Expanded remote patient monitoring solutions to drive more virtual care hybrid models

Although virtual check-ins between a physician and patient are not new, remote patient monitoring (RPM) took off during the pandemic. And as more and more patients come to expect this treatment option to expand beyond chronic disease management, healthcare practices will need to be ready to offer a hybrid model of care.

“The pandemic catalyzed a shift to a virtual-first approach to care, leading to an explosion in telehealth use and a corresponding increase in RPM,” said Dr. Jami Doucette, president of Premise Health.

In 2022, remote patient monitoring will expand beyond chronic condition management and find a new home in virtual primary care delivery models. And to coincide with consumer demand, the technology behind RPM will continue to advance to offer more flexible and scalable solutions.

“We’ll also likely see more wearable technology with greater capabilities,” Doucette said. “Apple Watch has led the charge, and RPM is set to become increasingly consumer facing.”

A seismic shift in telehealth technology adoption

Today, remote patient monitoring has three defined use cases – fitness and wellness, clinical, and diagnostic. And while all three categories grew during the pandemic, the most significant shift was a jump in the use of telehealth for clinical and diagnostic devices.

When hospitals and clinics became overwhelmed with patients at the beginning of COVID, everyone was worried about safety. Patients needing immediate treatment searched for an alternative that pushed healthcare organizations to pivot quickly by adopting digital technologies and tools.

From a provider perspective, RPM was integral in monitoring COVID and non-COVID patients by providing physicians with critical data.

“In a resource-scarce environment, RPM helps providers scale their impact more broadly,” Doucette said.

However, RPM is still in the growing phase of the technology and there are still barriers to overcome, including device quality and cost.

“Because the field is still new, the quality of diagnostic devices varies. Increasing quality and reliability will be important to driving greater clinical adoption and trust in RPM. Also, many devices are still cost prohibitive to distribute to patients at scale, which makes widespread use difficult to achieve,” Doucette said.

Benefits versus drawbacks of remote patient monitoring

One of the benefits of at-home testing is the ability to expand access to those in need. As hybrid care becomes the norm, patients will speak with a doctor more quickly and without barriers such as transportation or childcare. Additionally, the hope is that remote monitoring can keep patients out of high-cost settings like the emergency room, and pick up on symptoms to intervene before it gets more serious.

However, Doucette warns that hybrid medical care could also exacerbate some healthcare inequities if it can only be accessed by patients with the resources to use a digital device – like WiFi access and the knowledge of how to use the technology tools.

“The pandemic shed light on these barriers to virtual services, confirming that we have a long way to go when it comes to developing solutions that work for everyone,” Doucette said.

Another potential drawback is too much data. Doucette calls the ability to collect mass amounts of data both an asset and a struggle.

“Having data readily available at our fingertips is obviously better than not having it,” he said. “However, making sure the data is meaningful and drives actionable insight that leads to a better care experience and positive clinical outcomes is extremely difficult. Having the right data at the right time to drive the best possible action is the ultimate goal.”

Other barriers include complex implementation, or a lack of integration into an organization’s digital ecosystem and electronic health records. Finally, the lack of software to serve multiple purposes limits scalability among a patient population.

Moving beyond chronic care

In chronic disease management, remote patient monitoring can gather data in real-time. Through devices such as blood pressure cuffs, glucometers, pulse oximeters, scales, and more, providers can receive important frequent and accurate updates on the well-being of their patients and allow them to make critical decisions quickly.

In a primary care setting, RPM allows providers to gather physiologic data, such as a person’s weight, height, blood pressure, and more, to give them a holistic view of the patient. It can also help providers identify health issues early, allowing the prevention of severe and costly illnesses in the future.

Patients driving the future of remote care

Moving forward, finding the balance between in-person and virtual visits will be patient-led.

“This is why it’s crucial that the virtual and in-person care be delivered by the same team on the same platform in order to eliminate fragmentation of data and improve overall experience, streamline communication and decision-making, and drive better outcomes,” Doucette said.

Doucette believes that this patient-centric approach will better support prevention over time, which ultimately leads to healthier patients and lower healthcare costs.

The success of these tools supports the belief that providers can effectively deliver healthcare remotely. And as the technology continues to develop and devices become increasingly flexible and aggregated, the digital healthcare scope will expand to treat patients in their homes.

Jacqueline Renfrow is a journalist with more than 20 years of experience reporting on and writing about the intersection of healthcare, education, and retail with technology. Living just outside of Washington, DC, she enjoys exploring all that the nation’s capital has to offer with her husband and three children in tow.