What is Remote Patient Monitoring?

Remote patient monitoring improves medical practice efficiency and patient outcomes—and it’s growing in the United States. Patient interest in remote monitoring services has grown by 30% in the past few years, and it’s estimated that 30 million patients will seek telehealth and remote patient monitoring by 2024. ]The American Medical Association recently surveyed healthcare providers and found that 90% were interested in or were already evaluating remote patient monitoring technologies. The federal government has also expanded Medicare in the past few years to cover remote patient monitoring services among patients with long-term, acute medical conditions. 

This article will explore how remote patient monitoring software and RPM devices transform healthcare delivery.

What is remote patient monitoring (RPM)?

Remote patient monitoring (RPM) is an increasingly popular component of telehealth that allows clinicians to monitor patient data offsite using digital technologies. 

This subset of telehealth is revolutionizing preventative medicine in the United States by helping clinicians monitor patients living with chronic conditions, such as diabetes or heart disease. Healthcare providers can collect a patient’s vitals, weight, blood pressure, blood sugar, and other metrics remotely via a series of home-based or mobile monitoring devices.

What devices are required for remote patient monitoring?

Remote patient monitoring devices enable interaction between providers and patients outside the clinic. The most common devices used in remote patient monitoring are: blood pressure monitors, scales, blood glucose monitors, and spirometers. 

These devices securely transmit patient data to the clinician’s records via Bluetooth or cellular signals. Medical practices also use remote patient monitoring to collect and integrate data with their electronic health record, practice management, and revenue cycle management workflows.

How do remote patient monitoring, electronic health records, and practice management software align?

Where does patient data go once it is sent from a patient’s device to the provider? Typically that information is shared with a remote patient monitoring software system that integrates with the patient’s charts in the practice’s electronic health record. This constant flow of information is great for measuring health changes related to chronic diseases such as elevated hypertension, heart rate, or such as diabetes.

Many practices also use practice management software and revenue cycle management to handle billing, financial data, and claims management for RPM patients. Identifying a vendor that offers integrations among these databases makes it easier to align patient care and billing tasks across the board.

Benchmark Systems’ new RPM application

Benchmark Systems now offers a suite of remote patient monitoring software capabilities. With Benchmark RPM, medical providers can keep track of patient data, manage chronic conditions without regular office visits, and add a highly reimbursable revenue stream to their practice.

Why Benchmark Systems RPM software is different:

Benchmark RPM seamlessly integrates with Benchmark EHR, giving healthcare providers a complete view of a patient’s health, medical history, and diagnostics without switching between systems. 

Benchmark RPM also integrates with Benchmark PM, streamlining medical coding with automated processes and closing time to reimbursement from payers.

Lastly, Benchmark RCM services ensure that CPT codes are filed correctly as the remote patient monitoring landscape adapts and grows over time. On average, clients who use Benchmark RCM reduce their AR to under 30 days and achieve a 98% clean claims rate.