Remote patient monitoring (RPM) outsourcing allows healthcare organizations to contract third-party companies to manage certain RPM services. With ongoing medical staff shortages, healthcare providers face increasing pressure to maintain quality care while preventing burnout. By outsourcing remote patient monitoring tasks, healthcare teams can alleviate administrative burdens, improve patient access, and generate revenue without overloading their workforce.
Outsourcing RPM services enables organizations to scale remote monitoring programs efficiently, even amid staffing challenges. This article explores the pros and cons of outsourcing RPM programs versus managing them in-house, to help determine the best approach for your needs.
How is Outsourcing RPM Possible?
RPM reimbursement opportunities have grown since the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) introduced changes to the 2020 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule. One of the most significant changes was the addition of CPT code 99457. The code is used to bill the initial 20 minutes of patient data analysis. The 2020 update allowed data analysis to be billed ‘incident to’ under general supervision instead of direct supervision.
General supervision means that the billing physician does not need to be in the same building while clinical staff perform RPM services. As a result, Medicare providers can contract third-party companies for RPM outsourcing to assist with tasks such as:
- Data review.
- Following up with patients who are not using their devices regularly.
- Device setup.
- Patient education.
The update enables clinics to manage more patients and generate more revenue without significantly impacting current workflows.
Pros of RPM Outsourcing
As healthcare is competitive, clinicians must find new ways to deliver quality care that is timely and cost-efficient. With staff shortages, a healthy work environment that promotes psychological safety in healthcare and encourages simplified workflows. When implementing a new remote patient monitoring program, rpm outsourcing is presents several benefits. The following section outlines the pros of RPM sourcing.
Saves Time and Resources
Before the 2020 update, RPM services had to be performed under the direct supervision of the billing physician. The physician had to be in the same building and immediately available. Many clinics considered this inefficient, as tasks like teaching patients how to use their devices or reviewing data required physician oversight.
Today, these tasks can be conducted by an in-house medical team or outsourced to a third-party RPM company. RPM outsourcing gives healthcare businesses a new revenue stream with minimal impact on their current workflow. The physician will only be contacted when their medical expertise is necessary.
Reduces Additional Training and Hiring
Another benefit of outsourcing RPM is that physicians don’t have to train their staff to document services or interact with patients. One remote patient monitoring challenge is that it does require some new tasks. Providers can add those tasks to their current nurse and staff workloads, hire new staff, or outsource it.
Increasing the workload may cause burnout, and hiring new staff can be costly. Third-party vendors have trained RNs and other clinical staff familiar with RPM procedures. Outsourcing ensures the smoothest transition into remote patient monitoring. In addition, RPM outsourcing takes the burden of onboarding patients and internal medical staff from the healthcare organization.
Cons of RPM Outsourcing
While remote patient monitoring has expanded healthcare beyond traditional clinic settings, it remains an evolving field. As RPM continues to grow, requirements and procedures are updated regularly to improve patient outcomes. Some concerns against RPM outsourcing are covered in the following sections.
Not Generating As Much Net Profit
Integrating RPM into your clinic provides a whole new source of revenue. A common argument against outsourcing RPM is that it may not increase the expected net profit. That is because a portion of monthly revenue will be allocated to outsourcing. Most times, outsourcing RPM services is more cost-effective than hiring new clinical staff or spending internal clinical staff hours on tasks that can be performed by outsourcing remote patient monitoring services.
Clinician Bears 100% Responsibility
Another argument against outsourcing RPM is that the billing physician bears 100% responsibility for the quality of service the third-party company provides. Any service billed ‘incident to’ (in-house or outsourced) assumes physician responsibility.
RPM clinical staff members undergo an extensive credential verification process so physicians don’t have to worry about fraud charges. Additionally, physicians have access to RPM portals. There, they can access their patients’ data, time spent on RPM services, and descriptions of services performed.
Physician and Patient Communication
One of the benefits of remote patient monitoring of RPM is its ability to strengthen patient-physician relationships by enabling continuous health monitoring. However, outsourcing RPM means the physician is not directly reviewing every data point. Some providers worry that this could weaken their patient connections.
Despite this concern, physicians always have access to patient data through RPM platforms. The frequent collection of patient health data enhances clinical decision-making by providing real-time insights. Physicians receive immediate alerts when intervention is necessary, allowing for timely care adjustments.
RPM is designed to complement in-person visits rather than replace them. By identifying potential health complications early, RPM supports proactive care and improves patient outcomes. Many patients appreciate knowing that certified healthcare professionals are consistently monitoring their health data.
Is RPM Outsourcing the Right Move?
Medicare recognizes that remote patient monitoring yields better health outcomes. To incentivize more clinics to adopt RPM, Medicare updated CPT 99457 so that services that don’t require physician knowledge can be outsourced to third-party vendors. Companies like Tenovi offer RPM devices, and work exclusively with RPM software and service companies, chronic care companies, and telehealth companies that want to offer remote patient monitoring services to healthcare providers.
Physicians no longer have to increase clinic workload or hire more staff. Instead, they can outsource to companies with qualified clinical staff who can perform RPM services. Visit Tenovi to find out who we serve and request a free demo of our RPM devices.
