Remote patient monitoring (RPM) has become a crucial strategy for improving patient outcomes in recent years. By enabling continuous monitoring, proactive care management, and timely intervention based on real-time data, RPM can reduce hospitalizations and optimize healthcare resources through personalized and efficient care plans.
Setting up an RPM program, however, is far from simple for healthcare systems, especially when remote monitoring devices are involved. Negotiating the intricacies of device selection, data integration, and shipping logistics — among many other factors — involves engaging with numerous vendors and technology systems.
To streamline the process, more health systems actively seek unified, centralized solutions to start, expand, or improve their RPM programs. Here’s a look at the existing problems and potential solutions.
Due to the fragmented nature of the RPM landscape today, healthcare organizations often have to invest a lot of time, money, and resources to get an RPM program off the ground. Some common challenges for healthcare systems include:
Device selection. Selecting the right healthcare devices for an RPM program is a complex process. Questions that must be answered range from the practical (Is it easy for the patient to use?) to the technical (Can the data from the device integrate into patient medical records?) to the legal (Does this meet standards for accuracy, safety, and privacy?).
Logistics coordination. Device procurement, shipping, and distribution get challenging when sourcing devices from different suppliers. The process of getting devices from the warehouse to the patient is particularly arduous when each vendor operates with its unique systems, quantity rules, and sales processes.
Data integration. Successfully delivering the right device to the patient is only one part of the challenge. Next, the data recorded by these devices have to be integrated into electronic medical record (EMR) systems for healthcare providers. Unfortunately, not all devices are compatible with all record systems — which often obligates healthcare systems to devise time-consuming makeshift solutions to manage the data.
Compliance management. Ensuring compliance with healthcare regulations becomes complex when dealing with varied sources for monitoring solutions. Legal and regulatory challenges can hamper healthcare organizations or impact patient safety and data security.
Ease-of-use for patients. A fragmented RPM program can be confusing for patients as well, who may receive various devices, each packaged differently from different manufacturers, to manage a single condition. This places too much responsibility on the patient to decipher the purpose of each device, understand its role in their health journey, and independently figure out how to use each one.
Inefficiencies. Piecemeal RPM solutions force healthcare organizations to juggle multiple vendors and systems — and managing all those details not only requires more time but also takes up more of the budget.
Choosing a single-vendor service that offers a streamlined and centralized solution alleviates the challenges associated with creating effective RPM programs. This approach simplifies device selection, logistics, and data integration, streamlining the entire RPM process for greater efficiency.
Key elements of a comprehensive RPM solution include:
Unified device selection. By offering a curated range of best-in-class devices that align with the specific needs of healthcare providers, a comprehensive RPM solution eliminates the complexities associated with choosing from a myriad of options.
Seamless logistics and distribution. A centralized platform streamlines device shipping and handling, ensuring efficient and timely delivery of monitoring devices to patients.
EMR integration. Integration with the healthcare system’s existing EMR platform ensures that patient data flows seamlessly, eliminating lag time and manual data entry while enhancing overall efficiency.
Customization and scalability. The ability to customize the RPM program according to the unique needs of each healthcare organization is a crucial aspect. A comprehensive solution should also offer flexibility at the patient level, allowing healthcare providers to select just the devices that each individual needs.
User-friendly experience. The platform should facilitate easy onboarding for all parties involved, from the doctor who orders the device to the patient who uses the device to the healthcare worker who follows up on the resulting data.
Prosper Dispatch, Veta Health’s new device and logistics service, offers the most comprehensive and customizable RPM solution on the market to date. By centralizing device selection, logistics, and data management, Prosper Dispatch simplifies the entire RPM process. The platform seamlessly integrates with Epic to offer a turnkey experience, empowering healthcare organizations to start, grow, or enhance their remote care programs with ease.
Learn more about Veta Health’s solution by downloading the Prosper Dispatch brochure. Ready to get started? Contact us today to discover how Prosper Dispatch can simplify your RPM journey.