Telehealth intervention programs for seniors: An observational study of a community-embedded health monitoring initiative

Background:Chronic disease in older adults is estimated to account for 84% of annual health care spending in the United States, with many preventable costs expected to rise as the population continues to age. Introduction:Telehealth Intervention Programs for Seniors (TIPS) is a community-embedded program targeting low-income older adults, providing weekly assessment of vital signs and subjective wellness, and wrap-around aging services. Materials and Methods:TIPS recruited 765 volunteers over 55 years, who were Medicaid and/or Medicare eligible. Data were collected from 2014 to 2016 [median enrollment 343 days (105–435)] using 12 TIPS sites. This observational study evaluated the efficacy of TIPS by measuring within-subject changes in self-reported hospital visits and