Two-thirds of hospitals and health systems have deployed remote patient monitoring (RPM) solutions in their organizations, according to research from Menlo Park, Calif.-based Spyglass Consulting Group.
The RPM solutions were used to manage value‐based risk associated with supporting large patient populations with complex chronic conditions including congestive heart failure, COPD, diabetes, and hypertension. When used within the context of a disease management and/or care coordination program, RPM can help provider organizations improve care quality and outcomes, controlling healthcare costs and utilization, and increasing patient satisfaction, according to the consulting group.
For the survey, telephone interviews with provider organizations across the country were conducted in May 2015 to identify the needs and requirements for remote patient monitoring.
The survey found that 84 percent of providers surveyed who had deployed RPM were using mobile devices, primarily tablets, to support chronically ill patients recently discharged from the hospital, according to research.
Additionally, the majority of providers surveyed plan to evaluate patient BYOD (bring your own device) options and wearable technologies including smart watches and activity trackers that can be used to support chronically ill patients. Also, 79 percent of providers surveyed are embracing analytics and decision support tools to turn raw patient data into actionable knowledge and insights to help manage and monitor value‐based risk associated with population health.
“Healthcare providers, with the passage of the Affordable Care Act, are rapidly consolidating into larger integrated delivery networks and transitioning toward various at‐risk payment and care delivery models,” Gregg Malkary, managing director of the Spyglass Consulting Group, said in a statement. “They are formulating strategies and deploying foundational technologies and processes required to support population health management programs focused on chronic disease management. RPM solutions have been identified as important early symptom management tool for patients considered at greatest risk for re‐hospitalization.”
