Two-Thirds Of Health Systems Use Remote Monitoring

By Katie Wike, contributing writer

Sixty-six percent of health systems surveyed by Spyglass Consulting Group indicate they have already deployed some type of remote monitoring technology.

Two of three healthcare systems have already deployed remote monitoring technology, according to a report from Spyglass Consulting Group. Of these, 84 percent who had deployed RPM were using mobile devices — primarily tablets — to support chronically ill patients recently discharged from the hospital.

“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, said Gregg Malkary, Managing Director of the Spyglass Consulting Group. “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.”

Healthcare Informatics reports most of those surveyed plan to evaluate patient BYOD options and wearable technologies including smartwatches and activity trackers that can be used to support chronically ill patients.

iHealth Beat notes this can be used to aid in complex chronic conditions, such as:

• congestive heart failure
• chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• diabetes
• hypertension

Additionally, 79 percent of respondents said they use analytics and decision-support tools to monitor and manage value-based risk related to population health.