Can Remote Patient Monitoring Cut Readmissions by 50%?

Remote patient monitoring, a health tech solution that enables monitoring patient health vitals remotely. It has completely transformed the way traditional how traditional healthcare works.

According to a recent study by Arizona cardiology practice, remote patient monitoring has significantly cut down 50% reduction in hospital readmissions. 

Is it real? How does RPM offer a potential solution to reduce readmission rates by half? This blog post will go through deep insights into a case study of the Arizona cardiology practice. 

Remote Patient Monitoring

Remote Patient Monitoring is a healthcare technology, that is more like telehealth. It allows healthcare providers to monitor patient health vitals like heart rate, blood pressure, pulse, sugar level in blood, and others remotely. 

Without visiting facilities to check vitals, patients can easily monitor and check their vitals remotely and share the vitals with providers electronically. Here is how RPM works:

• Initially, the patient enrolled in the RPM program with necessary equipment like wearable devices or sensors and was given instructions on how to use them.
• The patient is required to use the RPM devices to collect health vitals.
• Transmit the health data to the centralized server or cloud server used by providers.
• Providers receive health data and analyze them to identify potential health issues.
• Receive alerts on abnormalities in patient’s health data and intervene as necessary. 
• Patients will receive feedback on their health status from the providers based on monitored data.

RPM has been popularly used and benefited by patients with chronic health conditions which helps to measure symptoms.

Related: Remote Patient Monitoring CPT Codes: What are the Latest Updates for 2024?

Case Study: The Arizona Cardiology Practice

A cardiology healthcare practice in Arizona has conducted a study with 24 cardiologists involving 26,689 patients.

This study was conducted over 12 months. Among 26689 patients, 1037 were involved in the implementation of the program of remote patient monitoring while 25664 patients were not involved in the implementation of the program of remote patient monitoring.

Out of all the patients who underwent the RPM program, only 7% of such patients have been readmitted to the hospitals after 30 days of enrollment into the RPM program as against 15% of the patients who did not undergo the RPM program.

This shows that remote patient monitoring helps to reduce the chance of patients’ readmission soon after being discharged. The reduction in hospitalization within the 30 days of study has been extended to a year.

Considering that only 10 participants in the program are required to avoid a single hospital readmission, the clinical benefit is astounding. 

The clinical impact of this is over ten times higher than that of conventional treatments like statins, which are taken by millions of individuals to avoid coronary heart disease.

As a result, everyone who meets the requirements ought to sign up for a chronic care management program.

Detailed Results from the Study

The results collected from this case study were impressive. 

Arizona cardiology practices have seen a drastic reduction in hospital readmissions after implementing the RPM program. Here are the key points from the case study:

• 50% Reduction in readmission: The RPM program helped reduce the readmission rate of patients diagnosed with heart conditions in 30-day periods by 50 percent after the execution of the RPM Program.
• Readmission rates: There was 7% readmission occurred for patients using the RPM program. While there was 15% of readmission occurred for patients who were not enrolled in the RPM program within 30 days.

Extended RPM Program results: RPM also resulted in lower readmission rates after implementing it for a longer period.

• 60 days – The readmission rate was at 10% for patients using RPM programs while the non-users were at 21%.
• 90 days – The readmission rate was at 12% for patients using RPM programs while the non-users were at 23%.
• 120 days – The readmission rate was at 14% for patients using RPM programs while the non-users were at 25%.
• 180 days – The readmission rate was at 16% for patients using RPM programs while the non-users were at 27%.
• 365 days – The readmission rate was at 19% for patients using RPM programs while the non-users were at 30%.

Implications of RPM on Healthcare Costs

Also, the implication of RPM has helped to reduce the healthcare cost.

• Heart failure patients have reduced hospitalization by 30% after using RPM. This saves up to $9000 per patient annually.
• RPM lowers diabetes patient admissions by 40%, saving over an average of $5000 per patient annually.
• As per the study, the average cost of cardiac readmission is $15,000 per patient and RPM can reduce this cost.
• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease affected patients’ hospitalization has reduced by 45% after implementing RPM. This results in saving around $7500 per patient annually.
• Hypertension-related hospitalizations have dropped by 50% and reduced an average cost of $4000 per patient annually.

Related: How Integration of Remote Patient Monitoring and Telehealth Benefits

The Broader Impact of RPM on Patient Outcomes

After implementing RPM, the healthcare practice has experienced positive results in patient outcomes. Here are some of the positive outcomes:

• RPM helps to improve patient safety and adherence to medications.
• It allows healthcare providers to detect any potential issues in patient health beforehand and intervene promptly which reduces hospital readmissions.
• Patients can easily manage their health conditions remotely by using RPM to avoid unnecessary hospitalization.
• It promotes better communication between providers and patients, so, that patients can instantly connect with providers for any health-related queries.

Learn More about the Vozo RPM Program

Vozo Remote Patient Monitoring Program

Implementing CPT codes can be challenging for healthcare professionals. By leveraging the Vozo Remote patient monitoring program, providers can automate RPM Medical Coding.

Our initiative RPM Software will generate accurate CPT codes while you provide quality care to patients remotely. Furthermore, the Vozo RPM platform enables healthcare providers to monitor and analyze patient health data and vital signs. 

It is beneficial to communicate with patients digitally to adjust treatment plans and educate them about their health conditions. Our RPM program will help you improve patient health outcomes and reduce readmissions. 

Empower Vozo Remote Patient Monitoring Program to provide healthcare conveniently.