Like a ray of light in the darkness, remote patient monitoring has been a game changer for healthcare systems everywhere. It has moved from strength to strength in recent years, cementing its rank as an invaluable asset in the modern medical world. RPM technologies are shepherding us toward a new and better healthcare delivery methodology, proving its worth as a necessary disruption that’s improving healthcare in many, innovative ways. Close to 24 million patients across America lean on such programs, with millions more around the world reliant upon them for everyday and long-term care. Here are a couple of ways that Remote patient monitoring solutions are revolutionizing healthcare delivery as we know it.
1. RPM is Reducing Wait Times
For a long time, traditional healthcare has always been centralized, in the sense that care is confined to a physical establishment or building. But the downside with this line-by-line approach to service provision is that it leads to long wait times for patients.
In 2023, long wait times sadly continue to be on the surge, with research finding that these durations have soared by 24% since 2004 and by 7% since 2017. These lengthy wait times have crippled access to care and even exposed patients to more risks in the way of healthcare-acquired infections.
With remote patient monitoring in the picture, the average patient wait times are plummeting, and here is a look at how RPM makes this possible:
- Remote patient monitoring streamlines paperwork and data collection which often increases the wait time for patients
- These programs are also streamlining the clinical workflow to free up more time from administrative tasks, thereby affording more opportunities for patient-facing services
- Via SMS reminders, modern RPM solutions are also ensuring lower rates of patient no-shows and improved appointment punctuality for both patient and physician
Facilities everywhere have a great incentive to lower wait times with RPM. That’s because this means better patient satisfaction, from the client’s perspective, and better patient throughput from the facility’s point of view.
2. Healthcare Delivery Becomes Patient-First with RPM
The Personalized Care Institute conducts a yearly survey across the US asking patients about various important healthcare concerns. In 2022, PCI discovered that close to 720,000 patients – which marked approximately 45% of survey respondents- crave more involvement in healthcare decisions
What does this tell us? It simply points to the huge cry for help and implies that conventional healthcare delivery has often left patients on the sidelines, which can make for a very frustrating experience.
Remote patient monitoring flips this approach to healthcare on its head, thrusting the patient to the very forefront of their own care. In a rapidly shifting medical landscape, RPM and virtual care solutions at large are ensuring that patients also get a seat at the table.
These programs are doing that by, first and foremost, enabling easy access to health information by the patient. With RPM technologies and devices, patients can have front-row access to their data, even being able to witness changes or fluctuations in real time.
But that’s not all. When paired with digital health solutions, patients also get 24/7 connectivity to healthcare experts via virtual communication channels. This eases patient education and awareness, enabling them to better understand their data and what it means. The result is active participation in the healthcare process. In short, RPM is ushering a new healthcare delivery model that embraces a patient-first approach.
3. RPM is Affording Location-Flexibility in Healthcare
Rurality and distance have been two enormous impediments to healthcare delivery. Just to paint a picture, over 20% of American citizens live in rural areas, yet less than 10% of the country’s care specialties practice in these regions. This points to a significant disparity, particularly between the demand for healthcare services in rural areas and its supply.
Remote patient monitoring services are eliminating distance from the equation, enabling the dissemination of care from urban facilities to rural patient loads through virtual or digital mechanisms.
As a result of enabling remote care solutions, RPM has helped to achieve the following:
- More affordable healthcare delivery. RPM programs eliminate travel costs and ensure the more efficient use of medical resources and personnel
- Greater patient satisfaction. Fewer in-person visits which result in cost-saving benefits also improve patient confidence and trust in the healthcare provider
- Timely medical assistance as healthcare intervention does not need to wait until a patient walks through the door of a particular healthcare provider. Furthermore, RPM providers can coordinate with the patient’s nearest hospitals to provide specialized medical attention within that locality
4. It is Ensuring Always-On Healthcare Delivery
Chronic illnesses don’t take a break and neither should patient monitoring and care. In the traditional setting, hospitals achieve care continuity through the implementation of shifts. Personnel work intermittently day and night to keep tabs on patient conditions.
But this system only works as long as the patient is within the care of the hospital. Once they leave, healthcare systems “go to sleep” until the next patient visit or appointment, with the effects of this discontinuity more pronounced when it comes to chronic care management. That doesn’t happen with remote patient monitoring.
In the same way RPM eliminates the issue of distance, so too does it do away with the limitations of time-bound care. Remote patient monitoring devices latch onto the patient, providing monitoring even when they are away from the care provider.
Physicians, via user-friendly portals or healthcare management systems, can monitor their patients’ vital, even while doctors themselves are away from the office. The short of it is that care now spans after-hour periods, ensuring early intervention as soon as the patient’s condition worsens, regardless of the time of day.
RPM is Building Momentum
As we’ve learned today, remote patient monitoring is revolutionizing healthcare delivery in many innovative and highly meaningful ways. From tearing down location and time factors to reducing patient wait times and ensuring a healthcare delivery system that never sleeps, RPM is an exciting and emerging care strategy with benefits for patients, shared communities, providers, and hospitals as well. If you’d like to change your healthcare delivery approach for the better, contact Aura Health today for cutting-edge remote patient monitoring solutions.
is Aura’s proprietary digital healthcare platform
