What Chronic Conditions Does Remote Patient Monitoring Cover?
By
Nsight Health
·
4 minute read
Chronic illnesses are the leading driver of healthcare costs and the main cause of illness, disability, and death in the United States. Chronic and mental health conditions account for 90% of America’s $4.5 trillion annual healthcare expenditures, according to the Centers for Disease Control.[1] The demand for interventions to manage these diseases has spurred technological advancements in health care, like remote patient monitoring (RPM). RPM has substantial health and economic benefits, and its uses are increasing. The RPM model naturally lends itself to Chronic care management (CCM), and the results are measurable and positive.
What is Chronic Care Management?
Chronic illnesses require consistent, ongoing medical care. In broad terms, a ‘chronic disease’ lasts a year or more, limits daily activities, and worsens over time. While treatment can control symptoms, chronic diseases have no cure. Chronic conditions absorb resources because they necessitate personalized care plans and support, including regular check-ups, home health services, treatment adjustments, and follow-ups. CCM involves the intricate coordination of the medical services that chronic care patients receive, such as exams and therapy, medication management, health coaching, and education. CCM supports patients in managing their conditions while preventing complications, reducing hospitalizations, and improving outcomes. RPM fulfills the needs of CCM by monitoring and tracking patients’ vitals and symptoms digitally and transmitting the information to a care team, thereby reducing the need for in-person visits while maintaining a high standard of care.
How Remote Patient Monitoring Supports Chronic Care Management
Using RPM technology, healthcare providers can proactively assess a patient’s health. With real-time tracking, they can identify issues early, respond to concerns, and promptly adjust treatment plans. RPM securely and remotely delivers medical data from patients to healthcare providers, enabling patients with chronic conditions to record their health metrics at home. RPM works with medical devices like glucose meters, blood pressure monitors, and wearable fitness trackers to transmit information such as heart rate, heart rhythm, blood oxygen, weight, blood pressure, and blood sugar to an RPM clinical team and the provider. RPM can provide personalized care, improve patient engagement and medication adherence, enhance the communication between patient and provider, and reduce healthcare costs. CCM has been a game changer for certain chronic conditions, such as:
- Diabetes: In 2021, 38.4 million Americans had diabetes, and 1.2 million Americans are diagnosed with it every year.[2] Globally, it is among the most prevalent chronic conditions. Effective diabetes treatment relies on consistent adherence to dietary requirements and regular monitoring of blood glucose levels. Patients can monitor their blood sugar levels during the day using blood glucose meters that integrate with RPM technology to feed information to their provider and healthcare team. The user pricks their finger to get a blood sample for testing and uses the reader to determine the milligrams of glucose per deciliter. RPM supports diabetics in their treatment with medication reminders and alerts providers of missed doses. RPM can also use patient readings to provide lifestyle and dietary insights.
- Hypertension (High blood pressure): High blood pressure is known as the ‘silent killer’ because often no symptoms are present. Those who have the condition and are aware of it need to monitor it carefully because of its connection to heart attacks, strokes, and kidney disease. It can even cause loss of vision.[3] Traditional in-office blood pressure monitoring only provides a glimpse of a patient’s blood pressure status, especially as many factors can affect it. RPM’s systematic recording provides a complete picture of a patient’s blood pressure over time. Daily monitoring detects blood pressure fluctuations, signaling prompt intervention that can prevent hospitalizations or life-threatening events from occurring.
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD): COPD restricts airflow through the lungs in one or more ways: inflammation, damage to air sacs or their walls, and excess mucus. This decreased airflow causes reduced oxygen to the bloodstream, which causes damage to cells, tissues, and organs. Patients with COPD must continually monitor their oxygen levels and lung function. RPM makes the process considerably easier for patients with breathing difficulties by reducing office visits and the physical effort required to receive care. Tools like spirometers and pulse oximeters enable patients to record their oxygen saturation and lung function at home, simultaneously reporting the data to healthcare providers. It can also show early signs of exacerbations, like increased coughing, to alert providers of changes or worsening conditions. RPM systems notify patients when to take their medication. They can also track their treatment adherence, improving their quality of life.
- Heart Disease: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide.[4] Heart disease encompasses several conditions with a commonality of plaque build-up within the arteries. The plaque causes a narrowing of the arteries, which inhibits blood flow around the body, increasing the risk of heart attack, heart failure, and stroke. RPM can help cardiac patients manage their conditions by monitoring their blood pressure, heart rate, and weight. RPM can avoid hospital readmission for cardiac patients who have undergone surgery or are recovering from heart episodes. Through RPM, providers receive immediate alerts of irregularities or concerning changes in a patient’s condition. RPM also tracks recovery progress and whether patients follow their prescribed treatment plans. Finally, RPM devices can measure fluid retention, weight fluctuations, and heart function for patients suffering from congestive heart failure.
RPM has been making strides in the treatment and management of chronic disease. Continuous monitoring allows for personalized care and timely interventions for a growing number of chronic conditions, which include hypertension, heart disease, COPD, and diabetes. As technology advances, RPM will expand its uses, raising the standard of care, transforming its delivery, and improving outcomes and the quality of life for those suffering from chronic illness. To learn more about CCM and the devices available through Nsight Health, click HERE to schedule a demo today.
To learn more about RPM devices and CCM through Nsight, click HERE to schedule a demo today. Whether you are a patient or provider looking to learn more about RPM, we would love to hear from you.
Sources
[1] https://www.cdc.gov/chronic-disease/data-research/facts-stats/index.html
[2] https://diabetes.org/about-diabetes/statistics/about-diabetes
[4] https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/the-top-10-causes-of-death