Growth of Remote Patient Monitoring
WHAT IS RPM?
“Remote patient monitoring (RPM) is a form of telehealth, or healthcare delivered remotely.” While RPM may be a form of telehealth it is different in that it functions on patient-generated data remotely collected through wearable devices or self-reported portals. The data is then analyzed by qualified healthcare professionals who in turn give the patient feedback, typically in real time, or near real time, time frames. In the not-too-distant future, it’s likely this data will first be analyzed by artificial intelligence (AI) processors that will notify human professionals as needed. From Apple watches to Fitbits to implanted cardiac devices, today’s RPM tools capture everything from fitness capabilities to heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, electrocardiogram (ECG) waveforms, blood sugar, oxygen saturation levels and so much more.
BENEFITS
The benefits from RPM care are still being discovered, however, The Veteran’s Admin has reported a 25% reduction in bed day care; 19% reduction in hospital admissions; and 86% rise in patient satisfaction when using RPMs. Other benefits include:
Real-time data exchange - most appealing for those with long-term illness who need constant or repetitive care, typically requiring frequent, time-consuming, costly visits.
Improved quality of life as chronically ill patients are permitted to spend more time at home with the ones they love, as well as early notifications for emergency services should the data show it is required.
RPMs can decrease wait times for doctor’s appointments as it frees up appointment time, thus creating space for those requiring on-site care.
More affordable healthcare for people who may not be able to afford a regular visit or do not like to go to traditional doctor appointments for a variety of reasons. Remote care not only decreases patient visit costs, but it also decreases the number of unnecessary hospital visits, tests, and prescriptions, encouraging value-based care.
Engaged and targeted patient education based on data collected and conditions reviewed.
Increased patient accountability because the patients know they are being monitored more frequently.
Patient-centered care components with individualized consistent care.
Gather trigger, behavioral and emotional information to aid in monitoring and diagnosis in the mental health field.
Reimbursable billing expenses permit a smoother workflow as health providers choose the times; they work on patient data analysis.
Providers can now be reimbursed for at least 30-minutes per 30 days for accessing, reviewing, analyzing, and acting on RPM data, not otherwise considered telehealth activities, therefore not subject to telehealth restrictions. These items must be performed by a practitioner and not clinical staff under general supervision, and time spent on RPM data cannot be billed for other services. While guidance on how billable RPM time is defined is vague, it does permit a wide range of activities from arranging for delivery of RPM devices to RPM patient education to data comparisons to future recommendations.
“For chronic conditions like heart failure, atrial fibrillation and diabetes, the ability to monitor the patient’s condition remotely not only enhances the quality of care, it also improves clinical efficiency. And, it can substantially reduce healthcare costs.” Robert Ford, Executive Vice President of Medical Devices, Abbott
OBSTACLES
As with every innovative step, obstacles come along with the benefits, RPM notwithstanding. Currently, RPM is not available for those who do not have access to certain technical requirements like high-speed internet. It is also so new, both patients and physicians are skeptical. In addition, data security risks are broad and have yet to be fully addressed. Custom healthcare software is expensive, which may dissuade the healthcare industry from fully embracing RPM. In addition, wearables are still inconsistent and variable in their data collection accuracy from device to device.
SUMMARY
While there are still many pros and cons to be fully addressed, RPM is expected to continue to grow, in part thanks to the changes brought about by the pandemic. Allowing RPM time as a billable expense is expected to encourage the growth of RPM usage as well. It remains to be seen whether physicians will embrace the change since office visits garner more revenue than the same time allotment for RPM. However, the influx and availability of wearables on the general market may encourage patient’s desire to use RPM as an option. especially with the increasing need for regular post-COVID care monitoring. In the future we will need to learn how to seamlessly tie telehealth, RPM, and in-person visitation together for maximum patient benefit.