Everything You Should Know about Remote Patient Monitoring - Osplabs (2023)

Introducing a technology that has taken the healthcare industry by storm is remote patient monitoring. Suppose you’re wondering how; here’s a small example of this technology. Imagine your healthcare practice wants to reduce hospital visits for chronically ill patients. The best solution you can employ is remote patient monitoring. Remote monitoring systems can simplify your job, whether you’re an organization’s IT genius or a hands-on patient care professional. These RPM healthcare solutions will enable your patient group to become more informed and engaged about their diseases and therapies. That means your facility can provide your chronic patients with remote patient monitoring devices or just smartphones to consistently monitor their vitals and automatically transfer the data to doctors for early intervention. And you know early intervention can reduce hospital visits and boost outcomes. This way, RPM technology can enable your facility to achieve its goal.

Unsurprisingly, 88% of healthcare professionals have already purchased or are considering purchasing remote patient monitoring systems. By exchanging health data via RPM technologies, you may strengthen relationships with patients and enhance health outcomes. In such a way, you and your care team can extend quality care to patients and involve their families simply by using smartphones and other digital medical devices. Today, remote medical monitoring is widely accepted and often used alongside advanced telehealth solutions. These technologies can ensure effective care delivery in the comfort of patients’ homes.

The patient monitoring systems, or RPM technology, is quite elaborate as a tech solution. However, this comprehensive guide will help you to understand remote patient monitoring technology in detail.

What is Remote Patient Monitoring?

Programs, methods, and protocols for remote patient monitoring are becoming increasingly widespread, supported by a growing body of clinical research and a wide range of non-clinical advantages. Remote patient monitoring systems are the most preferred among all custom healthcare software solutions. RPM healthcare solutions enable practitioners to treat acute and chronic diseases by monitoring patients between clinic visits or when in-person treatment is challenging.

RPM allows clinicians to monitor patients in real-time, collect the necessary data, and adjust and improve care outcomes, which is especially useful for chronic care. Patients who require ongoing care, such as those with diabetes, heart issues, asthma, hypertension, mental disease, and, more recently, protracted COVID, or the symptoms that persist after COVID-19 infection and recovery, can benefit from this kind of continual tracking. Besides, weight scales, pulse oximeters, blood glucose meters, blood pressure monitors, heart monitors, and even specific monitoring for dementia and Parkinson’s disease are all included in remote health monitoring programs.

Moreover, wearables are a different class of remote patient monitoring devices that can monitor patients’ health over time. They can include more geared toward the general public gadgets like smartwatches and continuous blood glucose monitoring. According to Deloitte’s forecast, over 320 million consumer health and wellness wearable devices will ship globally in 2022, with wearables seeming particularly more in demand. By 2024, that number might increase to 440 million units shipped.

Remote monitoring in healthcare can also be used to treat more urgent and acute symptoms, making it effective for controlling long-term illnesses. RPM solution is also used for hospital-at-home programs. Healthcare organizations are establishing hospital-at-home programs more frequently to allow patients to receive treatment for more serious diseases at home. These programs can offer a wide range of services, including X-rays and echocardiograms for diagnostic purposes, oxygen therapy, intravenous fluids for treatment, and skilled nursing and pharmaceutical services. Besides, these programs include in-person care, but they are also supported by telemedicine visits and ongoing biometric monitoring by a care team.

Also, when patients have been released to their homes following surgery, remote health tracking can be employed to monitor their recovery. For example, patients undergoing heart procedures in a health facility are usually offered a post-surgery RPM program. Patients who participate in the program use devices in a kit to communicate various biometric data to their care team, such as heart rate, blood pressure, and blood oxygen levels. The team can monitor this data to ensure the patient is recovering as anticipated.

Overall, health systems use telemedicine remote patient monitoring more frequently to treat patients with various diseases, including diabetes, hypertension, and COVID-19. Even the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ regulatory modifications have strengthened this tendency. This shows how remote healthcare monitoring is increasingly important to deliver quality healthcare.

Remote Patient Monitoring Applications

The majority of use cases for remote patient monitoring applications can be divided into three groups based on the care model, disease, and medical setting they support.

