Page 17 Telehealth and Remote Patient Monitoring RPM for Long Termand Post Acute Care A Primer and Provider Selection Guide 2013

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win” concept for the patient, their primary doctor, pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma and hyperten-
the specialist, and the remote consultant. In the sion involve frequent monitoring, coordination
setting in which a treating physician is willing to among care providers and effective and sustained
take responsibility to assist in the process, appropri- self-care, all of which can be addressed using tele-
ate reasons for remote consultation could include: health and RPM technologies. Chronic disease is
also quite prevalent and very costly in the United
• The patient lives in a remote region where States, especially among older adults; they are the
travel would be difficult. primary cause of death in 7 out of 10 deaths and, in

• The patient is hospitalized, institutionalized or 2009, cost an estimated $262 billion in direct health
otherwise too ill to travel. care expenditures. Nearly 92% of older adults have
at least one chronic condition, and 77% have at least
• The history and examination are well- two. 19
established: there is simply a need for more
diagnostic or therapeutic suggestions.
5.1 Health Outcomes/Improved
• The diagnosis is known and specific treatment Management
options are requested.

The use of telemedicine technologies like imaging Effectively managing weight, blood pressure, and
devices for example, can increase the efficacy of cholesterol is critical for individuals with diabe-
the consult. In addition, it can save lives in critical tes, hypertension and heart disease. Telehealth
care and emergency situations allowing clinicians to and RPM can play an important role in assisting
consult with specialists and more experienced care patients and care providers in monitoring and
teams that they would not have access to other- tracking these types of vital signs. In fact, several
wise. 18 studies have demonstrated that, compared to usual
care, diabetic patients receiving RPM and telehealth
had greater improvements in glucose control, blood
20, 21
5 benefiTs of TelehealTh and pressure, and cholesterol. A review of studies
rPm on the effectiveness of blood pressure monitoring
among patients with hypertension found that a ma-
jority of the studies showed improvement in both
Improved health outcomes, reduced hospitaliza- systolic and diastolic blood pressures. 22
tions and readmissions, better quality of life, and
reduced costs for both the payer and care provider
are all potential benefits of telehealth and RPM. A 5.2 Reduction in Hospitalizations and
review of the research conducted thus far, including Hospital Readmissions
several meta-analyses on telehealth and RPM show
that its direct benefit may be greatest on chronic Perhaps some of the most promising research con-
disease management. These types of conditions in- ducted thus far has focused on the benefits of tele-
cluding diabetes, heart disease, chronic obstructive health and RPM in reducing hospitalizations and

LeadingAge Center for Aging Services Technologies (CAST)