KLAS: Remote patient monitoring reduces admissions, readmissions, ER visits

Remote patient monitoring programs offer multiple clinical and financial benefits, including reducing hospital admissions among patients, according to a new KLAS Research report.

KLAS Research partnered with the American Telemedicine Association to examine success factors for remote patient monitoring programs at different healthcare organizations, including hospitals, payers and home health agencies. As part of the report, KLAS Research spoke with 25 organizations using products from seven leading remote patient monitoring vendors about their experiences.

The report marks the health IT research firm’s first report on remote patient monitoring, a form of telehealth in which patients collect and transmit medical data — such as blood pressure, heart rate or electrocardiograms — to healthcare providers in separate locations. Providers can use this data to assess patient progress and recommend changes to care plans.

Heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were the leading use cases among organizations in KLAS Research’s survey. Some of the surveyed organizations were also branching out into other chronic diseases, such as diabetes and hypertension.

Here are eight clinical and financial outcomes, ranked by how frequently respondents said they improved during remote patient monitoring programs:

1. Reduced hospital admissions: 38 percent

2. Improved patient satisfaction: 25 percent

2. Reduced readmissions: 25 percent

2. Reduced emergency room visits: 25 percent

5. Quantified cost reductions: 17 percent

6. Improved medication compliance: 13 percent

6. Improved patient health: 13 percent

8. Decreased A1c levels, a measure of blood sugar: 8 percent

Eight percent of respondents said either “none” or “unsure” when asked what clinical and financial outcomes they achieved with remote patient monitoring programs.