Remote patient monitoring (RPM) is a healthcare delivery innovation that shifts the majority of patient care from the hospital to the patient’s home by utilizing cutting-edge technology and patient engagement practices.
Remote patient monitoring system is a subset of homecare telehealth in which people use mobile medical devices and technology to collect and transmit patient-generated health data (PGHD) to medical specialists. RPM programs can gather standard physiological information such as vital signs, weight, blood pressure, and heart rate. Patient data is collected and sent to a provider’s office via a specialized telehealth computer system or software application that may be downloaded and installed on a computer, smartphone, or tablet.
The RPM helps patients that require chronic, post-discharge, or healthcare. It can alert healthcare companies about potential health issues or keep track of patient information between visits by connecting high-risk patients with remote monitoring.
3 Ways that RPM Supplements the Work of Providers
Providers should support the broader adoption of RPM for the following three reasons:
- It enhances providers’ work by allowing for more interaction and easier access to information.
- RPM makes it easier and more efficient for healthcare providers to communicate with patients.
- By removing the obstacles created by distance and cross-state treatment, remote patient monitoring services may help relieve the provider crisis by enabling providers to treat more patients effectively.
Examples of Remote Patient Monitoring Technology
Some examples of RPM services include:
- Patients with diabetes can use glucose meters.
- RPM provides monitors for the heart rate or blood pressure.
- RPM also provides continuous monitoring devices that can identify patients with diseases like dementia and alert medical workers to an event like a fall.
- RPM facilitates treating and monitoring infertility remotely.
- Drug abuse patients may benefit from at-home tests to help them stay accountable and on track with their objectives.
- Home tests can help drug abuse patients stay accountable and on track with their objectives.
How Does Remote Patient Monitoring Work?
While RPM techniques differ depending on the device or monitored condition, most technology includes similar components. The first is a wireless-enabled sensor that can measure and store specific physiological parameters. Additionally, this storage must be able to interface with other sensors, databases used by healthcare providers, and related software. Users generally use applications to track or analyze data and view treatment recommendations.
The data obtained by RPM devices are routed to the appropriate location and stored in a relational database. It enables healthcare organizations to examine wireless telecommunications data as individual instances or within the context of an entire health history. Often, the device can notify patients when a healthcare provider has reviewed the data or detects an issue that necessitates the patient’s visit.
Benefits of Remote Patient Monitoring Services
The following are the primary benefits of Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) services.
- RPM devices allow users to actively understand and manage their medical conditions, increasing patient involvement.
- Remote patient monitoring (RPM) services allow healthcare professionals to access more relevant patient data, resulting in improved quality and value-based care.
- Higher degrees of education and support: remote patient monitoring system educates and supports patients by providing daily information and feedback on their circumstances.
RPM Programs are Classified into Two Types:
- An in-house system built by the organization, or
- An outsourced solution that appears to be based on the services of a third-party vendor.
What is the Difference between In-house RPM Programs and outsourced RPM Programs?
The distinction between in-house and outsourced RPM programs is as simple as it sounds. In one case, an organization takes on the responsibility of developing a program independently. On the other, it collaborates with a third-party vendor to provide those services.
Each of these options can be used to develop and manage the primary RPM program components in a variety of ways, including:
- Data and medical equipment integration devices must record critical patient information continuously, almost continuously, or at a predetermined time. This covers a wide range of potential remedies, including implantable gadgets, although it typically uses wireless devices like remote blood pressure monitors, pulse oximeters, weight scales, and others.
- It maintains patient records, which include workflow design, triage, monitoring, and provider escalation. Maintaining patient records involves workflow design, triage, monitoring, and provider escalation. According to the unique care needs of each organization, this calls for a clinical care team composed of providers and other clinical specialists.
- A part of the administration that facilitates and regulates users, groups, branding, performance evaluations, and quality controls. This needs a wide range of reporting tools that display usage, KPI success, population health analysis, and billing summary.
There are two significant ways in which these many parts can be put together to form a working RPM program:
- To manage their RPM program, healthcare organizations might choose a self-managed strategy and create their clinical framework. It will be necessary to employ a combination of internal or external technologies and buy or rent the gadgets separately to power the program.
- Medical practices can also work with a third-party RPM services provider that offers all required components and extra services like a unique patient interface or patient and provider education materials.
Should RPM programs in Healthcare be Outsourced or Handled In-House?
Regarding RPM expenses and reimbursement choices, each of these RPM program options has some advantages. The full-service, outsourced solution enables healthcare providers to set up programs so established workflows may start immediately. However, the in-house “build-your-own” method offers more control and potential future scale economies.
The extent to which vendors can offer staff education and training significantly impacts how successful a program is overall. Organizations should evaluate how well-prepared their workforce is to use a new RPM application while also anticipating some level of support from their RPM vendor. So, outsourcing RPM programs is the better option.
Bottom Line
This guide explains RPM programs and how to choose between in-house and outsourced RPM programs. The guide also demonstrated how people who use RPM could avoid healthcare practices where they face the danger of contracting a disease. Avoiding a face-to-face encounter lowers the likelihood of unwanted exposure, which is particularly crucial for the elderly, chronically unwell, pregnant, and other individuals with weaker immune systems.
If you want to be a part of the healthcare transformation with the effective utilization of RPM, outsource your remote patient monitoring program to CareCloud.
