Telemonitoring may not help older patients

Older patients with heart, lung or kidney disease who were monitored with at-home electronic systems were just as likely to be sent to the emergency room or hospitalized as those who weren't monitored, in a new study.

The systems -- which check patients' blood pressure, weight and other health-related measurements daily and send information to their medical team -- are one strategy to catch problems early to prevent hospitalizations and help control health spending as the population ages. The new findings don't mean so-called telemonitoring will never work, researchers said, but they suggest that the home check-ins might not be useful, or cost-effective, for everyone.