How Much Does Remote Patient Monitoring Cost and Is It Worth It?

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Overview – The Concept Of Remote Patient Monitoring Cost

Many healthcare professionals turned to remote and virtual patient care as a result of COVID-19. The results have demonstrated these remote care models’ success, even in routine healthcare settings. It is now feasible to monitor some aspects of a patient’s health without an in-person visit thanks to remote patient monitoring (RPM). But what is the cost of remote patient monitoring?

The yearly service and remote patient monitoring cost per patient was between $275 and $7963. It also proved that different programs have different costs depending on what is included in them.  The aforementioned pricing range is incomprehensible at both ends, according to conversations I’ve had with sellers more recently. We go to Products Advice, which has a much more limited price range of $1000 to $2000 as the average yearly cost of remote patient monitoring telehealth per patient, and lists all the main remote patient monitoring products on their website.

Why RPM Is A Cost-Effective Solution?

By 2025, 26.2% of the US population will benefit from the effective remote patient monitoring cost, according to Insider Intelligence’s forecasts. In an MSI International survey titled “American’s Perceptions of Remote Monitoring in Health,” four out of every five patients support RPM. Almost half of respondents indicated they strongly supported including RPM in their present medical care plans.  

Technology for remote patient monitoring makes it possible to remotely gather crucial data that healthcare professionals use to decide how to treat a patient; it is also the basis of what is remote patient monitoring. Being able to make correct diagnoses, deciding on continued care, and avoiding readmissions are all influenced by quick, reliable access to this data. 

Both Patients and doctors may see the advantages of remote monitoring. The MSI research stated that patients understood the pros and cons of patient portals. The importance is mentioned below: 

1. 43% said RPM was convenient. 
2. 39% favored RPM’s care efficiency. 
3. 37% thought using RPM gave them more control over their health. 
4. 36% valued RPM’s increased diagnostic accuracy.
5. 36% recognized RPM’s ability to provide peace of mind.

Overview Of The Different Types Of RPM Programs Available

RPM is getting entrenched into a diverse set of clinical workflows, ready to be prescribed by physicians for their patients with creative ways to increase patient satisfaction

• Digital Therapeutics

The cost of implementing remote patient monitoring is essential to the delivery of digital therapeutics in RPM solutions. Digital therapeutics, the newest of these ideas, refers to using mHealth and telehealth software, tools, and applications to provide “a new category of medical interventions.”

Numerous patient situations, including chronic diseases and a wide range of additional therapies, are under the purview of digital therapeutics as one of the many benefits of remote patient monitoring.

The possibility of digital medicines to act as a step therapy before more intrusive action is taken or as a way to assist in customizing care and minimize difficulties in the treatment of other ailments is one factor supporting this trend, which experts think will develop quickly while in its early stages.

• Post-Discharge Care

In addition to chronic care management, remote patient monitoring is growing as a cost-effective tool in treating high-risk patients. The healthcare teams may better manage the health of high-risk patients in the critically essential period after their discharge from acute care by utilizing RPM to monitor each patient’s vital signs and other crucial data.

These post-discharge services come in two phases: transitional care management (TCM) and primary care management (PCM).

Both PCM and TCM treat high-risk patients with a single high-risk illness, depending on remote patient monitoring. The goal is to prevent readmissions, re-hospitalizations, and the emergence of comorbid conditions in these patients.

• HaH

Hah, or hospital-at-home is a care management model that uses RPM to provide hospital-level care at a patient’s home or residence to encourage participation and results. HaH can be a good strategy for minimizing the risk of hospital infections and freeing up bed space.

Similar to CCM (chronic care management), HaH is used more often with patients with injury or a chronic disease but are stable enough to leave the hospital without risk. It was created to provide a complete alternative to hospital treatment in addition to being employed in a post-acute framework. It also heavily utilizes RPM technology because it is remote-delivered and supported by a round-the-clock clinical service in the backend.

• Population Health Management

Population health management is becoming a crucial component of providing care. A Population Healthcare Model allows doctors to improve outcomes by focusing on specific results, metrics, and accountability standards within particular patient segments. It enables providers to concentrate on effective treatment of the overall patient population.

Remote patient monitoring systems frequently act as the cornerstone of CCM treatment by enabling the regular capture, transmission, and analysis of patient’s vital signs and other significant physiologic data. In addition to this, RPM can enhance the doctor-patient connection by offering improved continuity of care by assisting in more closely coordinating treatment.

Cost Of Implementing Remote Patient Monitoring System

The total number of eligible patients multiplied by the monthly billable codes multiplied by the reimbursement rate yields the potential income for a medical practice. But how much does it cost to implement remote patient monitoring system?

With an average of 10% of Medicare patients and more than 2/3s of those patients having at least one chronic disease, patient panels typically have a size between 1,800 and 2,000. Keeping these criteria in mind, a practice might anticipate making between $144,000 and $160,000 per physician from remote monitoring of its chronically sick Medicare patients, assuming an average yearly income per chronic illness of about $100.