Care Model

A remote patient monitoring company can develop solutions according to different care models. Any healthcare facility with integrated solutions catering to different care aspects can deploy remote patient monitoring solutions for better results. The remote patient monitoring application development targets the different care models to improve patient outcomes and minimize care costs. Here are some examples of care models in which practices can use remote health monitoring.

• Population Health Management- RPM technology is generally used to gather and assess health information from people of a specific population. Healthcare practitioners can more effectively target their therapies and manage resources by using this data to identify trends and risk factors. Patient monitoring systems, for instance, can be used to track blood pressure and blood glucose levels in a community of people with diabetes or hypertension. And use this data to assist medical professionals in identifying patients within a community or population who may be at risk of complications.
• Post-Discharge Care Management- Patients still need to be monitored after being released from the hospital. And it can be done thanks to home health monitoring technology remotely. This can assist medical professionals in identifying potential issues before they become serious, lowering the risk of readmissions and improving patient outcomes. A remote monitor system, for instance, can be used to track patients’ vital signs and symptoms, enabling medical professionals to take appropriate action as needed. So, it’s extensively used in post-discharge care management.
• Hospital-at-Home- With this care approach, patients receive hospital-level care at home rather than in a hospital setting. Healthcare practitioners can watch patients remotely and offer necessary treatment, such as medicine delivery and wound care, owing to the solutions created by remote patient monitoring organizations. Leveraging these RPM healthcare solutions may minimize the cost of healthcare, increase patient comfort, and decrease hospitalization rates.
• Digital Therapeutics- Using technology to deliver evidence-based treatments for managing, preventing, or treating medical disorders is part of this model of care. Remote patient monitoring companies are experts in creating specific patient monitoring systems and products that let patients access digital treatment programs from their homes. On the other hand, these solutions and products enable healthcare professionals to monitor their progress from a distance. Particularly for chronic illnesses that require persistent monitoring, these solutions can assist in improving patient outcomes and saving overhead care costs.

Disease Model

Remote patient monitoring software development can also be as per the disease model. Today, providers leverage RPM healthcare solutions to monitor different diseases’ symptoms and vital signs closely. And with that data, they identify high-risk patients and provide timely care. Here are some medical conditions where RPM solutions can help.

• Congestive heart failure– Remote patient monitoring diagnostics technology can track a patient’s weight, blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen levels. All these are crucial warning signs of heart failure. So, with RPM, healthcare professionals can easily and quickly intervene to stop exacerbations that might necessitate hospitalization, depending on the early detection of any changes in these signs.
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease– Remote patient monitoring for COPD can be used to track a patient’s oxygen saturation levels, coughing, and other respiratory symptoms. RPM technology is quite effective in tracking these vital using sensor technology wearables. Moreover, the data collected can assist clinicians in modifying the patient’s treatment plan as necessary, lowering the likelihood of risks and hospital stays.
• Hypertension- Patients can track their BPM and heart rate using remote patient monitoring devices. Further, EHR integration with remote patient monitoring can easily transmit that data directly to care providers so that they can rightly guide patients. Based on blood pressure monitoring, clinicians adjust patients’ medications or advise them on lifestyle changes. With timely and early interventions, heart attacks and strokes can be prevented.
• Diabetes- Just like hypertension, RPM can also effectively manage diabetes. A health monitoring app with (CCM) chronic care management can support primary care providers and physicians with rising cases of diabetes. As recent reports suggest, chronic conditions like hypertension and diabetes will continue to increase. Leveraging RPM solutions to track crucial vitals and take action early can help patients manage their diabetic conditions better. It can also help providers to keep proper records of patients and their symptoms for follow-up care.
• Kidney diseases- The advancements in remote patient monitoring technology can manage chronic conditions better and monitor kidney functions. RPM healthcare solutions can track blood creatinine levels and urine output. Monitoring these vital signs can help clinicians or nephrologists detect kidney dysfunction early and take proper preventive action.
• Cancer- Remote patient monitoring for cancer patients has proven to help providers greatly. With remote healthcare monitoring, providers can effectively monitor patients’ symptoms, side effects of treatment, and medication adherence. Monitoring cancer patients remotely and gathering data can help clinicians change or enhance their treatment plans. Besides, cancer patients often require follow-up care, and traveling to the hospital/clinic isn’t feasible. So, providers can save money and improve outcomes through remote patient monitoring solutions.
• Multiple sclerosis- Patients with multiple sclerosis require constant monitoring and support. Moreover, medication adherence is also critical to ensure stability in their conditions and better outcomes. And patient monitoring systems are the best way to ensure these requirements. Remote medical monitoring solutions can keep track of a patient’s symptoms and disease progression, which includes mobility, fatigue, and cognitive function. Besides, providers can also use these solutions to support and educate patients and their families about sclerosis. Doing so will help not only help providers but also empower patients and enable them to manage their health conditions better.
• Alzheimer’s- By eliminating complications and lowering the need for in-person visits, remote patient monitoring systems can aid Alzheimer’s patients in better managing their condition, enhancing their quality of life, and lowering healthcare expenses. RPM technology can monitor a patient’s behavior and cognitive functioning, enabling medical professionals to identify changes and modify the patient’s treatment plan. Further, this health monitoring technology can increase the security of Alzheimer’s disease patients, as they are at higher risk of losing track of place and time. So, wearable technology allows patients to track their whereabouts, which can help caretakers keep an eye on them and stop them from leaving. Monitoring falls, and other safety issues are also included as security benefits of RPM technology for Alzheimer’s patients.
• Obesity- Just like other health conditions, obesity is also concerning for many healthcare providers today. Cardiologists and primary care physicians are extremely concerned about the rising cases of obesity. So, many healthcare organizations and wellness centers collaborate with remote patient monitoring development companies to strategize solutions that target people with obesity. And help these people to manage their weight effectively. With wearables, caregivers and patients can keep track of physical activities and calories burnt. Further, if patients use a health monitoring app, providers can directly give personalized coaching. Patients can get full support and information on healthy habits, diet, and nutrition plans.

