Developing a remote patient monitoring strategy
Learn how to create a strategic plan to incorporate remote patient monitoring into your practice.
On this page:
Is telehealth a good fit for your patients?
A successful remote patient monitoring program requires planning, research, and an understanding of your patients’ needs. It is important to make sure that a remote patient monitoring program will be useful to and accepted by patients.
Here are some questions to consider:
- Do you treat patients with conditions that can benefit from remote patient monitoring?
- Are your patients comfortable using technology?
- What percent of your patients have access to the internet or a cellular data plan?
- Will your patients be interested in using remote patient monitoring devices?
- Are your patients likely to continue using the device(s) to transmit information?
What remote patient monitoring services will you offer?
Remote patient monitoring devices can be used for a range of conditions including chronic disease management, health care monitoring for high-risk patients, and support for pregnant patients. When deciding what services to offer, it is important to consider:
- Will you start with a single health condition (e.g., diabetes) or multiple conditions?
- What are the goals of your remote patient monitoring program (e.g., better disease management, preventing acute events, or increasing patient engagement)?
- Where will the patient be using the remote patient monitoring device (e.g., at home, in a school, or at a clinic)?
Staffing considerations
You may need to hire additional staff or reorganize your current staff roles and responsibilities to accommodate a new remote patient monitoring program. You will need staff to support the following responsibilities:
- Patient recruitment and enrollment
- Data monitoring and follow-up with patients
- Technology support
- Translators for patients with limited English proficiency
- Patient education and support
You will also need to consider who will monitor the data outside of normal business hours.
Technology selection
One of the biggest decisions will be identifying what technology product(s) to use. All members of the health care team should be involved in choosing a vendor and selecting the technology. You should take the following considerations into account:
- Does the device require smartphone connectivity?
- Will the device use wireless technology or require manual data transmission?
- What process will be used for data transmission (e.g., ensuring HIPAA compliance and integrating the data into the patient's electronic health record)?
- Will you use a multi-use or single use device?
- Is the device easy for patients to use?
- Does the device generate reliable data?
- What device size is best for patients?
Designing a workflow process
Before launching a remote patient monitoring program, it is important to develop a workflow process that works for both you and your patients. As you revise your current workflow to accommodate remote patient monitoring, be sure to incorporate the following components:
- Care team coordination. You should solicit team input, discuss workflow changes, brainstorm barriers and solutions, define roles and responsibilities, and conduct regular check-ins.
- Patient onboarding. You should establish recruitment and enrollment criteria, provide education and training on how to use the device(s) to transmit data, and develop a plan for following up with patients.
- Implementation. You should understand insurance coverage and reimbursement, coordinate with partners, solicit patient and care team input, and establish a process to engage and support patients when numbers are out-of-range.
Track and share program success
Before you begin using remote patient monitoring, you will want to identify ways to monitor your program and assess its performance.
- Select program goals. It is important to have a vision for how the use of remote patient monitoring will impact your practice and your patients. Examples of program goals may include reduced emergency department visits, reduced readmissions, and better patient compliance with clinical guidance.
- Identify key performance indicators. Often called KPIs, these indicators assess the effectiveness and success of your remote patient monitoring program. Examples of KPIs may include the number of patients transmitting data on time or the number of patients transmitting data that is in a normal range.
- Measure. KPIs should be used to track the program’s success. Examples of measures can include the percent reduction in hospital admissions or the percent of patients with vital data that is in a healthy range.
- Track progress. Team members, patients, and their families will want to know how the program is going. You can also use this information to identify opportunities for improvement.
You should also ask patients about their experience. This is important to determine how you can improve your use of remote patient monitoring to increase patient satisfaction.
More information:
Planning your telehealth workflow — Health Resources and Services Administration
What are business models for RPM that would allow a clinic/practice to make it financially sustainable over time? — Great Plains Telehealth Resource and Assistance Center
Evaluation Measures for Rural Telehealth Programs — Rural Health Information Hub