Beyond the Basics: Expanding the Scope of Remote Patient Monitoring for Chronic Disease Management

Nearly 133 million people in the United States of America are suffering from chronic diseases. With the rising aging population in the country, the number is bound to increase at a staggering rate. This has increased the burden on the already burdened healthcare industry.

While some healthcare providers are struggling to manage chronically ill patients, some are struggling to manage their healthcare resources. Finding a way out of these tricky situations, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services introduced the Remote Patient Monitoring Program, which has changed the game for healthcare providers in going beyond the basics of traditional healthcare practices.

But how has remote patient monitoring changed the game for chronic disease management?

Let’s find out in this blog post and also see how the rise in the adoption of remote patient monitoring software is changing the landscape of healthcare practices.

Traditional Applications of RPM in Chronic Disease Management

Remote patient monitoring has proved itself capable of managing a lot of serious chronic conditions like heart disease, asthma, hypertension, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, kidney diseases, cancer, and even mental health conditions.

But how does RPM help in managing these conditions?

A major part of remote patient monitoring involves collecting physiological data and monitoring patients’ basic data vitals on a day-to-day basis. These data provide crucial insights into the patient’s health and how the patient’s body is reacting to the prescribed treatment and medication.

This equips healthcare providers with enough insights to proactively manage patients to manage chronic diseases without even the need for patients to visit the healthcare facility. Along with that, with RPM software, they can easily ensure medication adherence and early detection of any complication that can arrive.

Expanding the Scope of RPM: Data-Driven Insights

Since RPM involves collecting of psychological data of patients and make informed decisions about patient health on the basis of that, it automatically turns the healthcare practices data-driven. Along with that with advanced features like data analytics, large amounts of RPM data can be analyzed which will further help healthcare providers in making informed decisions to improve patient health outcomes.

With these features, healthcare providers can easily identify unqiue trends and patterns in patient’s health. This way providers can easily provide preventive care along with personalized care. Furthermore, with respect to the data and the unique needs of patient, providers can easily adjust their medication plans and take effective preventive measures to avoid any further complications.

RPM for Behavioural Monitoring & Interventions

Remote patient monitoring also allows continuous monitoring of unique health patterns and trends of patients. This is important because the behavioral health of the patient leaving a significant impact of their chronic illness.

For instance, monitoring how the patient’s body reacts to the diet they are taking to physical activities and sleep patterns with wearable technology integrated with RPM can deliver real-time monitoring of the patient’s vital activity. This data can be used by healthcare providers to provide feedback in real-time and intervene whenever necessary to improve their health behavior by taking proactive measures like medication reminders and assigning educational material to raise awareness.

The Role of RPM in Mental Health Management

Concerns about mental health are one of the hottest topics in the healthcare industry across the world. While many patients dealing with mental conditions don’t seek help, it makes the situation even more complicated for them, resulting in serious mental health illnesses like anxiety and depression.

However, the introduction of remote patient monitoring has helped patients to openly seek help about their conditions. Along with that, the convenience and comfort it has provided in providing consultations remotely have changed the entire dynamics of mental healthcare service.

With RPM providers can monitor essential symptoms like mood swings, sleep patterns, etc. This way the gaps in care can be easily identified and effective interventions can be taken to improve patient health conditions.

The Future of RPM: Closing the Feedback Loop

With the exclusive and lucrative benefits of remote patient monitoring software and programs, it can be argued that it has the potential to redefine the healthcare landscape completely. For instance, with EHR integration with remote patient monitoring, providers can instantly get a holistic view of patient health which can provide them enough insights to effectively treat chronic conditions.

Furthermore, as discussed earlier, RPM has the potential to change the nature healthcare from reactive to proactive by improving communication and collaboration between patients and providers. Meaning with the help of data collected both patients and providers can effectively communicate and take effective measures to improve patient health outcomes.

However, with the introduction of advanced technologies like AI and ML, there are some ethical considerations regarding the implementation of RPM software. Here, some measures must be taken to ensure the ethical use of the RPM data. One of the best ways to achieve that is to implement robust security measures like APIs and role-based access control.

Conclusion

As the adoption rate of remote patient monitoring software is on the rise, its relevance in effective chronic disease management is now making a permanent place. From imbibing data-driven healthcare practices to changing the very nature of healthcare delivery from reactive to proactive, it has the potential to revolutionize the entire healthcare industry.

So, what are you waiting for? Click here to book your free consultation call for robust remote patient monitoring software and program today.