While the benefits of remote patient monitoring have been known for years, the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic has brought many of them back into focus. As the landscape of healthcare continues to change and evolve, remote patient monitoring promises to deliver advantages to both providers and patients.
The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, Inc. (HIMSS) argues that remote patient monitoring is necessary for COVID-19 patients in many circumstances. “For patients who test positive for COVID-19, home-based monitoring for symptom escalation can help reduce the risk of transmission and can target the provision of hospital-based care on a timely basis, should the need arise,” according to HIMSS News.
The COVID-19 pandemic has put immense strain on hospitals across the Europe and throughout many countries across the globe. With shortages of hospital staff and available beds, being able to remotely monitor patients at home frees up the limited resources for the most serious cases.
Connected health devices used in remote patient monitoring give healthcare providers faster access to accurate patient data. Such devices include implantable devices, biometric sensors, pulse oximeters, blood pressure cuffs, glucometers, and more. When incorporated into remote patient monitoring solutions, these devices and the data they provide can help accelerate diagnoses and facilitate timely treatment plan changes.
Many studies have shown that the use of remote patient monitoring solutions results in patients experiencing a lower risk of rehospitalisation and mortality across various medical use cases, including implanted cardiac defibrillators.
Reduced hospital readmissions, fewer in-person visits, and avoiding Affordable Care Act (ACA) penalties related to readmission are all obvious cost-savers for healthcare providers. Remote patient monitoring solutions bring a strong ROI in conjunction with the improved patient outcomes as healthcare costs for patients and providers continues to rise. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) understands these benefits and makes remote patient monitoring even more cost-effective thanks to updated CPT codes for reimbursements.
Experiencing the benefits of remote patient monitoring requires a deployment strategy that is focused on security and scalability. Securing connected health devices should be top of mind, as malicious attacks targeting telehealth are on the rise.
A partner that understands the complexity of connected health for remote patient monitoring can help simplify the complex deployment process. KORE manages the complete connected health device lifecycle, enabling you to efficiently manage and scale your RPM deployments.
Download the whitepaper, “Remote Patient Monitoring: Steady Revenue for Healthcare, Better Patient Outcomes” to learn more about COVID-19 accelerating RPM, long-term benefits of RPM and the 5 pillars of a successful RPM service.