Medical Field

If we see remote patient monitoring software development on a larger canvas, we can understand how helpful it is across different medical fields. Interestingly, RPM solutions can cater to different health departments and boost care delivery in those specific medical fields. Here are a few examples-

• Cardiology– Patients with cardiovascular conditions such as congestive heart failure, hypertension, and arrhythmias can be monitored using cardiology remote patient monitoring. Using RPM devices, people can easily monitor their blood pressure, heart rate, and other vital signs. And using electronic data interchange, the data from wearables is shared with clinicians. This data helps medical professionals to identify changes in their patient’s conditions and modify their treatment strategy if required.
• Endocrinology– Just like cardiology, endocrinology remote patient monitoring solutions can also improve the health conditions of people with diabetes, thyroid disease, and osteoporosis. The most used is remote patient monitoring for diabetes patients. By monitoring their blood sugar levels, the RPM devices used by patients can effectively deliver care and reduce risks. These solutions can also track hormone and bone density levels according to health conditions. Using RPM for endocrinology can provide clinicians with similar benefits as cardiology.
• Oncology– Unlike cardiology and endocrinology, oncology is where remote patient monitoring solutions began recently. In oncology, providers often use this technology as RPM for preventive care. It monitors patients during and after treatments to identify, understand, and assess their symptoms and side effects. And insights collected from monitoring will help providers take necessary steps to boost the care plans, alter medications or offer support as required.
• Pulmonology– Patients with respiratory conditions like cystic fibrosis, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can be monitored using remote patient monitoring solutions. Patients can use wearables specific to remote patient monitoring for COPD to monitor their oxygen levels, breathing patterns, and lung function. Using these wearables can assist caregivers in identifying changes in their patient’s conditions and modifying their treatment plans as necessary.
• Gastroenterology and bariatrics– Leveraging gastroenterology and bariatrics patient monitoring can also remove several barriers to care delivery and improve patient outcomes. It can monitor patients with abdominal pain, diarrhea, and nausea symptoms. Through remote monitoring, providers can understand the occurrence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Besides, it can also help clinicians track bariatric surgery patients. Tracking their weight, blood sugar levels, and nutritional intake can help providers follow patients’ recovery progress.

Challenges In RPM Applications

The use of remote patient monitoring software has the potential to alter patient care dramatically. If widely adopted, it will transform the patient’s experience and make it possible for healthcare providers to manage their resources far more effectively than they can currently by relieving the strain on healthcare systems worldwide. Despite widespread adoption and preference from healthcare providers, there are several challenges in implementing RPM applications. Look at the most common challenges in implementing remote monitoring in healthcare.

