How to Enrich the Patient Experience through Remote Care
Thanks to emerging value-based models and new reimbursement allowances, remote care’s popularity has been growing rapidly. Remote care is being utilized more and more to help improve access and quality of patient care.
In honor of patient experience week 2022, we dig into how to enrich the patient experience through four primary remote care models:
- RPM – Remote Patient Monitoring
- RTM – Remote Therapeutic Monitoring
- CCM – Chronic Care Management
- HaH – Hospital-at-Home
RPM – Remote Patient Monitoring
What is it? RPM involves the collection and analysis of patient physiologic data that are used to develop and manage a treatment plan related to a chronic and/or acute health illness or condition. It provides essential data elements for clinical evaluation and assessment, which can maximize the performance of a care pathway. Specifically, it allows providers to monitor disease and symptom progression remotely and then engage with patients virtually to modify care plans and to provide education on self-care based on changes in the patient’s condition.
Use cases: RPM involves the use of a device (for example, a cellular-enabled weight scale or blood pressure cuff) that collects and transmits patient data wirelessly to a provider. Physiological data can include vital signs like blood pressure, blood sugar, weight, SpO2, and/or heart rate information.
Value opportunity: Beyond the benefits for individual patient health, RPM reduces hospital readmissions and the length of hospital stay for patients with chronic conditions. By tracking vital data over time, RPM can help to spot abnormalities in readings and help providers to understand how treatment plans are working. Simply, RPM enables providers to proactively treat and manage their patients.
RTM – Remote Therapeutic Monitoring
What is it? RTM represents one of the latest advancements to modernize reimbursement for digital health. Introduced in 2022, these codes expand upon existing RPM codes by combining RPM with the management of therapeutic care. In RTM, various forms of objective and subjective health data are collected. These data represent signs, symptoms, and functions of a therapeutic response that providers can review and monitor supporting the optimization of a patient’s therapeutic responses.
Use cases: RTM is used to provide therapy-related care specifically focused on respiratory system status, musculoskeletal system status, therapy adherence, and therapy response. This can include therapy after discharge for surgery due to an injury, as well as for certain medical conditions.
Value opportunity: A specific area that RTM benefits is medication adherence. By allowing patients to self-report information, physicians can ensure patients are properly taking their medications and managing responses to those medications.
CCM – Chronic Care Management
What is it? CCM is a specific care management service that provides coverage for patients with two or more chronic conditions for a continuous relationship with their care team. These services are provided when patients’ medical and/or psychosocial needs require the establishment, implementation, revision, or monitoring of a comprehensive care plan.
Use cases: CCM services are generally non-face-to-face services provided to patients who have multiple (two or more) chronic conditions expected to last at least 12 months. The full CMS explanation of CCM requires at least 20 minutes of clinical staff time directed by a physician or other qualified health care professional, per calendar month, with the following required elements:
- Multiple (two or more) chronic conditions expected to last at least 12 months, or until the death of the patient
- Chronic conditions place the patient at significant risk of death, acute exacerbation/ decompensation, or functional decline
- Comprehensive care plan established, implemented, revised, or monitored
Value opportunity: CCM is beneficial for patients in terms of ongoing health/wellness support, enhanced communication with their care team, reduction in ED visits/hospitalization/readmissions, and increased management of their own care. For providers, benefits included increased patient satisfaction and engagement and increased revenue.
HaH – Hospital-at-Home
What is it? HaH, a trademarked name of Johns Hopkins Medicine, is a model that transforms the patient home into an environment that delivers hospital-level care using a unique methodical combination of people, processes, and technology.
Use cases: HaH is delivered remotely and powered by 24/7 clinical services. It is designed to serve as a full replacement for acute hospital care and is used to treat patients who are candidates to be hospitalized but stable enough to stay home.
Value opportunity: HaH is an opportunity for the healthcare delivery system to effectively care for certain types of patients at home. This can improve their individual experiences, conserve health system resources, and improve clinical outcomes all at the same time.