Remote patient monitoring (RPM) programs are beneficial for both patients and medical practices. But an RPM initiative’s success depends on the people behind the program. In this article, we look at why RPM programs have become so popular and the roles and responsibilities of an RPM team. To close, we share five easy-to-implement strategies for creating a strong RPM program.
Why RPM is Growing
The adoption rate of remote patient monitoring has grown dramatically in recent years. According to Insider Intelligence, 30 million patients in the U.S. will be using at least one RPM device by 2024. Here are six significant catalysts driving the rapid adoption rates of RPM technology.
COVID-19 pandemic
With much of the country brought to a standstill, the COVID-19 pandemic rapidly accelerated already emerging trends in virtual care. More insurers began covering telehealth services, dramatically increasing adoption. Remote patient monitoring devices allow medical professionals to monitor their patients’ key health metrics without having them come into the office, making RPM a significant value-add to a practice’s telehealth services.
Increase in chronic conditions such as diabetes
As the rates of long-term conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and obesity continue to rise in the U.S., remote patient monitoring devices empower patients and providers. RPM devices actively monitor key health metrics like blood pressure and weight, and the devices can be set to send data to the patient’s physician. These capabilities give patients and providers the longitudinal information they need to make changes that improve health outcomes.
Convenience
Work, family, and other obligations can quickly crowd out a schedule. RPM devices make it easy for patients to quickly take vital measures like blood pressure and weight. These measures can be automatically transmitted to the healthcare provider via cellular, WiFi, or Bluetooth connection and are instantly accessible to the patient via an easy-to-use mobile app.
Higher levels of patient care
Remote patient monitoring devices enable more frequent health measurements. With access to near real-time health data and the ability to observe historical trends in this data, healthcare providers can make better-informed care recommendations and treatment decisions.
Expand care to more diverse patient groups
For many patients, work schedules, child care or eldercare obligations, distance, or lack of reliable transportation are formidable barriers to receiving care. Low income, elderly, and patients living in underserved or rural areas can receive outsized benefits from participating in a remote patient monitoring program since it can reduce the number of office visits needed.
New revenue streams for healthcare practices
Because many RPM services are billable, RPM programs are a source of additional revenue, allowing practices to tap into new revenue streams that can improve overall profitability.
Key RPM Program Team Members
Building a strong, sustainable remote patient monitoring program requires teamwork and a shared vision. The following team members form the core of a successful remote patient monitoring program.
Top-level management
Beginning any new initiative requires the strong support and buy-in of top-level management. Healthcare executives play a key role in securing funding and staff resources, as well as providing the long-range vision needed to set a new remote patient monitoring program on a secure footing.
Physicians
Physicians can reap substantial benefits from using remote patient monitoring technology with their patients. With a wealth of patient health data, providers can make better-informed treatment decisions. Educating providers on benefits, obtaining their buy-in, and offering focused training on how to access remote patient monitoring data are essential for success.
IT support
The support of the IT department is crucial for ensuring that the technical aspects of creating and running a remote patient monitoring program are executed. Some remote patient monitoring providers like Withings Health Solutions handle most of the IT-related setup, freeing your tech support staff to focus their efforts elsewhere.
Patient navigator
Patient navigators help patients access and use their devices, troubleshooting issues that prevent them from making the most out of participating in a remote patient monitoring program. These staff members are one of the most critical components, providing front-line support and encouragement to patients as they become familiar with their new devices. Some connected devices, like those Withings Health Solutions offers, are intuitive and easy to use, making the jobs of patient navigators much simpler.
Digital health staff trainer
Staff trainers are responsible for training physicians and other practice staff involved in the program’s administration. Key topics for training include how to access and interpret patient data via the physician data dashboard and the correct use of RPM billing codes for payer reimbursement.
Medical billing representative
Medicare and many private insurers will pay for certain patient services provided via remote patient monitoring programs. Remote patient monitoring programs have their own unique set of billing codes, and the medical billing representative will ensure that the correct codes are being used on all claims filed.
Program coordinator
The remote patient monitoring program coordinator is responsible for overseeing the overall health of the program, managing the interactions between team members, troubleshooting patient and provider issues, and assessing program success based on predefined goals.
5 Tips for creating a stronger, more sustainable RPM program
Remote patient monitoring programs require careful planning and diligent follow-through during implementation in order for patients, providers, and practices to realize the full range of potential benefits this technology has to offer. These five tips can help you and the patients you serve get the most out of remote patient monitoring.
Clarify RPM program goals
First, defining what expect your remote patient monitoring program to accomplish. Clear goals not only sharpen the team’s focus but provide an objective set of criteria with which to measure program success.
Quantify expected cost/revenue metrics
Remote patient monitoring programs must be financially sustainable. Quantifying anticipated program costs and revenue enables teams to determine expected ROI. These metrics can justify the time and capital investments required for a successful launch. RPM can reduce overall costs, as it enables physicians to take preventative measurements before a condition becomes severe.
Engage the support of internal stakeholders
Top-level management, providers, and office support staff all have an important role to play in the success of a remote patient monitoring program. Gaining their support upfront is critical. If stakeholders aren’t engaged, program performance will suffer.
Invest the resources needed for program success
Engaging key personnel is an essential ingredient for ensuring long-term success, so additional staff members may need to be hired. Dedicating a program manager to oversee the effort ensures program continuity and provides a single point of contact for other team members when issues arise. Patient navigators are front-line workers who ensure patients are familiar with their devices and responsible for removing barriers to consistent use. Fortunately, the cost of hiring may be offset by billing and reimbursement for RPM services and/or lowered costs if the practice is part of a value-based care system.
Select a high-quality RPM provider to partner with
Some remote patient monitoring providers are better than others. Invest the time to research each potential partner, ensuring they offer higher quality, patient-friendly devices that are easy to use, an intuitive patient-facing health data app, and a streamlined practice-level program dashboard. The ideal RPM provider will have substantial industry experience and a track record of providing superior customer service.
Withings Health Solutions and Withings RPM: an All-in-One RPM Solution
Withings Health Solutions is committed to transforming the lives of healthcare consumers and professionals through beautifully simple monitoring solutions. Here’s how we make implementing a successful remote patient monitoring program seamlessly simple.
Effortless onboarding — Onboard your patients directly from the platform in 3 minutes or less.
Time-efficient monitoring — You’ll appreciate the one-click patient triaging through standard alerts and measurement plans.
Automatic time logging — Time spent taking care of your patients (when reviewing their charts or calling them) is automatically documented to streamline claim creation while maximizing revenue. Time spent outside the platform can easily be manually logged as well.
Optimized billing — In real-time, assess how much a CPT code can be billed and identify which patients to focus on. At the end of the month, generate comprehensive reports in one click to create claims including the CMS1500 information required for the billing.
Program dashboard — Manage your practice at a glance. A comprehensive dashboard allows care teams to view patients’ status, take action based on patient vitals and treatment plans, and easily bill for care rendered.
Patient application — The patient application allows the patient to visualize their measurements history, progress, and measurements objective. Login is simple and doesn’t require any signup or app download.
EHR integration — Withings RPM integrates with virtually every EHR to improve each step of the clinical workflow from device ordering to billing.
Learn more about Withings Health Solutions for remote patient monitoring.