1. Data Security

Remote healthcare monitoring solutions rely on the online transmitting private patient health information. And that imposes data security as a major risk. Confidential patient health information is susceptible to many dangers, including cyberattacks and data breaches. These dangers may jeopardize the confidentiality, availability, and integrity of patients. Both patients and healthcare professionals may suffer severe repercussions like penalties as a result. To solve these problems, effective security measures must be put in place. RPM vendors can accomplish this using ECC (elliptic curve cryptography). The procedure is broken down into three parts by a security schema.

• Properly identifying the data of skin and healthcare consumers
• Post identification step, do registration to develop a new secret channel
• Verify the communication between healthcare consumers and skin

Apart from this measure, providers must also ensure that remote health monitoring solutions must be HIPAA compliant. Meeting the standard security requirements is crucial if third-party data management is involved. Moreover, ensuring robust data management practices, clarity about ownership, and strict privacy protocols is also necessary.

2. Data Accuracy

Data accuracy is a crucial issue as well. RPM technology depends on the sensors and wearables that are used to transmit clinical data. And this information must be correct and credible, as providers use it for making clinical decisions. Only accurate information can lead to correct diagnosis and care decisions. And as a result, patients may suffer serious health consequences. Besides, the accuracy of the data from these remote patient management systems is usually impacted by numerous factors. The quality of the sensors being used is one issue.

Moreover, incorrect calibration of the sensors could lead to false readings. It is crucial to ensure these sensors are accurate to reduce the dangers of receiving inaccurate data. Although the sensors might be of the highest caliber, patient compliance is what matters most. It can be difficult to change a patient’s thinking, especially an elderly patient. Most of them are used to in-person doctor interactions only. Often these older adults think that access to high-quality medical treatment is correlated with proximity to a nurse or doctor. And this could also lead to data accuracy issues indirectly.

3. System Integrations

System integration issue is the next difficulty RPM solutions encounter. If all healthcare providers used the same systems on a single network, this wouldn’t be a major problem. But that’s not the case. There are multiple issues in this healthcare sector. And technological challenges come first. Despite many updates, some health organizations still use obsolete software applications. To guarantee the accuracy and security of the shared data, all systems must be interoperable. That brings us to the next problem, interoperability. Since health data is frequently extensive and diverse, interoperability in RPM software, sensors, and data is necessary. That means leveraging advanced RPM solutions that can easily integrate with existing legacy systems are much better.

Aside from technical integration, social integration is another issue. Making sure patients use the remote health monitoring devices as intended can be difficult. Moreover, integrating reimbursement practices is also a challenge. Insurance policies may not cover innovative technology like this. This issue can be resolved once a remote monitoring platform is implemented. Ensuring Remote patient monitoring billing is crucial to prevent any reimbursement problems. To incorporate this technology, the entire system must be modified gradually, but it can be a true game-changer once it is.

4. Real Time Accessibility to Data

A crucial feature of RPM systems is real-time data accessibility. Real-time patient data monitoring has proved useful for clinical staff, especially in emergencies. It’s because real-time access to patient monitoring systems data allows doctors to analyze the patients’ conditions and take immediate action. Real-time data access does face some difficulties, though. The most important one is the requirement for continuous connectivity. The data won’t be transmitted if the sensors are not connected via the internet. Another area for improvement is the minimum bandwidth required for these devices to function.

The data must go through multiple data centers, as well as the network of the RPM platform. Any interruptions in hops can delay data, and there is a high possibility of losing the data in transit. Using WBAN, RPM can establish strong and continuous connectivity. A lot of energy is typically consumed in any continuous data transmission process. But WBAN protocols like Bluetooth and Zigbee consume quite low power. However, research is still being done to enhance and even create new methods.

5. High Costs

The expense of implementing remote patient monitoring software in the healthcare sector is the biggest issue. Generally, it includes costs per unit, license charges, and software costs. Another significant expense is the technical workforce needed to run and maintain the system. Besides, the budget issue that providers must address is the cost of training the staff to use the new technology. Most of the time, while putting new software into the mix, organizations forget this crucial truth.

Addressing the cost of implementing RPM healthcare solutions is a must. Opting for custom remote patient monitoring software development can help healthcare organizations save overhead and upgrade costs.

