Remote patient monitoring is a form of remote healthcare that allows patients to obtain more benefits from the healthcare they receive from the comfort of home. With remote healthcare continuing to be a big factor today, technology is able to grow. With companies offering remote healthcare more often, they are able to provide services and devices that are far more advanced than before. When you are in need of finding quality remote healthcare, there are a few things to consider.
1. Consider the Companies Offering Remote Patient Monitoring and are Registered with the FDA
The majority of the remote patient monitoring companies offering remote patient monitoring will supply you with at least a weight scale and blood pressure monitor. Other companies may give patients pulse oximeters, glucometers, or spirometers, which may be determined by the patient’s needs. When many options are available, the company becomes invaluable.
When the company is registered with the FDA and follows standards set by ISO13485. When these standards are followed, healthcare will be considered high-quality and can guarantee efficacy and safety.
2. Medical Devices That are FDA Cleared
When the devices are high-quality they are able to function the way they were designed and are equally as important as the software used for remote patient monitoring. It is important to know when a device is tested prior to use and the FDA has cleared the equipment. Being cleared by the FDA is a requirement if a device will be used in remote patient monitoring.
3. The Technology is User-Friendly
Being user-friendly is more important than the level of quality and the patients need to be able to know how to use the technology. The patient should be instructed on the use of the device in order for the investment of the device to be a success. The patients will then be able to easily transition to remote healthcare. When it comes to the type of device used, it will mainly be a personal preference and how much you plan to spend when obtaining remorse healthcare. When the remote patient monitoring provider offers quality service, they are able to provide valuable answers to your important questions.
4. Ensure that it is Compatible with EMR
Your electronic medical record also needs to be compatible with the system so that the provider is able to access it. While many EMR systems integrate nicely with a remote patient monitoring system, some others may be separate systems. A variety of platforms may view compatibility differently among systems where there is only a sharing of specific data and others may incorporate an entire EMR system. Factors surrounding this may include the cost so it’s important that you are aware of how much your EMR will be integrated.
5. The Amount of Staffing
The impact on staffing needs to be considered when deciding on remote healthcare. This way, you have an idea if the platform will conduct a lot of the services or will staff. This will be important when it comes to submitting claims. Will patient data be tracked and contact healthcare providers when necessary or through the RPM system? Be sure that actual staff are part of the process and make your concerns known.
6. The Amount of Support and Service
Once you are certain that the RPM provider is able to offer everything it says it will., you need to ensure that the support and training are sufficient. This way the benefits of remote healthcare can be enjoyed and the care is enhanced. When the RPM is set up, it needs to include available customer support so that training of new patients can take place. Make sure that questions are asked before settling with an RPM provider and that comfort is established.
7. The Overall Cost
The cost is more of a factor than many may think when it comes to RPM. For the cost, the number of devices and patients should be included. You also should involve the amount of support provided such as clinical services that can be monitored. The costs should also include the reimbursements and other options for providers. The costs need to be known when you plan to use any RPM so that you are aware of what services you can take advantage of. Although the cost is important, there are still other areas that are equally as important.
8. Able to Obtain Appointment Reminders
The RPM should be able to send patients appointment reminders via text from the medical scheduler. These texts are sent through the device used and involve the sessions that you have scheduled.
Having reminders concerning appointments is also seen as a feature that can increase efficiency without having to worry about having a full reception area. By having an interactive session, the patient is able to reply to the text for confirmation purposes. When an appointment is confirmed or canceled, the scheduler will be updated with the appointment status.
When a cancellation is made, a reschedule can be obtained right away and the appointments made for the future can be annotated through the remote healthcare schedule. Preferably, a text can be sent using the preferred language of the patient and can include instructions specifically for individual appointments and any information that may be requested ahead of time. Having the texts can also be utilized as a reminder for patient-due for making payments through the system.
Conclusion
When a remote healthcare program is integrated, the above factors should be considered as part of the decision process. When remote patient monitoring is included in remote healthcare, the amount of wellness promoted can be significant. No matter what though, for the complete use of remote healthcare to be a success, there may need to be some relief felt while changing to a new way of obtaining healthcare services. When you know what the RPM looks like and understand the process, an appointment can run just as smoothly as it would in a regular doctor’s office.
