Introduction to Remote Patient Monitoring

What is Remote Patient Monitoring?

Remote patient monitoring is defined as “periodic, asynchronous, or continuous monitoring and transmission of vital signs, including weight, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, glucose levels, heart rate, or heart rhythm.”  Remote patient monitoring falls under the umbrella of telehealth. It is when medical data and health information is collected from an individual in one location and transmitted electronically to a provider in a different location. Simply, remote patient monitoring includes the gathering of patient health data outside of the brick-and-mortar hospital or clinic setting. It allows care to be moved out of the 4 walls of the hospital, into the home setting. Remote patient monitoring is asynchronous, meaning patient information is forwarded (sent), and then stored until the provider has the opportunity to review.

Remote patient monitoring offers many benefits. It provides the clinician with a more accurate picture of their patients’ health—allowing the clinician to see trends in symptoms over time. When clinicians have a more robust data set, they are able to deliver care more proactively and effectively. Remote patient monitoring helps the provider evaluate whether the patient’s condition is stabilized, deteriorating, or improving. 

With remote patient monitoring providers are able to access patient data instantly, right at the moment the patient is experiencing pain, confusion, or a symptom exacerbation. When the provider is able to view the full picture of their patient’s condition, they are empowered to deliver more data-driven, proactive care, which in turn, results in improved patient health outcomes and more efficient care delivery. Currently, in the midst of the nursing shortage, RPM eases clinician burden by enabling clinicians to monitor patients from afar.

Remote patient monitoring enables patients to share updates on their vitals from the convenience and comfort of home, allowing the provider to understand in real-time how a patient’s condition is progressing. The patient is empowered to take control and manage their own health, which results in improved patient engagement, increased health literacy, ultimately resulting in improved overall health outcomes and quality of life. 

Today, remote patient monitoring is used across a variety of patient populations and care settings and for many conditions, including COPD, CHF, diabetes, hypertension, primary care, post surgical, oncologic care, postpartum and prenatal care, pediatrics, chronic kidney disease ,hospice and palliative care, and more. Remote patient monitoring is one of the most effective ways to manage chronic disease like diabetes, heart failure, COPD, and hypertension, as it enables data-driven proactive care delivery. 

How Remote Patient Monitoring Works 

Now that you understand what remote patient monitoring is, you’re probably wondering how it works in practice. 

How remote patient monitoring works in 5 steps:

1. The provider or provider organization decides to deploy remote patient monitoring to monitor their patients. Providers use remote patient monitoring for a variety of conditions to collect a wide range of patient data. Common devices include blood pressure cuffs, pulse oximeters, thermometers, glucometers, weighing scales, ECG/stethoscopes, activity trackers, spirometers, and more.
2.  With the patient’s consent, the provider deploys remote patient monitoring into the patient’s home (or pocket).
3. The patient is provided with the necessary devices to collect their health data, and offered education to help them understand how to use the technology. 
4. Once the device is set up, at home or work, or even on the go, patients monitor their vitals to collect their health data. Patients can record their vitals once or day, or more frequently, depending on their condition and provider’s direction.
5. In real-time, the reading from the biometric device is sent to the patient’s provider, where the provider can then monitor trends and changes. When a reading is out of range, the provider is notified with risk alerts, helping the provider be proactive in their response.

Remote Patient Monitoring Devices and Common Use Cases

The remote patient monitoring devices a patient engages with are unique to each patient and customizable by the clinical team. Devices depend on the patient’s condition as well as their comfort level with technology. Remote patient monitoring devices are non-invasive devices that acquire, transmit, process, and store patient data so providers can understand and track patient symptoms. 

There are many remote patient monitoring devices available on the market today, including:

Benefits of Remote Patient Monitoring for Patients and Clinicians

Patient Benefits

When patients are able to track their health at home, they are more likely to achieve positive health outcomes due to better condition understanding. When a patient is able to self-manage their condition with remote patient monitoring tools, they are likely to reduce costs (both to themselves and the health system), by minimizing emergency room visits, lengthy hospital stays, and preventing readmissions.

The top 13 benefits of remote patient monitoring:

1. Improved data driven clinical decision making
2. Helps patient improve self management and care plan adherence
3. Cost of care reduction for payers and providers
4. Boosts net patient revenue
5. Reduces patient’s expenses and improved work productivity
6. Improves access to care
7. Builds patient engagement
8. Optimizes clinical staff efficiency and combats clinical staff shortages
9. Prevents the spread of infectious diseases and Hospital-Acquired Infections
10. Improves patient experience and satisfaction
11. Expands referral opportunities and improves retention
12. Improves the clinician-patient relationship

Remote Patient Monitoring Reimbursement and Billing

Providers can bill for remote patient monitoring with 5 primary CPT codes. The codes provide a financial structure for qualified providers to bill for the time spent, services rendered, and equipment used. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services outlined remote patient monitoring in their final ruling on the 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule.

Choosing a Remote Patient Monitoring Vendor

When choosing a remote patient monitoring vendor, it’s essential to ask the right questions. Start with determining what the goal of the remote patient monitoring program is, from there, determine what features and functionality are necessary for your program to be successful. 

It is especially important to focus on the services beyond the product itself. For the remote patient monitoring program to be successful, support services are crucial. Consider questions like “what does implementation look like for both the patient and provider organization?” “Who from the vendor supports the program after implementation?” “Does the vendor offer support with clinical workflows and reimbursement strategies?” “If the patient or clinician has an issue with the product, who do they call for support?”

Building and sustaining a successful telehealth program includes many components and moving parts. To ensure lasting success, it is imperative that the vendor is able to offer operational support and guidance throughout the tenure of the program.

Setting up your Remote Patient Monitoring Program

There’s a lot to consider when setting up a new telehealth program. Start with determining your goals for the program—what are you hoping to achieve with remote patient monitoring? Think specifically about both patient metrics and staffing ones. From there, think about the patient populations you’re looking to serve, who will staff the telehealth program, and how you’ll establish clinician and patient buy-in.