Implementing remote patient monitoring systems might have some serious challenges. But taking the right measures can increase the chances of advancing care delivery. Addressing all these challenges in remote health technologies can completely change the outlook of the healthcare industry.

How Does Remote Patient Monitoring Application Works?

1. Identify the need for remote monitoring

It is essential to first determine the necessity for a remote monitoring program at your medical facility before deciding whether to implement one. But how? Start by considering how your healthcare facility treats patients and then decide if some of the interactions with patients could be handled remotely. For example, if your healthcare facility has a majority of chronic patients, then regular monitoring of their vitals is needed. Deploying RPM software for that is relevant.

2. Hire a skilled team of experts

Once you know the need for RPM technology at your healthcare facility, you can move on to the next step- recruiting a team. At the same time, you can hire a team of skilled developers or a third-party software vendor to design a remote patient monitoring application. Hiring doctors skilled in specific technology might also be needed. Else you can train your existing team of physicians. Further, a team of technicians and engineers must maintain and repair the RPM devices with the right team, and planning and implementing the RPM program becomes easier.

3. Set RPM goals

The goals of deploying remote patient monitoring programs vary among medical facilities. Before moving forward, you must create your goals for implementing this program. And to set your goals, you must sit down with your team, evaluate the present situation, and consider how monitoring patients remotely will improve it. Having as many ideas as possible helps you evaluate them and select the finest ones. Here are common goals you can consider:

• Care cost reduction
• Improving care efficiency
• Reducing hospital/clinic visits
• Enhancing patient satisfaction levels

The situations at your facility should alone dictate the goals you choose. So, these objectives must consider the constraints you now encounter when caring for your patients.

4. Determine the RPM solutions needed

A custom solution, a collection of parts from pre-built systems, or the creation of new software are all possibilities for creating a remote patient monitoring system. The choice you make regarding the remote patient monitoring software application should be largely based on your budget and the objectives for putting this virtual monitoring program into action. Besides, custom software development entails high up-front costs. It becomes less expensive over time, particularly if the hospital needs an RPM solution to interact with other hospital software, particularly the EHR system. In that case, it’s best to integrate RPM software with EHR systems.

5. Begin recruiting patients

You can begin enlisting the first patients now that the tools and human resources are prepared. Start with your current patients, especially those who have chronic conditions that call for ongoing care. The simplest way to persuade them is to demonstrate the advantages of signing up for your RPM program. Explain to your patients how the program will enable them to save money in the long term and enhance the general standard of their health when you give them an initial proposal on RPM. Since patients pay a large upfront fee, convincing them that their investment is worthwhile is important.

After explaining, you should allow the patients to make their own decisions. This is your responsibility, and you should not dictate how they should proceed. You should group your patients first according to their conditions and how long it takes for each ailment to be treated to get better outcomes. This strategy simplifies communicating your ideas to a specific patient group while clarifying the concept.

6. Train clinical staff and patients

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Your medical staff and patients must receive training on how to use the RPM solutions and devices because understanding any new technology is a prerequisite. Naturally, it would help if you started with the clinical staff, nurses, and doctors since they will subsequently instruct the patients. The RPM devices’ configuration, operation, and real-time data interpretation must be taught to these healthcare professionals. Further, they can train patients to pilot the program after these caregivers know how these devices operate. Patients must be instructed on when and how to utilize the equipment. Using most RPM devices will take little time because they are so simple to operate. Users may also receive a condensed user manual they could consult if they need to remember how to carry out a specific procedure.

7. Choose technical support services and manage collaboration

Consideration of the technical support issue is one of the key factors. Your system’s manufacturer, the hospital’s IT department, or third-party IT experts can provide you with technical support. Your technical support must be user-friendly and easily available. A long-term collaboration with an IT consulting firm that offers development services to the healthcare sector is the most efficient choice. Moreover, you must also ensure that the firm will offer the continuous support you might require after implementation.

8. Evaluate the program

After implementing the RPM software, you should continue to monitor how it affects your patients and the clinical staff. The most effective way to assess the program’s success is to compare it to the objectives you established at the outset. For instance, if one of your objectives was to reduce the costs associated with patient monitoring, you must ascertain how much money you have saved by switching to a remote patient monitoring program from your prior monitoring methods.

