As remote patient monitoring continues to gain acceptance as a modality of care, we wanted to share some of the lessons we have learned over the years when helping healthcare organizations evaluate and implement digital health solutions.  

Today’s blog shares the six most impactful lessons that will best set up your RPM program for success.

Remote patient monitoring (RPM) continues to grow in popularity in the U.S. with increased adoption among hospitals and health systems alike. For large health systems, the desire for RPM has led to trailblazing new expansion and strengthening of existing programs. For federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), implementing RPM has taken a more cautious approach, with long-term sustainability at the forefront of decision making.

As your organization considers how to improve outcomes and create a healthier patient population for 2023 you should consider the role that digital health solutions play in supporting your initiatives.

Mental Health Awareness Month is a great opportunity for us all to have valuable conversations around how to better serve those affected by mental illness, but real progress is made when these conversations lead to actionable next steps that outlive just one month per calendar year. As the digital transformation in healthcare forges on at a rapid pace, mental health professionals have an important seat at the table. Virtual care solutions are proven to have immense benefits for those with mental illnesses, and more organizations than ever are adopting technology to help improve outcomes for these patient populations.

Integrating remote patient monitoring and chronic care management improves outcomes for patients with chronic diseases. Click here to learn more.

Remote patient monitoring is just one application of telehealth- a piece of the larger puzzle. Telehealth encompasses a broad range of services that utilize telecommunications to deliver healthcare, education and more remotely. Although telehealth and remote patient monitoring are connected, these terms are not interchangeable. Read on to learn more about the larger umbrella of telehealth services, and then zoom in specifically on the topic of remote patient monitoring.

Today’s consumers have more options than ever when deciding how to spend their time and money. As a result, convenience, quality, and transparency are key pillars during any buyer’s journey – including the healthcare consumer experience (1). In the past, consumers held very different expectations for retail and healthcare, but modern advances have fueled the convergence of these two industries.

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have continuously responded to the growing interest in virtual care technology and services by expanding the billing codes for remote patient monitoring (RPM). 2021 reimbursement policies were finalized in December of last year, with some recent amendments and clarifications made in January of this year. Some of these rulings are meant to be permanent, while others are set to expire at the end of the Public Health Emergency (PHE).

The new CMS rules are upon us, and they are here to stay! Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a deadline of May 1, 2021 for their new admission, transfer and discharge (ADT) notification requirements. A part of their larger Interoperability and Patient Access rule, it applies to all hospitals, including behavioral health and critical access hospitals (1). This initiative signals a shift in thinking that will benefit patients, encourage collaboration amongst providers and improve healthcare outcomes.

Over the past few months, Mozzaz has exhibited at the HIMSS Patient Experience Digital Series. Each monthly episode in the series has a specific theme relating to patient experience, and February’s episode was all about how to foster meaningful communication. This episode’s keynotes offered valuable insights and perspectives into the importance of communication in our industry, but, regardless of the message, three key takeaways seemed to continuously emerge.

As value-based reimbursements are more widely adopted, digital technology will play a big role in helping to move the needle forward. There are a variety of ways digital technology can help enable value-based care initiatives. This blog will take a closer look at 3 areas where innovation is making its mark in strategies for moving value-based care forward.

2020 was a pivotal year for the rapid adoption of digital healthcare solutions. Despite the pandemic accelerating this uptake, health organizations have been evaluating and implementing emerging solutions to augment their care pathways for years. With more options available, consumerization of healthcare is becoming more prevalent and patients are developing new preferences for receiving care.

Join Emma (Mozzaz) & Claudia (Heredia Therapy Group) as they have an open discussion about each of their company's goals and how the Mozzaz system is actively helping Heredia Therapy Group in their mission.

The transformative power of the current health crisis has been expansive and affected all fields and industries. One of the major shifts the situation has brought with it is the quickened pace of adoption of technology and virtual solutions, opening society up to optimized productivity and processes in the new digital economy. These virtual solutions are normally designed with people in mind with the purpose to enhance what we do while remaining person-centric.

The consumerization of healthcare presents a fundamental shift in patient’s demands around healthcare services. Historically speaking, healthcare has been highly regulated, with healthcare professionals playing a monopolizing role in healthcare service ‘sales.’ With that being said, the healthcare industry rarely experienced any disruptive competition among care providers. The new trend toward a consumerization of healthcare is drastically changing the healthcare landscape in this regard.

Microsoft’s Project Talia is a joint research venture with SilverCloud Health that explores how Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning can be used to enhance digital mental health services. In a 2020 paper, they provide an Artificial Intelligence based analysis on a set of over 230,000 support messages sent from mental health workers to clients, mining the data to identify support strategies that correlate with successful outcomes.

Many mental health care professionals have expressed concern that a mental health crisis is emerging because of the ongoing social isolation and stress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Professionals see a great need to augment traditional face-to-face meetings with some level of remote practice.

Digital health promotes patient independence and empowers patients in their care. Currently care plan adherence is at 50%, with a third to a half of individuals not taking their medications (Aston University cited in Deloitte Center for Health Solutions 2015). This can result in hospital readmissions or a worsening of their condition and increased costs of care. Having scheduled reminders can support medication compliance and improve health outcomes and reduce operational costs.

Between March 2nd & April 15th, 2020, virtual urgent care visits increased by 683% and virtual non-urgent visits increased by 4,345% (Journal of the American Informatics Association, n.d.), which hints that digital health in hospitals has moved forward 15 years in the last 4 months. So, what does the new future for digital health in hospitals look like? Healthcare is changing rapidly. But are these changes here to stay? I will look at why I think many of these changes will be incorporated into ongoing care, even once a vaccine is found for COVID-19.

Digital health tools can encompass hardware such as wearables, monitoring devices or sensors; other digital tools are software technologies such as email, phone apps, websites, and electronic systems. A digital technology that has been quickly adopted during this pandemic is telemedicine. Telemedicine enables patient to access care remotely through online consults and education. It allows healthcare providers to assess, monitor, and deliver care through digital interventions such as medicine reminders.