RPM (Remote Patient Monitoring) Gaining Momentum According to Xealth

There has been a lot of chatter recently about Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM), but is it real? Are healthcare organizations actually deploying RPM in meaningful ways or is it just talk? Xealth, makers of a platform that allows physicians to prescribe apps, devices, and services, have seen first-hand an increasing number of organizations leveraging RPM technology.

Telehealth Boom. RPM Echo.

Over the past year, telehealth has exploded. MGMA’s Stat 2020 Year in Review survey found a staggering 97% of physician practices had expanded their use of telehealth.

As patients and physicians grow more accustomed to convenience of telehealth, there is mounting pressure on provider organizations to offer more than consultations. The genie is out of the bottle and patients are asking for more remote health options. They do not want to come in for routine measurements if they don’t have to. The answer is RPM.

The American Heart Association has this to say about RPM: “It can empower patients to better manage their health and participate in their health care. When used by clinicians, RPM can provide a more holistic view of a patient’s health over time, increase visibility into a patient’s adherence to a treatment, and enable timely intervention before a costly care episode.”

MGMA’s survey showed that only 21% of practices offer RPM, but that number is growing with each passing month. If Telehealth is the “boom”, then RPM is definitely the “echo”.

Unique position

Healthcare IT Today, reached out to Xealth to get the company’s take on RPM adoption. They are in a unique position to see first-hand the true utilization (or lack of use) of RPM.

According to Mike McSherry, CEO of Xealth, the company offers a platform that enables clinicians to prescribe and then monitor patient activity using a range of 3rd party tools. They have integrated with over 50 different vendors that offer a wide range of solutions including: patient education, diabetes management, pulse oximeters, and general services. The company works with over a dozen of the leading hospital systems across the country including UPMC, Advocate, Duke, Mass General and Baylor Scott & White.

Healthcare IT Today sat down with McSherry to ask if Xealth is seeing an increase in physicians prescribing RPM through their platform.

“We are seeing a rapid rise of RPM solutions,” confirmed McSherry. “Because of COVID, every disease state needs an RPM solution.”

RPM Growth

Before COVID, explained McSherry, physicians used Xealth to prescribe apps to patients. A common example was an app that helped mothers get answers to questions around gestational development (ie: how she should be feeling from month 2 to 9).

When the pandemic hit, these healthy mom/healthy baby checkups could be done virtually as long as the patient had the right equipment at home: a weight scale, tape measure and a blood pressure device.

“Suddenly RPM got stood up in maternity care, cardiac care, and behavioral health” said McSherry. “We’ve seen an explosion of RPM both at the broad kit levels from companies like Vivify, VitalTech, Validic as well as the individual apps and devices that manage disease states. It’s just really blossomed and bloomed.“

An RPM Example

In the early days of the pandemic (March) at Providence in Seattle, there was a crush of people coming into the ER. News that COVID-19 had been confirmed in the US, spurred people to get themselves checked out. At the time, there wasn’t an easy way for the health system to monitor patients remotely to see if sniffles and fevers developed into something more serious.

Xealth, in partnership with Twistle, helped Providence ship pulse oximeters and thermometers to patients. The data collected from these devices was sent back to Providence where it was analyzed, and those patients deemed at risk were asked to come back into the ER.

Added Benefit

There is a hidden benefit to RPM that does not get much press – the comfort it gives patients knowing they are being monitored. When dealing with a chronic condition or disease, it is reassuring to know that there is a team of clinicians on the other end of the medical device in your home.

“There is absolutely a psychological benefit to RPM,” said McSherry. “Patients value the connection with their provider and convenience that is afforded by being monitored at home. There’s also a guilt factor towards patient adherence called the Sentinel Effect. When patients are aware their doctor is monitoring their behavior, patients are far more likely to model the recommended usage of that app, device, or regimen.”

With added benefits like this, it won’t be long before we are talking about an RPM boom.

Watch the full interview with McSherry to learn:

  • How Xealth teamed with Kroger to deliver meals to patients during COVID
  • How Xealth was able to increase advance directives engagement by 600%
  • Why a tailored, interactive communication strategy is more effective than flyers or announcements
  • Why RPM is about so much more than devices and data

Learn more about Xealth: https://www.xealth.com/

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About the author

Colin Hung

Colin Hung is the co-founder of the #hcldr (healthcare leadership) tweetchat one of the most popular and active healthcare social media communities on Twitter. Colin speaks, tweets and blogs regularly about healthcare, technology, marketing and leadership. He is currently an independent marketing consultant working with leading healthIT companies. Colin is a member of #TheWalkingGallery. His Twitter handle is: @Colin_Hung.

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