You can use the RPM platform database, which contains all the information for remote patient monitoring, to evaluate the effectiveness of your program. This knowledge will later help you determine what actions to take to improve your RPM program’s short- and long-term effectiveness.

Benefits of Using RPM

Remote patient monitoring technology, including services and devices, has improved care access and provided clinicians and patients with a greater sense of control over healthcare. Like any integrated healthcare solutions, RPM technological solutions have much to offer, which we’ve already mentioned in previous sections. RPM healthcare systems offer a wide spectrum of benefits too. Here’s how RPM benefits patients and providers:

Benefits of Remote Monitoring Systems- Patients

1. Better Health Outcomes Using Data

A robust Remote Patient Monitoring platform enhances the quality of care by giving doctors access to precise and focused patient data in almost real-time. As any major change in the patient’s vital signs is quickly identified, risks of complications, hospitalizations, and health emergencies are decreased. Access to large amounts of daily data makes it possible to build more precise patients’ health patterns, allow care teams to adapt the treatment plan and drugs, and guide patients in making the required dietary, exercise, and lifestyle changes.

The care team for the patient can learn vital information about how, why, or when specific changes in the patient’s health indicators are occurring. And RPM solutions truly can collect health data reliably and continually. Chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, congestive heart failure, hypertension, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), are easily tracked and monitored whether the patient is at home, at work, on vacation, or in transportation, making it possible for patients to manage their health better.

2. Increased Compliance with Treatments ensures effectiveness

Patient-friendly devices that don’t need any configuration or setup and can function effortlessly with cellular connectivity are a feature of well-built Remote Patient Monitoring solutions. In contrast to complicated medical technologies that seem complex to patients, cellular RPM devices are user-friendly, convenient, and engaging. Besides, patients feel more involved in their care management due to their active participation in generating their medical data instead of just being passive healthcare recipients. This motivates patients to follow the doctor’s recommendations for care and to comply with the data-sharing obligations as necessary for their chronic illness.

Besides, trust is established because of the patient and care team’s enhanced participation and communication, which helps the patient understand the significance of adhering to their care plan and completing their treatment. Patients put more effort into contributing to their recovery because they feel more responsible. The increased awareness of changes in a patient’s health that an RPM platform gives a patient is also a crucial component of patient compliance.

3. Higher Level of Comfort and Convenience

It may be too difficult for many patients with one or more incapacitating chronic diseases to visit their healthcare provider as an inpatient routinely. Also, there are more worries about getting sick from numerous physical hospital visits. Due to these factors, many patients prefer to use RPM platforms instead of fewer in-person visits.

Many patients may be preoccupied with their jobs or families, making it more challenging to arrange time off from work, arrange childcare, and foot the bill for travel expenses to see their doctor in person. Due to their chronic illnesses, some have functional limitations, making arranging transportation for an on-site doctor’s appointment challenging or impossible. Rather than interrupting their busy schedule, people can use the convenience of an RPM device to automatically report their health data in almost real-time to their healthcare physician.

4. More Control over their Health

Remote health monitoring gives patients more control over their health and allows them to take part in managing their chronic diseases. Patients who adhere to a conventional non-RPM care plan often visit their general practitioner (GP) or a specialist, get a list of dos and don’ts and a prescription for drugs, and continue their regular activities.

But, with remote patient monitoring, the patient can view all of the health information related to their chronic illness. They can recognize the trends over time and base their decisions and choices on their observations and experiences. The RPM platforms increase transparency and reduce the likelihood that patients will feel completely dependent on the clinician’s advice for their health and well-being. Besides, by using the platform to inform patients on how compliance, lifestyle, or behavior changes might affect health outcomes, providers leverage RPM technology also to help patients feel more in control of their treatment.

5. Prevention of HAIs and Minimizes Care Costs

The ability to prevent infectious diseases is another benefit of remote patient monitoring. Patients who use patient monitoring solutions can avoid going to a hospital or clinic where they risk getting sick. Avoiding an in-person visit reduces the chance of unneeded exposure, which is especially important for the elderly, chronically ill, pregnant, and other immunocompromised individuals.

Another benefit of RPM solutions for patients is the minimization of care costs. When receiving care via RPM, the patient can avoid the accompanying costs of an in-person visit. The inconveniences and costs associated with travel, parking, childcare, and taking time off from work are avoided by patients.

