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COVID-19 has highlighted the value and importance of remote patient monitoring, which has accelerated the adoption of RPM because of its ability to prevent patients from entering hospitals and clinics.
FREMONT, CA: Digital health and telehealth have existed for some time, but the COVID-19 pandemic has catalyzed their widespread implementation.
Utilized primarily in the form of videoconferences and telemedicine at the onset of the pandemic, remote patient monitoring (RPM) is currently adopted by an increasing number of physicians and supported by several reimbursement policies issued by the CMS and the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission.
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Although RPM enjoys significant growth, it still faces many obstacles that can be overcome by the combined efforts of numerous healthcare system stakeholders, including the federal government, large technology companies, providers, physicians, and patients.
The Demonstrated Benefits Of Rpm
The advantages of RPM have been demonstrated by multiple research and supported by numerous surveys done in recent years:
Improving provided care and lowering hospital readmissions: According to a 2019 survey of 2,000 American people, RPM improved health outcomes for 49 percent of respondents and inspired 42 percent to take responsibility for their health. Sixty-eight percent of the 100 physicians who participated in the survey want to utilize RPM in the future, and fifty percent believe that technology has increased patients' access to health and fitness.
Many RPM platforms have as one of their primary objectives the reduction of hospital readmissions, and some have achieved important milestones in this regard.
Influence on clinical trials: Clinical trials, which are essential to the drug-development process, can confront recruitment hurdles. Participants only sometimes meet the periodic check-in requirements for in-person visits.
RPM would permit more reliable data collection and continued clinical trials. Regularly collected data from trial participants via RPM would be more accurate and safer than in-person visits to trial sites.
Accurate data can favor the pharmaceutical sector, while remote data gathering would protect participants from COVID-19.
Supporting telemedicine: Telemedicine visits can be supplemented by RPM, allowing physicians to intervene as soon as a patient's condition deteriorates. For instance, changes such as heart rate oscillations following the administration of a new medication may necessitate an instant telemedicine visit to assess the patient's well-being, adjust medication, or recommend an alternative treatment or alternative behaviors.
This combined use of RPM and telemedicine may raise physicians' and providers' workloads, a concern that must be addressed before implementing this strategy on a large scale.
Lessening dangers: Remote monitoring of health indicators such as blood sugar or heart rate helps avert hospitalization of patients with dangerous illnesses. By remotely monitoring changes in vital bodily indicators, physicians and providers can reduce the likelihood of hospitalization.
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