According to a report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there was a 154% increase in visits during the last week of March 2020, compared with the same period in 2019. When became common practice during the COVID-19 pandemic, clinicians began rapidly adopting and using (RPM).
With the dramatic rise in , many providers want to take a closer look at RPM and the opportunities this capability can offer.
What is ?
Popular among patients and practices, RPM enables healthcare providers to monitor their patients’ chronic illnesses, even when patients and providers are in different locations. uses technology tools to capture remotely measured vital signs in real-time and send them to the provider.
Originally developed for older patients with moderate to severe chronic illnesses, capabilities have expanded to increase access to and to limit the spread of infectious disease.
How does work?
Patients use non-invasive RPM at home that automatically record and transmit values such as:
- Blood oxygen
- Pulse
- Blood sugar
- Body temperature
- Weight
As a result, providers can remotely monitor these values and stay informed about their patients’ progress. This functionality allows providers to see if procedures and/or medication changes are proceeding according to the treatment plan.
Some RPM tools operate on secure, cloud-based server architecture, which enables physicians to log in from any device to check measurements and results. This is a critical capability for providers when they receive an alert about a result that’s beyond a predetermined threshold.
With tools that offer an alert system, providers can set a threshold value that automatically lets them know when their patients’ measurement value rises or falls out of the acceptable range. Providers may be able to give their patients with chronic diseases including diabetes, , and COPD more immediate medical attention due to these alerts.
Who benefits from ?
Practices and patients benefit from RPM.
enables providers to keep close tabs–easily and efficiently–on their patients with chronic illnesses. Additionally, practices can help protect the of both patients and staff by treating at-risk patients remotely.
Providers can leverage an opportunity to increase their practice’s revenue by expanding their reach and supporting the treatment of immobile or distant patients. Patients who require high quality remote can achieve better outcomes with better access to providers, more immediate , and closer of their . According to the U.S. Department of and Human Services, using virtual tools can expand the range of access to specialists.
Does Medicare cover ?
Yes, Medicare covers . In fact, opportunities for may be expanding. In 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made changes to their Physician Fee Schedule that opened the door to improved for . Moving forward, could be used for patients with both acute and/or .
What is the ROI on ?
With Medicare reimbursements, practices could earn up to $720 per , per year.
Additionally, providers may want to factor into the equation the savings in money and time they could achieve by collecting patients’ data automatically through RPM, which offers easy access to this information for immediate review. Practices also could expand their reach, targeting more distant patients than before.
What’s the difference between and ?
is a sub-category of . is the use of electronic information and telecommunication technologies to provide clinical through remote methods, which can include live video chats between providers and patients, chat messaging, and secure file exchange.3
Rev Up Your RPM
Expanded use of during the COVID-19 pandemic has heightened the popularity of RPM. It has raised awareness of the opportunity to increase a practice’s bottom line while improving outcomes for patients who require high quality remote .
Ready to accelerate your practice with a solution? Find out more about CGM RPM.
