Treating patients virtually is an increasingly effective and cost-saving trend in the healthcare world. In particular, remote patient monitoring (RPM) is transforming preventive healthcare and certain outpatient services. RPM uses digital technologies to monitor and collect medical data from patients outside of a hospital setting.¹ This data is relayed to healthcare providers who will assess and implement further action if needed. Multiple devices are often used with RPM systems, such as blood glucose and blood pressure monitors, pulse oximeters, and other specialized tools for recording health data. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, significant updates on how providers and institutions can be reimbursed for RPM services were enacted. As a result, more institutions can now utilize remote care options.² By using RPM, patients and providers reduce their disease exposure risks by limiting direct contact. RPM services also ensures a reliable method of contact when travel is restricted, such as what was seen during lockdown periods. Further, an advantage is gained by using RPM, because the patient is continuously monitored as compared to the traditional method of office visits, where health data are only spot-checked. As a result of the success of RPM programs during the pandemic, coverage of RPM through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has since been extended and expanded to include additional eligibility to patients with chronic and/or acute conditions.³ 

One of the driving factors of RPM is that it plays a critical role in preventing and managing chronic diseases, which include conditions that last for more than one year and require ongoing medical attention. Providers that use RPM are able to review and analyze patients virtually to promote patient adherence to treatment and foster patient engagement.⁴ RPM addresses the challenges of managing and treating chronic conditions by providing constant monitoring, earlier intervention opportunities, and more personalized treatment plans.⁴ In fact, RPM has been used to effectively manage a wide range of chronic conditions, including hypertension, diabetes, heart failure, hypertension-stroke, pneumonia, sepsis, obesity, and postsurgical care, as well as the recent emergence of long COVID symptoms.⁴ 

In a study by the American Heart Association, RPM for patients with uncontrolled hypertension reduced heart attack and stroke rates by 50% compared to standard care and self-monitoring while also reducing the costs typically associated with hypertension-related hospitalization.⁵ 

Remote monitoring offers many benefits while addressing several challenges arising with chronic disease management in a clinical setting.⁴ One of these is the phenomenon referred to as “white-coat syndrome,” whereby patients experience higher blood pressure when in a clinical setting, resulting in inaccurate blood pressure readings.⁶ Being able to continuously monitor vital signs from the comfort of their own home allows for a more relaxed setting. Ideally, more accurate vital sign readings can be accessed by the clinical team. 

Additionally, RPM offers a flexible means of continuous monitoring to a wide group of patients. Patient with chronic conditions greatly benefit from constant health monitoring. Yet, travel and distance from medical facilities are often a hurdle for individuals seeking care.⁷ By using an RPM system, the patient’s travel burden can be reduced or eliminated. Overall, RPM programs consisting of continuous collection of health data, feedback, and communication have been shown to reduce hospitalizations by 38%.⁸ In addition, ER visits and hospital readmissions are reduced by 25%, and RPM programs are associated with increased patient satisfaction.⁸ 

Not only does RPM offer a health solution to the growing epidemic of chronic disease in the United States, but it also addresses the economic strain presented by chronic disease management. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that over half of the nation’s adult population has at least one chronic condition.⁹ Therefore, it is not surprising that chronic disease is the leading cause of death and disability in the US and results in more than $4.1 trillion dollars in annual healthcare costs.⁹ Approximately 90% of the country’s healthcare expenditures are attributed to chronic disease treatment,¹⁰ and they are projected to increase by 2050 unless more preventive measures are put into place to address this growing issue.^4,11 Importantly, studies of RPM programs have documented significant cost savings. A study from KLAS found that RPM systems reduced costs of treating chronic disease by 17%.⁶ By lowering readmission rates and hospitalization, RPM offers a logistical and cost-effective solution. In fact, Deaconess Health in Indiana implemented an RPM program for chronic care patients and saw a 50% drop in 30-day readmission rate, resulting in approximately $500,000 of cost savings associated with readmission.¹² 

With RPM, a patient can experience a hospital-at-home environment. The patient’s care can continue while reducing costs and increasing the level of comfort. To utilize this ideal system of healthcare, the patients’ health data needs to be continuously and securely transmitted to healthcare providers for assessment, highlighting the critical need for a system that provides smart analytical data aggregation and processing and adheres to individual health system protocols. As more institutions adopt this effective patient management strategy, they must find a tool that fits with their individual system and needs.

DECISIO is a Texas-based company that has developed InsightIQ, an FDA-cleared, web-native software that uses continuous, smart bedside monitoring that empowers clinical teams to remotely identify at-risk patients and efficiently comply with established clinical guidelines. The InsightIQ software can meet the needs of a wide range of hospital systems and departments to help your team optimize your RPM program. Our software experts work alongside clinicians and administrators to provide a framework for developing unique programs addressing specific needs of patients. 

References

1. Prevounce. A Comprehensive Guide to Remote Patient Monitoring [Internet]. Prevounce. Updated 2022. Available from: https://www.prevounce.com/a-comprehensive-guide-to-remote-patient-monitoring#ch1 
2. Tashnek D. CMS rules for Remote Patient Monitoring in 2020: What You Need to Know [Blog]. Prevounce. 2022. Available from: https://blog.prevounce.com/cms-rules-for-remote-patient-monitoring-in-2020-what-you-need-to-know
3. Department of Health and Human Services. Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Policy and Regulatory Revisions in Response to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. Federal Register. 2020;86(66): 19230-19292. Available from: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2020-04-06/pdf/2020-06990.pdf
4. Connect America. Chronic Disease Management with Remote Patient Monitoring {Internet]. 2022. Available from: https://www.connectamerica.com/insights/addressing-the-chronic-disease-epidemic-with-connected-health-technology/ 
5. Margolis KL, Dehmer SP, Sperl-Hillen JA, et al. Cardiovascular Events and Costs with Home Blood Pressure Telemonitoring and Pharmacist Management for Uncontrolled Hypertension. Hypertension. 2020;76(4):1097-1103. https://doi.org/10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.120.15492
6. Advocacy Department. Using Remote Patient Monitoring Technologies for Better Cardiovascular Disease Outcomes [Guidance]. American Heart Association. 2019. Available from: https://www.heart.org/-/media/files/about-us/policy-research/policy-positions/clinical-care/remote-patient-monitoring-guidance-2019.pdf?la=en
7. Health Research & Educational Trust. Social Determinants of Health Series: Transportation and the Role Of Hospitals. 2017. Chicago, IL: Health Research & Educational Trust. Available from: www.aha.org/transportation
8. National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention. Telehealth Interventions to Improve Chronic Disease [Internet]. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Updated 2020 May 11. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/pubs/telehealth.htm
9. National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Chronic Diseases in America [Internet]. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Updated 2022 Dec 13. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/infographic/chronic-diseases.htm
10. Holman HR. The Relation of the Chronic Disease Epidemic to the Health Care Crisis. ACR Open Rheumatology. 2020. 2(3): 167-173. https://doi.org/10.1002/acr2.11114 
11. Buttorff C, Ruder T, Bauman M. Multiple Chronic Conditions in the United States. Santa Monica, CA: Rand Corp.; 2017. Available from: https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/tools/TL200/TL221/RAND_TL221.pdf
12. National Health Expenditure Data: Historical. Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Updated 2022 Dec 15. Available from:  https://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-Reports/NationalHealthExpendData/NationalHealthAccountsHistorical
13. Wicklund E. Deaconess Health Finds Success in Tailoring Telehealth to Specific Patients. Telehealth News. 2021 April 12. Available from https://mhealthintelligence.com/news/deaconess-health-finds-success-in-tailoring-telehealth-to-specific-patients