Remote Patient Monitoring, or RPM, is how a doctor keeps a consistent eye on their patient’s health and well-being without either of them having to go and meet the other.
Remote Patient Monitoring in Telehealth
Technology can make things cheaper and more user-friendly. By making good use of technology, modern healthcare has become much more convenient, affordable, and accessible to senior patients from all economic backgrounds.
Telehealth consists of health services delivered over a distance through computers, smartphones, and special digital devices. Telehealth can take many forms, such as a doctor diagnosing a patient on a video call, text message reminders to refill prescriptions, or the regular monitoring of a patient’s health — also known as Remote Patient Monitoring.
The big advantage of telehealth is that it overrides many social determinants of health that limit the quality and frequency of care a patient receives. These determinants include access to, and quality of, education and healthcare; economic stability; neighborhood and the built environment; and the social community in which a patient lives.
Why Remote Patient Monitoring is useful
A seriously limiting problem senior patients face is that they can’t physically visit their doctor or care provider.
Maybe you can’t go to your primary care physician because you have trouble walking. Maybe you live too far away, or don’t have a ride to the clinic.
Or maybe you have a weakened immune system and are at high risk of catching an infection or viral disease. A hospital or clinic with sick people coughing in waiting rooms is the last place you should be in your immunocompromised condition.
But as an older adult, you also probably have a health condition or chronic disease that must be closely, regularly, and frequently monitored by your doctor.
This is where Remote Patient Monitoring steps in. You may not be able to go to the doctor’s office daily to have your blood pressure reading or blood glucose levels recorded, but your RPM health measuring devices will keep you connected with your doctor at all times.
How Remote Patient Monitoring works
Remote Patient Monitoring is an important part of telehealth. RPM uses special electronic devices and digital gadgets that measure your health and send that information to your doctor automatically. This way, your doctor can keep track of your health progress without needing to see you in person.
Remote Patient Monitoring devices
Electronic gadgets for RPM are simple and uncomplicated, as they are designed to be used at home by ordinary people with no medical training or skills.
The most commonly used devices are:
- Smartcuff blood pressure monitors for hypertension
- Weight scales
- Blood glucometers for diabetes, with restocks of testing strips and lancets
- Pulse oximeters for COPD
Note: Remote Patient Monitoring devices issued to our patients are paid for by Medicare or Medicaid. All related costs are billed in accordance with your health insurance plan.
RPM for chronic disease management
Chronic diseases are lifelong health conditions that cannot be cured, only managed. Some of the most widespread chronic diseases in the US are diabetes, congestive heart failure (CHF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and kidney disease.
Around 6 in 10 American adults suffer from one chronic disease, and around 4 in 10 have at least two chronic diseases.
Chronic disease management requires regular measuring of health indicators such as your weight, blood pressure, blood glucose, and oxygen levels.
These measurements are usually taken at the same time every day, under the same circumstances. This is important because it creates a long-term pattern of your health and if any new measurement seems out of the ordinary, your doctor should be able to spot it quickly and begin investigating the reasons immediately.
Since chronic diseases can only be controlled and not cured, your doctor will use the regular RPM measurements you provide to tweak your preventative healthcare plans as needed. Based on your RPM data, your doctor may add or remove a prescription medicine, change the kind of exercises you should do, or modify your nutrition plans so that you get the best results.
Benefits of Remote Patient Monitoring for patients
RPM has numerous benefits and advantages for both doctors and patients. For patients, some benefits are:
- No need to travel
Mobility is a big problem that comes with aging. Mobility issues in seniors can range from being unable to walk without assistance, to not being able to drive a car because of poor eyesight or other health concerns. With RPM, as long as you have a good internet connection, you don’t need to go anywhere.
- No need to take notes
With RPM, you don’t have to write anything down on paper charts. The digital devices are connected to your doctor’s computer with wireless technology so whenever you take a reading, the data is sent immediately and automatically to your doctor’s computer. This is very helpful for people dealing with arthritis in their hands.
- Continuity of care
As long as you keep taking measurements of your health indicators, your care providers will remain up to date on the state of your health and changes in staff at your provider’s clinic will not affect your care.
- Gives patients a sense of control
Knowing that they are responsible for their health, even in the smallest capacity, can be reassuring to senior patients. Aging often means giving up control of many things, from major legal and financial decisions to what you can eat for dessert. With RPM, even though the big decisions are taken by the doctor, patients have the satisfaction of knowing that their contribution is crucial.
Getting started with Remote Patient Monitoring
RPM works very well for some patients, but may not be suitable for others. Before starting you on a preventative healthcare plan, your doctor will assess your health, physical and mental capabilities (for example, are you able to put on a blood pressure cuff by yourself, or is there anyone to help you), and other factors to determine if RPM will be benefit you.
When you do start a preventative healthcare plan built on Remote Patient Monitoring, our healthcare professionals will do everything necessary to make your RPM journey easy, simple, and successful.
They will walk you through your RPM devices and explain how they work and what kind of data they will collect. If you have any questions or concerns about data privacy and protection regarding your RPM devices, our helpful care staff will be happy to answer them.
For more information on Remote Patient Monitoring, or any other aspect of healthcare, you can reach out to us here.