Simply put, Cellular Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM)™ saves providers, patients, and healthcare systems both time and money. The key to these cost-saving benefits is the ability to track patients’ health continuously and remotely. This reduces the need for office visits and hospitalizations and lessens the likelihood of medical emergencies, easing the load and costs associated with operating an emergency room.
Let’s look at how healthcare providers can deliver better patient outcomes with lower costs using cellular RPM.
RPM Reduces Visits to Providers and Hospitals
One of the primary ways cellular RPM lowers healthcare costs is by preventing unnecessary visits to providers and hospitals. Patients with chronic conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), often require frequent, costly visits to their healthcare provider for monitoring and check-ups. Cellular RPM allows patients to monitor their health from the comfort of home, with real-time data transmitted to healthcare providers.
One study1 of RPM on reducing readmissions for cardiovascular care showed a 50% reduction in 30-day readmission rates among patients enrolled in RPM programs compared to those not enrolled. This translates to substantial savings for healthcare systems. In addition, with cellular RPM, providers may be able to spot deteriorating health early, preventing complications, and avoiding costly interventions.
“Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is among the costliest conditions in the United States, and the cost is expected to rise over the next several decades. Hospitalizations contributing the most to annual US health care costs were heart failure ($19 500 [95% CI, $19 300–$19 800] million) and acute myocardial infarction ($18 300, [95% CI, $18 200–$18 500] million)2”.
With continuous access to patient health data, providers can detect early warning signs of potential complications and intervene, preventing expensive hospital stays and emergency room visits. For instance, a patient with heart disease using an RPM device to track vital signs like blood pressure or heart rate can be alerted to a potential issue and their care team can intervene before it becomes severe, reducing the likelihood they will end up hospitalized.
RPM Leads to More Efficient Management of Chronic Conditions
Chronic diseases are a major driver of healthcare costs, accounting for trillions of dollars in annual healthcare expenditures. RPM is particularly effective in managing these long-term conditions, enabling healthcare providers to track patients’ health metrics continuously. This proactive approach helps catch problems before they escalate into costly complications, reducing the need for expensive treatments or hospitalizations.
For instance, patients with diabetes can use cellular RPM to monitor their blood sugar levels and receive real-time feedback from their provider. If a patient's blood sugar readings begin to trend in the wrong direction, providers can adjust treatment plans immediately, potentially avoiding serious complications that could require expensive emergency care. This kind of ongoing remote management helps patients stay healthier while avoiding the costly care associated with unmanaged chronic diseases.
RPM Can Reduce Healthcare Overhead
Because RPM reduces the need for in-person healthcare visits, healthcare providers will have to juggle fewer in-person appointments. This can lead to reduced overhead expenses and even the growth of telehealth services, which require fewer resources.
Healthcare systems can benefit financially from this efficient use of their resources. Providers can see more patients in a shorter amount of time when they don’t have to accommodate as many in-office visits, reducing bottlenecks and wait times.
In addition, financial constraints can significantly hinder a healthcare system’s ability to accommodate new patients. Using a cellular RPM program can mitigate this because it is more affordable for a healthcare system to institute an RPM program than it is to hire more staff or expand facilities.
RPM Can Reduce the Cost of Emergency Care
Emergency care is one of the most expensive aspects of the healthcare system. Patients with poorly managed chronic diseases or acute conditions often end up in emergency rooms, which can lead to significant costs for both patients and the healthcare system. RPM can help reduce emergency room visits by alerting healthcare providers to a patient’s health issues before they become critical.
For example, a patient with COPD can use a cellular RPM device to monitor oxygen levels and respiratory rates. If these metrics indicate that the patient’s condition is worsening, a provider can adjust their treatment plan, potentially eliminating the need for an ER visit.
Other Cost Savings Considerations
By enabling continuous monitoring of patients, cellular RPM reduces hospitalizations, in person appointments, and emergency room visits, which can lower overall healthcare costs. For chronic disease management, which often requires frequent monitoring, RPM can be particularly beneficial.
Better Resource Allocation
Cellular RPM also allows for better resource allocation. Healthcare providers can prioritize patients who need immediate attention, ensuring that resources are used more efficiently. This not only improves patient outcomes but also enhances the overall efficiency of healthcare delivery.
Streamlined Operations
Cellular RPM can streamline healthcare operations by automating data collection and analysis. This automation reduces the administrative burden on healthcare staff, allowing them to focus more on patient care. By optimizing workflow and improving efficiency, healthcare providers can see a direct positive impact on their ROI. Selecting the right RPM or chronic care management (CCM) system is crucial to controlling costs and improving efficiencies because it must be a good fit for the organization, the staff and the patients, in addition to providing accurate and timely patient data.
RPM is Cost-Effective and Patient-Friendly
Cellular RPM is a powerful tool for reducing healthcare costs and empowering patients by reducing provider visits, improving chronic care, and decreasing the need for ER services.
To learn more about cellular RPM and the many ways it can reduce costs, contact us using this form or call 813-773-4080, ext.1.
1 - Case-Study_MD-Revolution-and-Cardiac-Solutions.pdf (mdrevolution.com)
