Best Buy dives deeper into home health care

Best Buy is growing its at-home health care efforts. 

Building on the success of delivering in-home care for patients with chronic conditions through Geek Squad, Best Buy Health is expanding its partnership with Geisinger to bring a better level of care to more patients within the Geisinger network.

Geisinger launched its ConnectedCare365 chronic care management platform in 2021 and has since enrolled more than 1,100 patients in remote patient monitoring programs for chronic conditions such as congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,  hypertension and diabetes. Patients enrolled in the programs receive devices —including blood pressure cuffs, body weight scales, thermometers and glucose meters — to monitor their health at home and transmit data back to their Geisinger care team through Best Buy Health’s care at home platform, Current Health.  

In July 2022, Best Buy Health and Geisinger started deploying specially trained Geek Squad agents to deliver, install and activate these remote care management devices in a program that now involves 300 Geisinger patients. While in the home, the agent educate patients on the technology in their care plan, answer questions about the devices, explain how to use them properly and ensure they are transmitting data back to the patient’s care team.  

The agents also remain on standby to help with troubleshooting as needed and to collect and process all devices once the patient is discharged from the program by their care team.  

Best Buy said that the results of the program so far have shown:

• A 50% reduction in the time from admission into the chronic care at home program to when device set up is completed and the Geisinger care team can begin monitoring the patient remotely. This is a reduction from an average of 96 hours to 48 hours. 
• A 19% improvement in how well patients follow their care plans by wearing and using their remote technology equipment more consistently.
• A 18% reduction in technical issues reported.

When needed, Geek Squad Agents were also able to replace devices in the home within 24 hours of being reported. Patients had overwhelmingly positive feedback, driving a world-class NPS score of 89 when asked about their experience with Geek Squad visiting the home to get them set up on their chronic care at home program.

Developing innovative care models by leveraging advanced technology and logistics services, Best Buy Health and Geisinger are looking to scale the way chronic disease can be managed at home. Together, they will design a comprehensive package of technology and services to empower patients and support healthcare organizations as they operate their own chronic condition management programs.

“The results of our program show that when we combine what Best Buy is known for — technology support and expertise — with Geisinger’s best-in-class care teams and network of clinics and hospitals, we can make a meaningful difference in the patient and caregiver experience,” said Deborah Di Sanzo, president of Best Buy Health. “Geisinger has been incredible in this work and we’re very excited about our ability to scale these capabilities across the country to further Best Buy Health’s goal to enable care at home for everyone.”

Geisinger is committed to making better health easier for the more than 1 million people it serves. Founded more than 100 years ago by Abigail Geisinger, the system now includes 10 hospital campuses, a health plan with more than half a million members, a research institute and the Geisinger College of Health Sciences, which includes schools of medicine, nursing and graduate education.