Benefits of Remote Monitoring Systems- Providers

1. Easy transition from Episodic Reactive Care to Proactive care

The fee-for-service model is gradually transitioning to a value-based care model in the healthcare sector. Value-based care models focus on the financial interests of patients, healthcare providers, and health systems to enhance health outcomes while reducing costs.

Moreover, care delivery is changing from a reactive, episodic, and in-clinic approach to a proactive and continuous care model as part of this trend. And this new model’s one crucial service is remote patient monitoring. A win-win situation is created for everyone when healthcare practitioners can give patients quality care through advanced RPM solutions for good health outcomes while simultaneously increasing their own bottom line.

2. Reduces Hospital Readmissions and Expenses

Healthcare providers now have better access to nearly real-time tracking of changes in a patient’s chronic illness because of remote patient monitoring. By doing this, the likelihood of medical emergencies, hospital stays, readmissions, and trips to the doctor’s office is reduced. The remote health monitoring model’s emphasis on preventative care also reduces the long-term expenditures related to illness complications, unsuccessful treatments, and difficulties recovering after surgery. Apart from this, testing, examinations, consulting, and repeat therapy expenditures are decreased.

Re-hospitalization of elderly patients, which is easily avoidable, continues to be a problem, costing Medicare hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Studies have indicated that a considerable number of readmissions within 30 days of discharge could be avoided by providing patients with better after-hospital care and attention. This is a situation where remote patient monitoring can help.

3. Improves Communication with Patients

Due to the increased communication options offered by remote patient monitoring, the patient-provider connection is strengthened. Besides, through home health monitoring solutions, patient satisfaction is increased, and patient loyalty well. It gives patients the reassuring impression that their provider is constantly keeping an eye on them.

4. Boosts Patient Retention

Recent patient surveys have revealed that an increasing number of patients are interested in using RPM platforms to exchange data about their chronic illnesses to ensure better health outcomes. People with chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension, congestive heart failure (CHF), and consequences from obesity increasingly expect their doctors to provide RPM services.

A Deloitte research report stated that people nowadays are more committed to paying for their healthcare. This report also mentions their interactions and participation with their medical professionals. Participants in the Deloitte survey stated that they would want to continue using virtual care even after the pandemic-related worries are resolved. As many as 80% of respondents in Gen X and Baby Boomer age groups expressed a strong desire to continue employing virtual care strategies after the epidemic.

5. Acts as an Additional Revenue Stream

Healthcare professionals can increase access to a wide range of new patient segments through patient monitoring systems that they might not have been able to with regular in-clinic care. RPM programs can provide care for a variety of patients as part of telehealth and telemedicine, including elders, those with chronic illnesses, people in need of immediate attention, people who have been hurt, and premature infants.

Healthcare organizations can bill for various virtual interactions with patients through RPM solutions. And this helps to increase their billable hours. New treatment models, including cellular RPM devices that are simple to use and powerful healthcare analytics, can assist care practitioners in acquiring new patient segments and spotting people at higher risk. Additionally, with the E/M codes that medical professionals can bill for office visits, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has developed CPT codes specific to remote patient monitoring. Further, remote patient monitoring programs decrease no-shows and cancellations, which boosts the provider’s ability to generate income.

6. Mitigates Clinical Burnouts

Remote patient monitoring programs effectively improve access to care for those who need it most while easing the burden on clinicians and reducing the risk of burnout. Primary care doctors, specialists, physician assistants, and nurses can manage patient data more efficiently and in a more cooperative digital setting with the help of dependable and patient-friendly RPM devices.

Support from experts, pharmacists, and population health specialists based on RPM data reduces administrative and logistical burdens, optimizes workflows, boosts job satisfaction, and relieves stress and burnout for the primary care team. The ability of the care team to devote more of their time and resources to other patients who need office visits increases when patients with chronic diseases require fewer in-person visits to the provider’s office.

RPM Trends You Can Look Out for in 2023

With advancements in remote health tracking technologies, the healthcare sector is expected to improve care outcomes and reduce care costs. Experts have predicted several trends shaping this area, eventually offering multiple benefits to providers and patients. From wearable technologies to population health management, you’ll witness a variety of trends in the remote patient monitoring technology space. Here are some of them.

