5 tips for a successful RPM program

Value-based care payment models and reimbursement changes from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) prompted adoption of remote patient monitoring (RPM) programs in practices nationwide. COVID-19, however, sent that adoption into overdrive with as many as 30 million patients expected to use some type of RPM tool by 2024. Although the COVID-19 pandemic may be waning in the U.S., RPM adoption will continue.

RPM’s continued growth can be attributed to many reasons. Most significantly, RPM helps improve patient adherence and outcomes, which reduces overall health care spending. RPM itself can be less costly if it helps practices work more efficiently, but that fact is highly dependent on the technology used to support an RPM program. By increasing adherence, an RPM program can ultimately drive the patient engagement that leads to long-term patient retention—which can improve a practice’s bottom line.

Creating an RPM program that drives such engagement can be challenging. Here are five important tips for success.

RPM is here to stay

Adoption and capabilities of consumer-grade health monitoring devices is rapidly advancing. For example, the newest version of the Apple Watch can now detect blood oxygen levels and sleeping respiratory rates while new consumer weight scales can measure a person’s vascular age and deliver a full-body composition analysis, including bone mass.

Patient engagement with these devices is driving demand for and familiarity with data-driven monitoring of their health, which can work synergistically with an RPM program at your practice. Technology selection is crucial; your program must be able to efficiently manage incoming data and turn it into meaningful information and insight. With an intuitive interface and automated administrative tasks, reminders, and communication, the technology can enable care managers to focus on the highest-need patients to prevent unnecessary care utilization, reducing costs and improving outcomes.

The resulting engagement as well as positive outcomes and financial returns will turn RPM into an indispensable part of your practice.

Matt Racki is Chief Technology Officer at Epion Health.