RPM lowers medical expenses by assisting doctors in seeing changes in a patient’s condition before they become serious. It enables healthcare professionals to take action before a hospital stay is required or can assist in identifying and treating acute diseases before they necessitate emergency treatment

It is crucial to emphasize that increased outreach to certain patient demographics, such as those with chronic illnesses, the elderly, and those living in rural locations, led to greater returns on investment for both patients and their healthcare professionals. The hospital patient flows best practices and their providers frequently widen their patient networks to include people who need it the most by lowering their need for traveling and other related expenses.

Breakdown of Possible Fees Incurred With Remote Patient Monitoring Cost

Here are a few examples of remote patient monitoring that possibly affect the cost of the implementation processes.

1. Sensors

Devices that use sensors to monitor the patient’s vital signs are referred to as sensors. There are, in general, external devices and wearable gadgets. They’re both wireless. Wearables, such as smartwatches with activity, sleep, and pulse detectors, or smart patches that you apply to a portion of your body to gather various indicators, and the cost of remote patient monitoring devices are typically higher.

2. Training And Setup

Utilizing anything outside of the box is fantastic. It is also less expensive because the software and hardware setup of all the remote patient monitoring devices has been standardized in advance. For businesses that have never done this before, having assistance during the first rollout phase is a relief and justifies the setup price. If you need considerable customization and integration, be prepared to spend extra because the training sessions are provided for free.

3. Staff

Since personnel is typically not included in the price of a remote patient monitoring kit, this may be a little outside the scope of an RPM system. However, hiring employees how to implement a patient portal system is a significant cost factor when designing any project. A virtual nurse takes care of 80–100 patients. You can divide their annual income by 80–100 to estimate the annual staffing expenditures per patient.

4. Connectivity And Mobile Devices

The most popular mobile devices for remote patient monitoring programs are tablets and mobile phones. Smartphones cost more than tablets. Tablets would be the best choice if you decide to allocate a portion of the budget for gadgets while calculating remote patient monitoring costs.

5. Fees For Subscription and Maintenance

The final cost of remote patient monitoring system is double if you choose to have a doctor- and patient-facing software platform. There are devices available that transfer data directly to the care team without needing a patient-facing software platform, but the patient is kept in the dark about what is happening. On the physician’s end, they could receive a comparable or different interface that enables remote communication and care coordination for their patients.

6. Customer Service

There are many tiers of customer service. The remote patient monitoring cost will change according to how quickly and frequently assistance is provided. Some businesses solely use ticket-based systems, making it impossible to communicate instantly. Others will set up phone and chat lines that are always open so you may obtain the assistance you require.

Ways To Cut Costs When Investing In An RPM Program

As healthcare providers evaluate how to improve patient experience in hospitals to enhance patient care and improve revenue, it becomes crucial to determine ways to cut costs when investing in it.

1. Cost Evaluation

Analyze the expenses of installing and sustaining an RPM program to start. This covers the initial investments made in hardware, software integration, personnel training, and technical support services. To fully comprehend the financial ramifications, carefully evaluate the one-time and ongoing costs.

2. Improved Use Of Resources

RPM can maximize how your practice uses its resources. Analyze the time and effort saved by cutting back on in-person follow-ups and monitoring. Think about the possible increase in patient capacity brought on by the increased efficiency brought on by RPM. Determine the effect on physician productivity, nursing staff efficiency, and overall workflow improvement.

3. Revenue Possibilities

Determine the possible sources of income that RPM can produce when you know what is remote patient monitoring in telehealth better. Good providers and other payers will compensate you for remote monitoring services when the specific requirements are satisfied. Learn the payment rules and codes that apply to your practice and patient base.

4. Retention And Patient Satisfaction

Patients who are happy with their service are more likely to return to your office. Analyze the retention rates, feedback, and patient satisfaction scores for individuals taking part in RPM programs. Long-term revenue development is facilitated by satisfied and engaged patients who are more likely to follow prescribed treatment programs and refer your practice to others.

Final Words

In the end, RPM’s cost-effective strategy for managing patients across their lifetimes to anticipate financial recovery and excellent returns on your investment is the best remote patient monitoring cost can offer to you.

FAQs: Remote Patient Monitoring Cost

How cost-effective is remote patient monitoring?

Remote monitoring is a high-value form of treatment since the base-case incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was $10 752 per year of quality-adjusted life. In conclusion, RPM provides a practical method for managing patients with implanted cardioverter-defibrillators over the long term.

What is the average cost of RPM?

The projected overall cost of implementing RPM was $4,374,544, with an average yearly program cost of $1,249,870, or US$3207 for each participant (n = 1364) who completed the three-month program.

How is patient data collected and stored?

Patients can be interviewed in a clinical context, asked to fill out a paper form, or asked to complete an online form, among other methods, to gather patient data. Observations take place every time the healthcare staff interacts with the client or other support personnel. The majority of interviewing occurs during the nurse’s health history. The primary technique in physical health evaluations is examination.

Are there any long-term savings associated with remote patient monitoring?

For decision-makers considering RPM investment options for managing chronic diseases, RPM’s overall health economic evidence is helpful. RPM was much more cost-effective than standard therapy for hypertension, where additional cost savings may be realized over the long run due to the avoidance of expensive health events.

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