Healthcare is all about giving patients the greatest quality of life possible. For many, being able to receive treatment at home is a big part of that equation. And with the massive Baby Boomer generation reaching retirement age, the demand for home healthcare continues to surge.
In fact, according to a recent report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, home healthcare is expected to be the fastest-growing industry through 2024. But with such a growing demand, home healthcare organizations find themselves challenged to provide enough of a response that they not only meet the needs of this patient base but can actually improve patient outcomes too.
Among the most important factors driving better outcomes for patients receiving home health monitoring is the development of innovative remote patient monitoring programs. To see just how invaluable this service is, consider this: the remote patient monitoring industry is poised to triple in value over the next three years as healthcare organizations leverage remote patient monitoring capabilities to improve outcomes in the face of a potential personnel shortage.
So how can remote patient monitoring improve patient outcomes? Here are several key factors making a contribution towards those ends today.
Responsiveness is improved with remote patient monitoring: When it comes to managing a medical condition, time is of the essence. Remote patient monitoring enables medical professionals to track their patients in real-time so that if their biometrics fall out of an appropriate level, healthcare workers can respond immediately with a proper course of treatment.
Remote patient monitoring enables appropriate escalation: Sometimes, anxious patients can be too responsive. According to the CDC, 130 million Americans visited the ER last year—yet only 9 percent of ER visits resulted in hospitalization. By escalating too quickly, these patients can quickly run up costly bills that jeopardize their quality of life.
Compliance tracking is made simple with remote patient monitoring: It should go without saying, but compliance is an integral part of ensuring that a patient has a positive outcome. Medication is a necessary part of many treatment regimens, but it can be difficult for doctors to know with certainty that their patients are complying with their prescriptions. A remote health monitoring system gives patients reminders to take their medications and can alert healthcare workers if those instructions have not been followed.
Dedicated technical support for connected care technology: Most of your patients—and aides, for that matter—are not going to have an advanced background in connected healthcare technology. As such, they may not necessarily understand how to address technical challenges if the equipment should malfunction. Your healthcare organization should strive to partner with a services partner that includes telehealth technical support for patients and healthcare workers. That way, you can ensure that there is always someone readily available to help you address any issues before they lead to improper medical diagnoses.
Effective RPM services provide back-end support for staff: Your home healthcare staff are your front line in ensuring a quality outcome for your patients. But with such a demand, many organizations find themselves without the bandwidth necessary to fulfill all the back-end administrative functions associated with connected medical devices. This includes sanitizing, changing, ordering and shipping new equipment. By working with the right healthcare IT services partner, you have the potential to offload all these administrative responsibilities so that your staff can get back to focusing on their primary clinical responsibility—providing quality care.
To learn more about how remote patient monitoring can improve patient outcomes for your healthcare organization, click here to set up a consultation.
- Baby Boomers in Unique Position to Boost Telehealth Adoption - May 30, 2018
- How Can Remote Patient Monitoring Improve Patient Outcomes? - April 4, 2018
