The growth of telehealth and value-based care represents linked forces for improving healthcare value and affordability for both patients and providers. This article discusses how telehealth and remote patient monitoring (RPM) create positive outcomes, reduce costs, and transform healthcare investment.
The Rise of Telehealth and Value-Based Care
Value-based care is part of a larger quality strategy that aims to reform how healthcare is delivered and paid. The model is a priority for healthcare leaders and incentivizes providers to improve the quality rather than quantity of care. Under the value-based care model, providers earn rewards for helping patients enhance their health, prevent chronic illness, and live healthier. With telehealth, patients can access healthcare remotely without visiting providers in person.
In addition to in-person appointments, patients can connect with providers through secure video chat, phone calls, messaging, email, and remote patient monitoring. Remote monitoring allows patients to share vital sign data from home to help providers track progress. Value-based care and remote health technologies are complementary tools that enable more proactive, efficient, and patient-centered care.
Telehealth and remote patient monitoring healthcare methods are growing due to incentives to develop value-based healthcare further. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) created 5 CPT codes to expedite value-based care administration. CPT codes allow providers to receive reimbursement for remote health services. Payment for RPM services includes medical device setup, patient education, and time dedicated to treatment management for providers.
Remote Patient Monitoring for Value-Based Care in Hospitals
In 2012, before a telehealth and value-based care models, CMS launched the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) in 2012. Under HRRP, hospitals face financial penalties if patients with chronic conditions like heart failure or COPD are readmitted within 30 days post-discharge. This motivates better engagement in discharge planning and alignment with value-based care goals of improving quality and outcomes.
The specific conditions covered in HRRP include:
- acute myocardial infarction
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- heart disease and heart failure
- pneumonia
- coronary artery bypass graft surgery
- elective primary total hip arthroplasty or total knee arthroplasty
COPD is the third leading cause of death worldwide. Studies in the U.S. and U.K. show that up to 20% of COPD patients discharged from hospitals are readmitted within 30 days. Additionally, treatment costs are estimated at $4,322 per patient per year. However, research shows that measuring vital signs with remote patient monitoring improves COPD patients’ abilities to self-manage and decreases economic and clinical concerns. The following sections discuss how RPM can reduce costs, hospital readmissions and increase patient education, satisfaction, and adherence to treatment plans.
The Benefits of Value-Based Healthcare and Remote Patient Monitoring
When patients are discharged from the hospital, they may not see a physician again until their next in-person appointment, risking deterioration. However, telehealth and remote patient monitoring interventions can aid in prevention. Physicians regularly monitor discharged patients’ daily health data, such as blood pressure, weight, temperature, blood glucose, and respiratory flow.
Physicians can quickly intervene if readings are abnormal, maximizing patient value and prevention. Rather than focusing narrowly on cost reduction, RPM enables providers to achieve broader healthcare value for patients. The success of value-based care can be measured through evidence-based health indicators like survival rates and health and recovery status over time.
Value-Based Care Reducing Readmissions and Costs
Telehealth and value-based care are not simply about cutting costs, it is also about reducing hospital readmissions. Effective RPM programs facilitate early detection and intervention, preventing hospital readmissions and reducing healthcare costs. Telehealth and remote patient monitoring allow clinicians to identify complications early and quickly intervene to reduce hospital readmissions and avoid penalties. A recent systematic literature review published in BMJ Open showed remote patient monitoring reduced acute care use for cardiovascular and COPD patients.
Roughly 75% of healthcare expenditures come from the 100 million Americans with chronic conditions. Furthermore, chronic diseases produce a significant economic burden on healthcare organizations. For this reason, remote patient monitoring can substantially lower healthcare spending for patients and healthcare systems compared to standard or usual care. For example, according to a study published in June 2022, RPM was highly cost-effective in cases of hypertension and cost-effective for treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and heart failure. Additionally, research supports that COPD patients who received telemonitoring experienced significantly fewer acute exacerbations and hospitalizations.
Patient Education with Telehealth and Value-Based Care
According to a U.K. study published in February 2022, initiating electronic patient-reported outcome systems (ePROs) to patients with epilepsy, sleep apnea, diabetes, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and HIV led to “significant reductions in outpatient appointments and the timely provision of interventions.” ePROs are a digital collection patient-reported outcomes (PROs.) Patients can complete PRO questionnaires on digital electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets or computers, and the results are transmitted to clinicians in real-time.
Knowing that a healthcare provider can answer questions can put a patient at ease. Telehealth and value-based care is at work when a patient can ask questions that may reduce the need to visit a hospital or healthcare provider. At the same time, questions about potentially concerning results can be flagged with an alert and routed to a provider dashboard for immediate action by a medical team member. The previously referenced study also showed that simpley explaining the process and discussing the results with patients during appointments enabled better understanding and documentation of patient symptoms, timely interventions, and enhanced patient–physician interactions.
Increased Treatment Adherence
Treatment adherence is the extent to which a person takes prescribed medication, follows a diet, or executes lifestyle changes corresponds with agreed recommendations from a health care provider. Hospitals and providers can improve patient treatment adherence by leveraging telehealth and remote monitoring technologies. For example, with medication and appointment alerts, physicians can send reminders to help patients adhere to their medication and measurement schedules.
Clarity around patient adherence is critical for implementing remote patient monitoring in a medical system. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends measuring blood pressure outside clinical settings. Participants in a newly published study favored home blood pressure monitoring for taking daily blood pressure readings, followed by clinic, kiosks, and ambulatory monitoring. The study authors support the routine use of remote blood pressure monitoring in primary care practice in the U.S.
Healthcare organizations can better engage and empower patients by matching care delivery to individual needs. Additionally, technology that enables easy patient engagement outside medical settings expands reach. User-friendly, personalized care drives patient engagement across access points, supporting shared health outcome goals.
Telehealth and Value-Based Care: Patient Satisfaction
Healthcare organizations can measure technologies in telehealth on value-based care according to patient satisfaction. Indeed, patient satisfaction is a good indicator of telehealth and RPM’s sustainability. Telehealth and remote patient monitoring reassure patients that their medical team is continually monitoring their health.
A recent study of cardiac electrophysiology patients supports this. The research showed no significant differences in clinical outcomes between a remote management strategy and traditional in-person visits. Patients overall preferred virtual visits over in-person visits. Most participants stated that televisits were better for their finances, accessibility, and convenience.
Patient satisfaction with telehealth has also been shown in oncology care. As we shift toward a hybrid healthcare system of virtual and in-person modalities, telehealth represents a new standard of care. Therefore, it is essential to consider telehealth and RPM technologies that can add value from the patient’s perspective.
Tenovi Remote Patient Monitoring
The Boston Consulting Group reports that many healthcare providers believe that 60% of patient interactions for primary care will be conducted virtually within three to five years. Adopting remote patient monitoring to meet requirements for value-based healthcare can create a more efficient workflow or increase revenue. Tenovi can help you find a better solution. Book a free RPM demo today.
