional information may be obtained from its web page at www.stevens.edu.  

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