Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) is a system that uses one or more devices to transmit patient-generated health data to healthcare professionals for review. The Dakotas have a high percentage of rural citizens, which requires creativity to deliver services. Remote monitoring is an emerging strategy to increase patient engagement and ability to manage their condition, providing valuable benefit to the patient and his/her care team.
Community partners and stakeholders throughout North Dakota were fortunate to learn about RPM, the benefits, community programs as well as results. During community coalition meetings facilitated by Great Plains Quality Innovation Network, Jesse Rue, PharmD, BCPS shared his experience with the RPM program that he manages at Heart of America Medical Center in Rugby, ND.
Rue stated, “Remote Patient Monitoring is an engagement machine and seems to have been built for chronic disease; it understands the ongoing nature of conditions, like diabetes or asthma. For example, remote monitoring of blood pressure enables the care team to engage in extraordinarily robust joint-decision making with patients as they develop a more personalized care plan. When patients know their healthcare team is watching, it can be transformative, particularly in diseases with a strong behavioral component.”
Heart of America Medical Center has seen first-hand the benefits of PRM. Rue stressed the value of clinicians who can monitor, interpret and summarize therapy changes. He stressed the value of the data, via the cloud, cannot be overstated. “Our team is literally moving from an episodic model of care to a continuous model of care; that is a significant shift.”
Prior to remote monitoring, the care team often had a three-to-six month gap between visits and patient interaction. RPM allows for rapid-cycle-change to meet patient needs, which has been proven especially valuable with individuals with diabetes. Rue added, “We are often able to make several adjustments to [medication] therapy in the span of one return-to-clinic visit timeframe, which is remarkable.”
Admittedly, there are also challenges. Individuals still have to use the devices correctly. One of the key challenges is the lack of awareness and training for devices, as well as connectivity accuracy concerns. There are billing challenges; often limited to third party coverage if able to bill at all.
If looking to implement RPM in your facility, consider what the medical team believes is most valuable patient monitoring need. Is there sufficient staff capacity and the commitment to implement? Is the staff willing and able to receive and manage the data? Also, the team will need to clarify roles and develop central tracking and common work plans. Involving pharmacy, at the onset, is helpful. A successful RPM program can be small and started with just a few devices and a couple of hours’ time per week. Rue added, “Once implemented, you hope that everything is going smoothly, but ASSUME it is not and practice intensive follow-up.”
Rue concluded, “RPM is also simply better for patient convenience. We are no longer relying on the individual bringing in their logbook, which takes time to complete, review and process. All of the necessary information to guide decisions and changes in health management are easily stored and accessible on the cloud. RPM does work, and when it works, it is ‘magic’ to intervene rapidly between appointments.”
Source: Q Insider | April 11, 2022