Remote Patient Monitoring And Chronic Disease

Remote patient monitoring can be used to effectively manage chronic disease by providing physicians a way to “check in” on patients as the go about their day-to-day lives And, as technology gain a foothold in the healthcare marketplace, there is also the potential for a lowered price tag as more baby boomers demand affordable devices.

By Shannon Dauphin Lee

Finding the best ways to effectively manage chronic disease has long been a challenge for patients, as well as physicians and other healthcare professionals. Studies have shown that remote patient monitoring can reduce emergency room visits and enable providers to intervene with a chronically ill patient before their medical condition becomes more acute.

Monitoring patients remotely is already embraced by much of the healthcare world as a meaningful way to cut costs and provide better patient care. Chronic diseases such as diabetes, Alzheimer's and certain heart conditions must be monitored for the best care, but admitting those patients to the hospital is often not a feasible option. Remote patient monitoring allows patients to go about their day-to-day lives while physicians "check in" on their condition, medication compliance and more through remote access devices.

The basics on remote patient monitoring
Remote patient monitoring, sometimes called "connected health" or "e-health," is growing in the ability to do more for patients. MIT Technology Review points out that advances in user interfaces, smart sensing technologies, data processing and more have led to remote monitoring devices that can improve patient compliance and reduce office visits. These changes can lead to fewer chronic conditions becoming acute, reduce hospital stays and emergency room visits, and help physicians chart a course of treatment that is more effective due to the ability to tweak medications and change therapies quickly.

A 2009 study from Spyglass Consulting Group found that 97 percent of healthcare organizations embrace remote patient monitoring as a tool in the treatment of those with chronic diseases. Forty-eight percent of those organizations funded the initiative of remote monitoring themselves, recognizing the strong return on investment of doing so.

The 2013 follow-up study found that support for remote monitoring has wavered a bit since electronic health records and other requirements have taken precedence, with healthcare organizations becoming more concerned with a clear return on their financial investments in the technology. This suggests that though healthcare organizations have optimistic views on remote monitoring, they also recognize that the technology is too pricey for full implementation just yet.

However, 55 percent of accountable care organizations see the use of remote patient monitoring as a solution to the stringent penalties imposed on readmission of Medicare patients, a valuable tool in patient-centered care models and a way to achieve value-based goals of chronic disease management over time, according to a July 2013 article by Healthcare Informatics.

But the most important goal of remote patient monitoring is the health of the patient. A 2008 study on remote monitoring conducted by Brunel University in the UK found that clinical intervention was warranted for 37 percent of patients in the study, possibly improving their health before conditions worsened. A 2007 study conducted by the Centre for Global eHealth Innovation at Toronto General Hospital found that patients with hypertension experienced a significant improvement in their condition through the course of remote monitoring.

Other advantages of remote patient monitoring
In addition to providing physicians the opportunity to better manage chronic conditions, remote monitoring is proving its mettle in other areas. Monitoring is clearly a money-saver, resulting in fewer emergency room visits and invasive procedures. According to a Juniper Research study released in July 2013, monitoring will save up to 36 billion dollars by 2018. The United States will make up three-quarters of that amount. The growth of healthcare apps for smartphones and connected devices is also expected to grow rapidly, leading to further potential cost savings in the long run, according to MobiHealthNews.

In addition to the hard and fast numbers that can be recorded with remote patient monitoring, the peace of mind the patient feels when being monitored can go a long way toward good health. The security of knowing that someone is "checking in" with them on a regular basis can reduce stress and anxiety over their health, and lower stress levels are universally accepted as a positive element of improved health.

Challenges associated with remote monitoring
Though remote patient monitoring has been proven to work well, there are some hurdles to the full implementation of such monitoring throughout healthcare systems. The cost is one clear factor of concern; though many organizations are quick to deploy remote monitoring units for patients, healthcare payers typically don't want to pay for it, according to a 2009 article from Healthcare IT News.

There is hope to bring costs down, however. Though many devices still cost thousands of dollars, new healthcare applications that allow patients to use familiar devices, such as their smartphone or computer, are on the rise. Emerging technologies, such as sensors placed under the patient's mattress to wearable monitors that transmit vital signs directly to a physician's computer, show promise for more in-depth monitoring, according to Information Week. As these technologies gain a foothold in the healthcare marketplace, there is also the potential for a lowered price tag as more baby boomers demand affordable devices.

About the Author
Shannon Dauphin Lee has been writing professionally for two decades on a wide variety of topics, including medical and health issues, education, home repair and relationships.