Interestingly, many patients eligible for bariatric surgery never receive the planned surgical intervention. This article covers remote weight monitoring, remote patient monitoring (RPM) scale features, and how to leverage remote weight monitoring best to help patients meet pre- and post-bariatric surgery goals.
What is Remote Weight Monitoring?
Remote patient monitoring weight scales are valuable in many healthcare settings, such as hospitals, nursing homes, and healthcare provider practices. A remote patient monitoring scale is similar to a standard weight scale used at home. However, an RPM scale has added features and automatically transmits patient data wirelessly. How the data is transmitted and scale features vary depending on the remote patient monitoring device manufacturer.
Remote weight monitoring is used for managing many health conditions. For example, patients with chronic diseases like diabetes, congestive heart failure, or obesity can use remote weight monitoring to track their weight. Moreover, RPM allows patients with chronic diseases and those preparing for or recovering from surgery to conduct weigh-ins in the comfort and privacy of their homes.
The patient’s weight data is used to monitor the patient’s health over time. This allows healthcare professionals to track their patient’s progress and make any necessary adjustments to treatment plans. In addition, physicians can access all patient data quickly from anywhere to make decisions regarding the patient’s care. Physicians can also set thresholds to alert them of any drastic changes in a patient’s weight.
Remote Patient Monitoring & Weight Loss
According to the CDC, more than 42 million Americans are obese, increasing their risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, and premature death. Telehealth and remote patient monitoring benefit patients by helping them easily track their weight between office visits. Accumulating evidence shows telemedicine interventions are leading to meaningful clinical improvements in body weight, physical activity, and nutrition. A recent study of an RPM weight loss program showed that patients using remote patient monitoring lost 86.3% more weight than those without RPM.
Some telemedicine treatment solutions include:
- Remote weight monitoring using a digital scale
- Regular counseling with a registered dietician
- At-home exercise treatment plans
- Online support and motivational groups
- Digital exercise journals and progress updates
Patients are not the only benefactors of remote patient monitoring. Health systems using RPM also achieve increased revenue. At the same time, some practices have even doubled their revenue per patient. This means that instead of focusing on recruiting new patients to increase revenue, health organizations can increase revenue while improving current patient outcomes.
Remote Weight Monitoring Scale Features for Bariatric Care
Regular weight monitoring helps patients keep weight down before weight gain becomes more challenging to reverse. Remote weight monitoring has many benefits, including:
- Regularly monitors changes in a patient’s weight
- Alert qualified healthcare professionals of sudden weight loss or gain
- Flags potential health issues related to weight gain or loss
- Aids in identifying nutritional deficiencies
As previously noted, FDA-cleared remote weight monitoring scale features vary depending on the remote patient monitoring telehealth device. For instance, Tenovi’s FDA-cleared class 1 wireless weight scale is a cellular-connected remote patient monitoring device that is ready to use right out of the box. All weight measurements are automatically and securely sent to the patient’s care provider to receive them in real-time. The physician or qualified medical professional accesses the data in a secure portal.
Pre-Operative Bariatric Surgery
Bariatric patients require rigorous tracking throughout the often long pre- and post-operative process. Bariatric services often require pre-surgical weight loss, typically 5-10% of excess body weight. Non-public services, especially insurance companies, may mandate 6-12 months of supervised dietary programs prior to surgery. Some recommend a brief preoperative period on a low-calorie diet, usually less than 3 weeks.
Patients often do not meet the weight loss requirements, resulting in the cancellation of surgery. This can be challenging for the patient and healthcare practice.
Leveraging remote weight monitoring can be used to track patients on their way to meeting qualifying milestones. RPM scales help motivate bariatric surgery candidates on their journey to losing the weight required to qualify for surgery. Automated reminders can easily be set to help improve patient adherence to RPM. In addition, RPM can help healthcare teams automate the pre-and post-operative process, saving time and cost.
Postoperative Bariatric Surgery Outcomes
Most obese patients have tried to treat the condition independently through diet and exercise. When a patient has a body mass index (BMI) greater than 35, their chances of reaching a normal body weight for an extended period are less than 1%. Therefore, in patients with severe obesity, surgery can be the most effective treatment.
Patients who undergo bariatric surgery have the opportunity for life-changing outcomes, allowing them to live more active and longer lives. Weight loss surgery has been shown to lower a person’s risk of death from any cause by over 40%.
Remote weight monitoring can be a valuable tool during the postoperative period. RPM scales can track patient progress following bariatric surgery and inform healthcare teams whether the patient’s health is progressing appropriately. Additionally, when patients take regular readings and see their successes, it serves as a motivator for continued weight management success.
Regular monitoring also closely tracks immediate weight gain before it progresses. Frequent measurements allow a patient to recognize a normal weight range for their body. Patients can see weight fluctuations and how lifestyle changes, such as diet, exercise, and stress, may affect the readings.
Remote Patient Monitoring & Healthcare Revenue Gains
Chronic conditions account for 90% of the healthcare costs annually in the U.S. Remote patient monitoring helps prevent costs associated with chronic conditions by providing timely assistance to patients. Contracting with a remote patient monitoring services company helps reduce time and resources. Healthcare teams can spend more time on patient care while increasing revenue. This ultimately results in better patient service and more time to grow your patient base.
Tenovi remote patient monitoring offers accurate, easy-to-use solutions that boost workflow efficiency, patient satisfaction, and revenue. Introduce your healthcare partners to a better remote patient monitoring experience. Book a free RPM demo today.