1. Increased Adoption of Wearables

In remote patient monitoring space, wearable gadgets that track a patient’s vitals, like heart rate and blood pressure, are becoming more popular. These gadgets can give healthcare professionals real-time data, enabling more prompt and efficient care.

This year, patients will have additional tools to receive care at home, from Fitbit and smartwatches that can track heart rate and oxygen levels to more advanced gadgets like ECGs, pulse oximeters, and blood pressure monitors.

2. RPM and AI Integration

The healthcare sector’s market for artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) is anticipated to reach $20 million this year. The expansion of AI software solutions, which will probably continue for the foreseeable future, was strongly influenced by the growing acceptance of telehealth and telemedicine technologies. With the capability to analyze vast amounts of data and identify patterns that may not be immediately obvious to clinical staff and doctors, artificial intelligence (AI) can improve the accuracy and efficacy of remote patient monitoring trends. More remote patient monitoring systems with machine learning and AI integrations could appear in 2023.

Further, AI can improve healthcare delivery by altering how medical professionals communicate with their patients. By utilizing AI, doctors can forecast, diagnose, monitor, and treat their patients from the comfort of their homes while using RPM solutions.

3. Integration with Mental and Pediatric Care Settings

Just as addressing physical health is crucial, caring for one’s mental health is equally important. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, at least 4 in 10 adults in the U.S. have reportedly gone through some sort of psychological anguish. Leveraging remote patient monitoring devices to detect physical markers, including activity levels, sleep patterns, and heart rate, will prove quite effective in identifying mental health problems.

Further, RPM platforms are used by caregivers and pediatric patients to manage a range of medical disorders in children, including asthma, diabetes, genetic diseases, mental health, neonatal care, and more. Children’s health outcomes can be improved by giving them care where they feel most at ease, typically in their homes. Besides, RPM also offers families time and location flexibility and improved access to care.

4. Enhanced Data Security and Privacy

Healthcare providers must safeguard patients’ sensitive health information from being disclosed without permission by the HIPAA Act of 1996. Yet, during the pandemic, HIPAA restrictions on telehealth were loosened to give healthcare delivery more freedom.

RPM systems gathered and sent more sensitive health data, which increased the requirement for strong data security measures. Due to this, telehealth and RPM software development companies continue to prioritize patient privacy and confidentiality despite the relaxed restrictions.

5. Increased Focus on Patient Engagement

Individuals with poor health outcomes, prescription mistakes, difficulty managing their condition, needless hospital visits, and readmission are more likely to have low health literacy levels. Instructional videos and teleconsultations are two options that RPM solutions are increasingly adopting to aid patients in understanding their health and participating actively in their care. Practitioners also incorporate disease-specific resources into patient care regimens to motivate patients to take a more proactive approach to managing their diseases. Employing all these elements within remote health monitoring solutions will also boost patient engagement rates and enhance their overall care experience.

Conclusion

Let’s say that remote patient monitoring is not just a simple solution but a thing that’s here to stay. Remote patient monitoring has steadily advanced for decades, even without a worldwide pandemic. It now appears that it is developing into a crucial component of our system for delivering healthcare. Medicare and other health insurers note RPM’s cost-effectiveness and favorable health results. And that is helping to improve access to the therapy for those patients who will benefit from it most. Patients are also increasingly seeking RPM treatments as public and private payers support them. Organizations must now meet the need.

Future technological advancements and increased patient and healthcare professional knowledge of remote patient monitoring will encourage even greater usage. This creates a huge opportunity for expansion for businesses, especially if they can collaborate with a reliable software partner that will support rather than obstruct their upward trajectory. Following the best standards and norms will be crucial if virtual health services like remote patient monitoring are to have a successful future. They are, likewise, picking the appropriate software partner.

While deciding whether to switch to virtual care, several things must be considered. Many factors come into play, from remote patient monitoring programs with current patients to the special features needed to fulfill your clinical needs. The best remote patient monitoring software development company will always try to simplify the implementation process. It will develop turn-key solutions that immediately conform to the structure used by your company.

Remote patient monitoring software integrated with telehealth or practice management solutions need not necessarily be difficult, but it must be comprehensive and advanced. The best and simplest method to put a solution into practice that produces instant results for patients and clinicians is to select an IT provider who will offer you everything you require in one full-service package. And OSP is one such provider that can cater to all your RPM needs and objectives.

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