Technological advances have impacted every field, and the healthcare industry is no different. Now, doctors and other healthcare providers are uncovering new opportunities that could make it easier for them to provide their patients with the care that they deserve.
One of the biggest developments has been the growth of remote patient monitoring, usually shortened to RPM.
If you are able to successfully implement RPM programs in your hospital and at your practice, you can:
- Streamline your daily operations
- Provide financial stability for your medical practice and healthcare system
- Improve patient health outcomes
There is a lot of demand for remote technology to make life easier for medical providers and patients. On the other hand, change is difficult, and you may not know exactly how to implement an RPM system. Fortunately, there are a few easy steps you can follow to make that happen.
Download the 2022 State of Remote Patient Monitoring
1. Identify Your Needs
If you want your RPM program to be successful, you need to have a goal in mind. For example, your facility might have high readmission rates. Or, you might have a difficult time seeing every scheduled patient, causing you to fall behind or have long wait times. These or issues that you can address with RPM.
You should form a team that can help you address all of these needs. This should include physicians, nurses, and administrative staff. That way, you can have multiple perspectives, allowing you to comprehensively address the issue.
2. What Will Success Look Like?
After clearly identifying your needs, it is time to define success. What will a successful RPM program look like? There are several components you must consider. These include:
- What are the most important key performance indicators that will define patient outcomes?
- How are you going to quantify patient satisfaction during this implementation?
- How happy do you want your providers to be with the RPM program?
- What impact do you want to see on your revenue stream?
There are plenty of ways you can objectively quantify the answers to all of these questions. You simply need to figure out the most accurate way to do that and your hospital system.
Do you want to reduce readmission rates? Do you want to see a percentage increase in your patient satisfaction ratio? Do you want to see a reduction in your overhead expenses? You can include all of these and your definition of success.
3. Identify Your Patient Population
Even though you want to expand this to as many patients as possible, you need to start with the most eligible population. To follow best practices, you should test out your RPM program on a small subset of your patient population. Then, you should evaluate your results and make changes as required.
For example, you may want to identify patients with insurance that will adequately cover the cost of RPM care. You should also think about conditions and diseases that are most amenable to an RPM system.
You might want to use an RPM system to monitor blood glucose levels in individuals with diabetes, for instance. Or, you may want to monitor blood oxygen and blood pressure levels in individuals with chronic cardiac and respiratory conditions.
4. Train Your Clinical Staff
For your RPM system to be successful, you need to have complete engagement with your clinical staff. Make sure your clinical team has access to the right training materials. That way, they understand how the program works, how to access data, and how to send orders.
You should also put your clinical staff to a number of “what if” emergency scenarios. That way, they know how to respond if something isn’t working right. Make sure your providers know who to reach out to if they have questions or concerns.
5. Find the Right Equipment
Finally, you need to select the right equipment to implement your RPM program. Some of the factors to consider include:
- How much does the equipment cost?
- What type of information can it collect, and how reliably does it transmit it to the providers?
- How easy is the program to use?
- How long is the equipment designed to last?
- What is the maintenance like on this durable medical equipment?
- How flexible is the equipment?
If you are looking for the best possible RPM equipment for your medical practice, you should rely on the Joerns and BioIntelliSense™ BioSuite of Remote Physiologic Monitoring.
Choose the Right RPM Technology
With wearable devices, such as BioSticker™ and BioButton® from Joerns and BioIntelliSense™, you can implement a comprehensive RPM facility that can save time and money. You can have continuous monitoring of skin temperature, activity level, cough frequency, heart rate, respiratory rate, and more.
Learn more about how the BioSuite of Remote Physiologic Monitoring can help you implement an RPM system in your healthcare facility. Contact us today for more information.