The term “remote health” refers to accessing healthcare services, consultations, and monitoring a patient’s health status from a distance. It typically relies on digital technologies such as computers and mobile devices. Remote patient health encompasses telehealth, telemedicine, remote patient monitoring (RPM), and remote therapeutic monitoring (RTM). These services allow patients to connect with healthcare providers without visiting a clinic in person.
The shift to remote health has been due to technological advancements and the need to address healthcare disparities, accessibility for underserved populations, and improve patient outcomes. This article will explore the different aspects of remote health, including technology, effectiveness, and how billing works.
Key Areas of Remote Health
The digital health technologies commonly used in remote patient health include video calls, secure messaging, remote patient monitoring devices, or mobile apps. These medical technologies connect patients with their healthcare teams. Digital health technologies help when in-person healthcare visits are challenging.
Remote patient health has become a valuable tool during public health crises and for people with limited mobility or those living in remote areas. Remote health technologies enhance healthcare accessibility, convenience, and efficiency and alleviate strain on physical healthcare infrastructure. Remote patient health encompasses a broad spectrum of services, spanning various critical areas in modern healthcare delivery.
Some of these areas include the following.
- Teleconsultation: Patients can consult with healthcare providers for non-emergency medical issues without needing in-person visits. This not only offers convenience but also reduces the burden on healthcare facilities.
- Remote patient monitoring: Wearable devices and sensors allow physicians to remotely monitor patients’ vital signs, chronic conditions, and recovery progress. This proactive approach to healthcare management aids in early intervention and better outcomes.
- Mental health: Teletherapy and online counseling services make mental health support more accessible and convenient, addressing the growing need for mental health services and reducing the stigma associated with seeking help.
- Specialist consultations: Remote health connects patients with specialists across different geographical locations, ensuring timely access to expertise. This is particularly beneficial for patients in underserved or rural communities.
- Medication adherence (RTM): Patients can receive prescription refills or manage medication with remote therapeutic monitoring. This can enhance medication adherence and reduce the risk of complications.
- Chronic disease management: Remote health solutions help patients manage chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease more effectively. Regular monitoring and timely interventions can improve the quality of life for those with chronic conditions.
Advancing Healthcare Through Remote Health
In 2021, hypertension affected 43.4% of adults in West Virginia. Cabin Creek Health Systems (CCHS) introduced a remote blood pressure monitoring program to combat this issue. The aim was to reduce hypertension and its associated chronic diseases. The Health Resources and Services Administration supported the program until February 2023.
At mid-point, researchers analyzed data from 234 patients enrolled in the program. At the start, 86.0% of patients had uncontrolled hypertension. That dropped to 41.9% at follow-up. Notably, no patients were in hypertensive crisis at follow-up, compared to 11.1% at the start. Patients with controlled blood pressure levels increased from 14.1% at enrollment to 58.1% at follow-up, a 44.0% rise.
This remote blood pressure monitoring substantially reduced uncontrolled hypertension in rural health centers. The study demonstrates the power of remote health in improving patient outcomes, serving as a valuable model for similar initiatives.
Effectiveness of Remote Healthcare
Remote health has been shown to be most effective in managing chronic conditions. However, several areas in healthcare are listed below where remote patient health has become a valuable tool.
Primary Care: Routine check-ups, minor illnesses, and preventive care can often be effectively managed through remote health services. Research shows that remote patient monitoring billing increased fourfold in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the top remote patient monitoring procedure claims volumes have surged 1,300% since 2019.
Follow-up care: Patients recovering from surgeries or managing chronic conditions can benefit from remote monitoring and follow-up consultations. Virtual follow-up care in surgical oncology offers timely care and are shown to be as safe as in-person appointments for assessing complications and recurrence.
Behavioral health: Mental health services such as therapy and counseling, are highly accessible and effective through remote health platforms. A study reports that telehealth is a viable care alternative, with no significant differences in depressive symptom reduction between the in-person and telehealth groups. Both groups reported significant increases in quality of life.
Specialist consultations: Specialists provide advanced care compared to primary care providers, but accessibility can be limited by factors such as physician referrals, geographic location, and insurance coverage. In rural communities, telehealth links patients to specialized medical services not readily available locally, offering the convenience of avoiding extra visits, scheduling, and waiting times when specialists are accessible for telehealth appointments.
Remote Patient Health Billing
Billing for remote health services is handled similarly to in-person visits. Healthcare providers bill patients’ insurance or charge them directly for the services provided. Many insurance companies now cover telehealth visits, making remote health even more accessible to patients. Below, we list the major differences between Medicare billing for remote patient monitoring and telehealth services.
Type of service: With remote patient monitoring patient’s must use FDA-cleared RPM devices for at least 16 days per month to qualify for Medicare reimbursement. While telehealth provides live virtual, interactive communication between in-person visits, with billing based on time spent.
Location: Telehealth requires the patient to be at an originating site, which can be a healthcare facility, while RPM allows patients to take vital sign measurements from their own homes or locations of choice without site restrictions.
Service provider: Telehealth services are typically provided by specific healthcare professionals, whereas RPM services can be performed by a broader range of providers, including third-party RPM companies, under general supervision, leading to increased accessibility and revenue potential.
Medicare does not classify RPM or RTM as telehealth services, allowing for more flexible reimbursement terms. RPM offers benefits such as reduced hospitalizations, shorter hospital stays, fewer emergency room visits, better health outcomes in rural areas, improved chronic condition management, and reduced risk of exposure to illnesses like COVID-19. This quick reference guide can be used for the 5 RPM CPT codes, reimbursement rates, and billing requirements.
Tenovi’s Role in the Remote Health Revolution
Remote health monitoring companies like Tenovi play a vital role in modern healthcare by offering comprehensive solutions that enhance patient care through innovation and support for chronic care management, telehealth, and remote patient monitoring. Tenovi is at the forefront of powering the remote health revolution. Tenovi can assist your healthcare partners in adopting remote patient monitoring for various purposes, such as enhancing patient engagement, streamlining workflows, or boosting revenue, by helping them identify the most suitable remote patient monitoring solution. You can book a free demo today.
