Especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of accessible and timely care has never been more important to patients as well as providers. That’s just one factor that explains the rise in remote patient monitoring (RPM), a tech-enabled service that provides timely insights and elevates the standard of care. As a type of telehealth or virtual care, RPM is an ideal complement for traditional chronic care management practices.
When combined with traditional care, RPM and virtual care provide many benefits, including increased patient engagement and personalized care.
The convenience, cost-effectiveness, and range of benefits of RPM account for its popularity. In fact, recent data shows that 88% of healthcare providers “have invested in, or are evaluating, RPM technologies,” with that number only expected to continue to increase.
On its face, RPM is a simple enough concept, but what are the keys to a successful RPM program? And what role does software play? In this article we’re going to explore the software and processes that make for a successful RPM program.
Making Remote Patient Monitoring Work
Implementing an effective remote patient monitoring program starts with education: educating patients about their conditions, treatment options, and how to use remote patient monitoring devices. Then, you can move on to determining the right plans for monitoring and treating the condition.
Let’s say you have a patient who has recently been diagnosed with hypertension. They’re a perfect candidate for RPM, which studies have found can “increase compliance, BP measurement accuracy, and medication dose optimization without relying on office visits and the associated risks of being lost-to-follow-up.”
Here’s what RPM might look like for this patient, in three stages:
Stage 1: The Consultation and Setting the Plan
Over the course of one or more appointments, the patient meets with their provider—who answers any questions they have about their condition and reassures them that they’ll be able to manage their condition without too much trouble.
Once the patient’s questions have been answered and the provider has the information they need, the conversation can turn to remote monitoring and treatment plans. For patients with hypertension, this involves very little work—and most already will have some familiarity with common blood pressure cuffs.
For RPM, a special type of cuff is used, one with a major advantage: they automatically transmit readings straight to the provider (via remote patient monitoring software).
Stage 2: Remote Monitoring
Once the plan for remote monitoring has been set, the patient can return home. It’s from this point that the actual monitoring gets underway. Rather than requiring the patient to revisit the office on a regular basis just to gather updated readings, patients can use their blood pressure cuff from home.
The patient really doesn’t need to do anything else, as the RPM device automatically transmits its readings. This—and remote patient monitoring software—enables providers to automatically collect data, monitor multiple conditions, and drive clinical outcomes.
Stage 3: Provider Intervention
The extent to which the provider will need to intervene depends on the condition, management or treatment plan, and—most importantly—the patient’s readings. At this point, the provider uses their discretion to determine what, if any, interventions are needed (and to schedule in-person appointments or virtual check-ins as needed).
Ultimately, RPM has a substantial impact on the ability of providers to maintain a connection with their patients and make data-driven decisions regarding their care, as well as educating them about how to best manage their condition over the short- and long-term.
The Top Remote Patient Monitoring Companies
Several remote patient monitoring companies have made significant contributions to healthcare, with TimeDoc Health being a prominent leader. TimeDoc Health offers a comprehensive RPM solution that includes FDA-approved devices, EHR-integrated technology, and dedicated care coordinators to support healthcare providers. The easy-to-use, cellular-enabled devices ensure that even patients who are not tech-savvy can effectively monitor their health.
TimeDoc Health also provides essential support services such as staff augmentation to help healthcare providers manage their RPM programs efficiently. Our commitment to improving patient outcomes and operational efficiency has made us a trusted partner for many healthcare organizations.
Learn More About Popular Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) Services →
What Makes the Top Remote Patient Monitoring Companies Stand Out?
Remote patient monitoring software serves as the bridge between a patient’s at-home RPM devices and their provider’s information systems. It’s what allows providers to actively monitor the readings and any changes in the patient’s condition, and to respond or intervene in a timely manner, as needed.
The top remote patient monitoring companies provide intuitive platforms and customizable API’s that extend their functionality and seamlessly integrate with other technologies and electronic health records (EHRs). Providers using RPM can also create custom dashboards to make data monitoring easier and more efficient, and create automated workflows for flagging out-of-the-norm readings in real-time, so timely (in some cases, proactive) interventions can be performed.
Ultimately, the most compelling benefit of using RPM software is that it can deliver real-time insights for data-driven decisionmaking and effective care. At TimeDoc Health, our remote patient monitoring solutions include:
- Easy-to-Use Devices: Use cellular-enabled devices—including blood glucose meters, scales, and blood pressure cuffs—to monitor certain chronic conditions. Patients can use these from their own home, and RPM software will deliver their readings straight to providers.
- EHR Integrated Technology: Data is only useful if it is complete, accurate, organized, and accessible. Using RPM software like TimeDoc Health provides a bridge between patients’ at-home devices and providers’ EHR systems—in real-time!
- Automatic Data Collection: Automatic data collection and transmission make RPM processes efficient, accurate, and easy. When a patient takes an RPM reading, our platform will display the data in real-time within our web-based platform.
- Customizable Alert Settings: One of the biggest benefits of RPM is fewer traditional, in-person provider visits—but that doesn’t eliminate the need for them entirely. With automatic data collection and customizable alerts, providers can take a proactive approach to patient care, scheduling timely appointments only as needed.
- Remote Care Coordination: TimeDoc Health’s platform was engineered to be an extension of your practice, no matter its size or specialty. Our health managers are clinically trained and ready to help you implement the right RPM program for your organization.
Related: What is a Remote Patient Monitoring Platform? →
Who Can Perform Remote Patient Monitoring?
Remote patient monitoring does not require extensive, specialized training—making it an accessible solution for many providers and patients. When it comes to Medicare reimbursement (related to CPT codes 99457 and 99458, for example), RPM services can be performed by “a physician or other qualified healthcare professional, or by clinical staff under the general supervision of the physician,” as noted by the American College of Physicians (ACP).
Most patients should have little problem learning to use remote monitoring devices; this should never be assumed, however. This underscores the importance of patient education and orientation—as the Patient Safety Network notes, “to support the correct use of devices according to guidelines and avoid false values, organizations should create a strong patient education system that includes feedback to patients.”
What Are the Types of Remote Patient Monitoring Devices?
Many of the most common remote patient monitoring devices are items that will be familiar to at least some patients, and include:
- Blood pressure cuffs
- Electrocardiograms (ECGs) and stethoscopes
- Glucometers
- Pulse oximeters
- Scales
- Thermometers
- Wearable trackers
It’s important to note that while patients may be familiar with these devices, it’s still important to review their proper usage at the onset of any RPM program. A more comprehensive patient education provides increased benefits, including empowering patients to understand their condition and its symptoms, preventive care and treatment options, how to make informed decisions about their own care, and more.
The Future of Remote Patient Monitoring
The future of RPM is bright—much like its present. While there are already several types of RPM devices enabling remote monitoring and care management, we expect more to be in development over time. As Harvard Medical School notes, RPM “is still in its infancy,” and yet “the miniaturization of electronics is leading to the development of next-generation devices.”
Especially when used with the right software, RPM elevates the standard of care and improves patient outcomes by enabling data-driven decision making. The increasing versatility of RPM combined with the impact on patient outcomes and compelling ROI of remote patient monitoring practically ensure a productive future for RPM.
How much does a Remote Patient Monitoring System Cost? →
TimeDoc Health: Real-Time Insights for Better Care
At TimeDoc Health, we specialize in delivering innovative solutions for modern RPM providers. We form strategic partnerships with organizations to help them find—and implement—the best remote patient monitoring applications for their specific use case(s). To learn more, visit our resources page to learn more and read customer stories for some specific examples of remote patient monitoring done right, or click here to get started.
