Spritely Enables Faster Up-Titration – New Data From Health NZ

Getting heart failure patients onto the right dose of life-saving medications, quickly and safely (a process called up-titration) is of huge benefit to our health system. Right now, however, it is a challenge, with many patients unable access rapid up-titration. Every week they spend on a suboptimal dose is a week they remain at higher risk of worsening symptoms, avoidable hospitalisation, and even premature death.

New data

That’s why this data from Health NZ in Hawke’s Bay, comparing time to titrate patients is so important. The “violin plot” graph clearly illustrates the impact on patient care that Spritely RPM is having. It was presented at a cardiology conference in Brisbane by Health NZ earlier this week.

It compares the time it took two groups of New Zealand heart failure patients to reach their optimal medication dose (a process called “up-titration”):

• Comparator group (usual care patients): Median time 36 weeks. Some patients took several years to reach target doses.
• Spritely RPM group (telehealth care patients): Median time 6 weeks. Uptitration was completed rapidly and consistently.

The difference is stark: patients supported with Spritely RPM reached optimal therapy around six times faster than those receiving usual care.

Why speed matters in heart failure

Heart failure is a progressive condition. Evidence shows that faster up-titration of guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) improves symptoms, reduces hospitalisations, and lowers mortality. In other words, every week saved can mean fewer admissions and better survival.

As one heart failure nurse put it:

“With Spritely, I can safely get my patients onto the right dose in weeks, not months. It feels like the way I already work – just way faster, and more patient friendly.”

How Spritely supports patients and nurses

With Spritely-enabled care, patients benefit from:

• Closer monitoring – Automated alerts, symptom reporting and daily vital sign capture identify issues early.
• Proactive dose adjustments – Nurses and clinicians can act promptly without waiting for the next clinic visit.
• Patient empowerment – Education modules and secure messaging keep patients engaged and confident in their care.

And for nurses:

• Less admin, more care: Less time juggling clinic space, scheduling appointments and travelling. The Spritely dashboard with actionable alerts is incredibly efficient.
• Safe escalation: If a patient’s blood pressure drops or symptoms worsen, the system flags it immediately, helping us intervene before it becomes a crisis.
• Efficiency at scale: One nurse can safely manage many more patients, without compromising care, increasing the productivity of the workforce.

The wider impact on NZ’s health system

This isn’t just good news for patients and nurses; it’s good for the health system. Faster optimisation means:

• Fewer hospital re-admissions – freeing up beds and easing winter pressures.
• Shorter Emergency Department wait times – by reducing demand from preventable re-admissions, Spritely supports the Government’s health target to improve ED performance.
• Improved equity – Priority populations that face barriers to care, and are disproportionately affected by heart failure, can now access optimal therapy just as easily as anyone else.
• Better workforce use – Nurses and cardiologists can operate at the top of their scope, focusing on complex cases rather than preventable deterioration.

A vision for the future

Imagine if every heart failure patient in New Zealand could reach optimal medication doses within weeks, not months or years. We would see:

• Reduced mortality rates.
• Improved quality of life for thousands of New Zealanders.
• A measurable impact on national health targets — not just shorter ED waits, but also shorter waits for first specialist appointments and elective cardiac procedures.

For nurses, it means a sustainable way of working — caring for more patients with less burnout, backed by technology that works the way they do.

Conclusion

Spritely’s RPM platform is proving that this isn’t just possible — it’s achievable right now. With a national rollout, we could deliver safer, faster, more equitable care for heart failure patients, while easing pressure on our health system and supporting the workforce that sustains it.

Click here to learn why Spritely is uniquely equipped to deliver the safest, most efficient, and most cost-effective management of heart failure patients in New Zealand.

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