Even before the COVID-19 Pandemic, CMS and private insurance companies began changing the way that providers are compensated. The change to value-based-care from fee-per-service recognizes that an ongoing relationship between the patient and provider is the key to better patient outcomes. Using technology to nurture that relationship is something that patients want, particularly those suffering from chronic disease (6 out of 10 adults in the United States). 70% of today?s patients are interested in receiving virtual care services. And 91% say they are interested in using mobile tools to communicate with their providers.
Technology Leads The Way
The evolution of technology has paved the way for the delivery of remote patient care. This goes beyond traditional telemedicine, which many view as simply a replacement for in-person doctor visits. Technology can be used for delivering patient education with the delivery of targeted, condition-specific articles and videos. It can also be used to deliver medication and appointment reminders. And of course, it enables patients to use in-home devices to measure biometric data that can be sent regularly to their provider for review. The best virtual care solutions can help to deliver better patient outcomes by focusing on these three items:
Build an ongoing relationship with patients.
When a provider implements a Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) program, it instantly creates a tighter relationship the patient and the provider. Rather than only interacting with their provider during a follow-up visit or when they have a medical issue, patients often feel that their doctor is pro-actively participating in maintaining their health. At RCP, providers have told us that they have seen better patient adherence to their recommendations once they have deployed an RPM program. They also see a corresponding improvement in the patient?s measurements. Patients said that they were following the doctor?s recommendations more carefully because they knew that someone at the office was reviewing their readings every day.
Regular review of patient data also helps reduce visits to the Emergency Department and hospital readmissions.
Educate patients to create healthier habits.
Part of chronic care management is the development of a personal care plan for patients. In addition to remote monitoring, RPC has found that daily, automated check-in or survey calls helps patients stay with their plans and develop healthier habits. We also attach condition-specific video content along with the surveys.
Make is easy for the patient
Many of the devices used for RPM programs are consumer products. They are easy to use and maintain. However, most RPM programs require the patient to synchronize those devices with an application. That creates issues for many users. At RCP, we deploy our SmartHub in all patients? homes. This device is completely plug-and-play for the patient.? It used 4G technology to communicate to the cloud, so there is no need to connect to the patients’ WiFi or internet. The devices and SmartHub are shipped pre-paired. There is no set-up for the patient.
The Trend Will Continue
The trend to virtual and remote care will continue, even beyond the pandemic. CMS and insurers have recognized the fact that these technologies continue to improve patient outcomes and lower costs.
Find out more about how RCP can help you implement successful Remote Patient Monitoring, Chronic Care Management, and Telehealth program. https://remotecarepartners.com/contact/