The advancement in technology is bringing a digital revolution in healthcare. Technologies such as Remote Patient Monitoring, Chronic Care Management, EHR, and more are being widely adopted by providers.
Remote patient monitoring (RPM) allows providers to monitor patient symptoms and vitals from the comfort of their homes. It has features such as telehealth, real-time patient data, and more. This technology allows patients to engage more deeply in their own care, which results in improved patient outcomes.
Why your Practice needs an RPM program?
An efficient Remote Patient Monitoring system in your practice allows you to see patients at a distance. It has several benefits, from fewer hospitalizations, to reduced stays, better preventative care, reduced risk of infection, better health outcomes and less crowded hospitals and clinics. With the help of RPM, providers can remotely monitor a patient’s symptoms and intervene when necessary. These intelligent systems can alert doctors of critical vital signs of patients, allowing doctors to intervene way ahead of time. Providers can also develop care plans specific to the patient. This results in better patient outcomes as patients become more involved and aware of their care. It also helps make care more accessible to those in rural areas or unable to travel.
Integrating RPM successfully into your practice
Integrating RPM into your practice demands planning for successful deployment. Even though each case requires a different strategy, we have outlined a few essential steps you must keep in mind before integrating RPM into your practice:
Step 1: Determine your goals
The first step into creating a successful RPM integration plan is to set clear goals. It is important to outline the specific goals of your organization and what you seek to achieve from this implementation. You must gather data like which patients can be qualified to join the program, list your clinical goals, what sort of patient outcomes do you wish to see etc.
A helpful technique is to make SMART goals:
- Specific: Describe the specific goals you intend to achieve.
- Measurable: What kind of data will let you know you are succeeding?
- Achievable: Make goals that are realistic and achievable
- Relevant: How are your goals relevant to your practice?
- Time-bound: Set clear deadlines
Examples of such goals can be:
- Increasing average blood pressure control in patients
- Bringing patients closer to 130/80 mmHg target.
The clearer your goals are, the more motivated you become, and the more likely you are to achieve your goals.
Step 2: Select a provider
In addition to having a dedicated team, it is crucial to have the ideal RPM partner. Selecting the best RPM supplier is crucial to achieving and meeting your ultimate goals. Thus, think about an RPM that will help in your goal-achieving. The ideal RPM partner will make use of user-friendly mobile applications, secure communication networks, and simple-to-use medical equipment.
The program must also be adaptable to fulfil both the needs of the present and those of the future. The RPM partner ought to assist you and your patients in lowering medical expenses. The most crucial requirement is that it raise patient satisfaction. The more challenging or complex the program is, the less likely you and your patients will use it.
Step 3: Training the staff
An important step in RPM implementation is training of staff. If the staff is not well-educated on the working and processes of RPM software, then the implementation will fail. Thus, it is important to get everyone on board.
Your staff should be educated on how this will change workflows. When the workforce is trained well, tasks can be performed efficiently. Also, a well-trained workforce may be able to recognize and resolve the typical issues that slow down the workflow, which can help you lower expenses and boost productivity.
Step 4: Understand rules, regulations, and reimbursements
The financial goals of your institution will be different. To discuss the financial expectations of your organization, make sure to have a meeting with your internal team. Make sure your team is well-versed in the processes involved in payment, how Medicare and insurance companies handle RPM.
Understanding coding, billing, and reimbursements is crucial in this process. You should be aware of the list of services that are and are not covered by your patients’ health insurance. You must also make sure your team knows about reimbursements, how Medicare and insurance providers treat RPM, and the billing codes you will be using. These rules change so it’s important to keep updating you staff on the latest regulations. Choosing an RPM partner who can help you with coding, invoicing, and reimbursement is also crucial in making sure your implementation is a success.
Step 5: Educate and Train your Patients
Similar to other programs, patient compliance and adherence depend on ease of use. Before implementing the program across your practice, choose a small initial group of patients who you believe can follow directions and offer feedback as a beta to give your RPM program for hypertension control its greatest chance at long-term success. This will give your staff an opportunity to settle in and adapt your procedures, patient-facing paperwork, and explanations to ensure that they are understandable.
Step 6: Deployment
The final stage is the deployment. For RPM, deployment helps you assess if your patients are engaging and adapting well to the program. Gradually, you can assess how your staff and patients are adapting to the system. This way, you can identify areas of improvement.
Conclusion
Your chances of improving patient outcomes and starting a successful RPM practice are good if you have a solid team and a well-defined, patient-focused methodology. CareCloud provides an efficient Remote Patient Monitoring system (RPM) that helps you monitor your patients without the need for a visit.
