Many healthcare consumers are open to and comfortable with their physicians suggesting or prescribing RPM devices. These tools expand a physician’s reach and allow a continuous connection between patients and providers, facilitating real-time health data.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many hospitals adapted existing RPM programs to free up hospital beds and track the symptoms of coronavirus patients from home. This technology offers many patient benefits, including:
Increased Patient Engagement
Patient engagement is a significant component of managing chronic disease. Patients who don’t engage are more likely to experience adverse health outcomes. RPM can help increase patient engagement and satisfaction by allowing them to stay connected with their provider even when not in the office.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare providers adapted existing remote patient monitoring programs to care for patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection who were at risk of severe illness. This helped reduce hospital strain and improved patient outcomes by providing proactive care.
In addition, patients with chronic diseases can benefit from at-home care as it eliminates the need to travel to a clinic. Patients who struggle to leave the house because they are ill or physically impaired may find this important. Furthermore, it improves the quality of life for those with chronic illnesses who would otherwise be unable to leave their homes, such as those suffering from respiratory conditions such as asthma.
Reduced Readmissions
A hospital readmission rate is a crucial indicator of a health system’s quality of care and can be costly for the institution and patients. Remote patient monitoring is a powerful strategy for reducing readmissions.
Using simple, user-friendly remote patient monitoring software that wirelessly transmits data such as body weight, blood pressure, and oximetry to a healthcare provider, patients hold real-time video calls with nurses and complete online questionnaires designed to assess their symptoms.
A recent study of cardiac device patients shows that those who use remote patient monitoring have fewer hospitalizations and lower medical costs than those without such technology. That is because ongoing remote monitoring can reveal trends that lead to changes in treatment or even allow providers to prevent a symptom from worsening in the first place. This preventive approach to healthcare is one of the significant benefits of RPM.
Better Patient Care
Healthcare providers implementing remote patient monitoring find that their patients are more satisfied with their care. This is mainly because RPM allows them to avoid inconvenient or even unnecessary hospital visits.
For chronic care patients, this is a life-changing benefit. Patients accustomed to seeing the same doctor frequently can now get most of their treatment from the comfort of their homes.
With a comprehensive RPM platform, medical professionals have access to near real-time data to help them identify potential health issues or changes in the patient’s condition. This can significantly reduce the risk of medical emergencies, hospitalizations, and readmissions.
This preventative care approach can also significantly reduce the cost of consulting, tests, evaluations, and re-treatment costs. These savings can then be used to enhance the quality of care that is provided to patients. This makes RPM a vital component of value-based strategies like hospital-at-home and specialty care such as palliative care and home health services.
Improved Patient Satisfaction
Besides improving patient outcomes, remote patient monitoring enhances patients’ quality of life. For example, it can help monitor patients with chronic diseases prone to falling or difficulty moving around. It also helps keep track of blood sugar and blood pressure levels for patients with diabetes.
With RPM, healthcare providers can easily see what’s working and what isn’t. This allows them to make adjustments to improve patient care and increase adherence. They can even identify out-of-range or alarming metrics and quickly escalate cases to an internal provider or a nurse support service.
As more physicians recognize the benefits of remote patient monitoring, they’re implementing telehealth solutions.
