The following is a guest article by Peter Van Haur, CEO, VitalConnect.
In the spring of 2020, hospital and IT systems were put in a difficult position. For one, hospitals were overloaded with patients and bed space was at a premium, yet the need for care wasn’t waning. Health care systems also needed to contain the potential spread of a new pandemic between clinicians, staff, and patients in their facilities.
Consequently telehealth, and in particular remote patient monitoring (RPM), was accelerated as a way to track patients who may not need care in the hospital, yet still needed monitoring of critical physiological data to keep an eye on symptoms and the potential need for accelerated care. The health care system adapted quickly because the need was prevalent, and the benefits of telehealth and the ability to remotely monitor patients came into sharp focus during this time.
Today, much of the discussion has shifted to the future of remote patient monitoring. As hospitals, clinicians, and their patients have grown accustomed to this new delivery of health care, permanent changes are inevitable. As CMS alters its reimbursement and patients continue to request remote care, the health care space will continue to transform. But if recent transactions are any indication, a good segment of the health care industry has already decided that remote patient monitoring is a viable solution, as well as a target-rich environment. Within the past three months there have been announcements about Philips buying Biotelemetry, Boston Scientific’s acquisition of Preventice and the intended acquisition of Bardy Diagnostics by Hill-Rom.
As these solutions and others vie for adoption, sales, and wide acceptance, one of the critical questions that should be raised is; what should hospitals, physicians, industry and others partners look for in a remote patient monitoring solution? At the end of the day having great technology is critical but there are also other factors that should be considered when making a decision on a solution, such as patient comfort and adherence, company leadership, whether the solution is scalable and even the ability to use the system in the hospital to supplement or replace existing technologies.
Patient Comfort
While taking patient comfort into account seems like a no-brainer, sometimes industry’s love of technology can precede the more important end goal of getting actionable data. Actionable data comes from devices that can be worn comfortably, and with minimal or no disruption to the patient’s everyday life. Therefore, factors such as device weight, size, adhesion, longevity, flexibility and battery life are all criteria to be considered when choosing an RPM system. Comfort comes in many forms but for wearable devices it tends to be seen as how minimally the device impacts daily life for the patient and how little they notice its existence, and as such patient comfort should be high on the list of considerations.
Secure, Scalable Technology
Assessing the right technology solution for the particular needs of your hospital or business is also an important consideration when choosing an RPM system. Do you need a device that transmits data in real time, or one that captures data for later assessment? How is the data stored and processed, is it transferred electronically or through the cloud? What security measures are in place to protect data and patient information, and how much data can the device and system process at one time? What are the algorithms being used to gather what data, what is the capacity of the sensor and what kind of chip does the sensor use? These are all important considerations and should be carefully examined when thinking about RPM.
Additionally, how will the solution be utilized? Do you need EKG capabilities, arrhythmia detection, fall detection, Holter or extended Holter capabilities, how many and what vital signs would you like to measure? Is it going to serve your needs long-term or just for now or is it scalable for the future? Does it utilize an independent diagnostic testing facility? Can it be integrated into your current ways of working or will it require additional equipment in the hospital? Can it integrate with other companies’ devices to minimize your use of equipment?
A system that can be tailored to customer needs should be paramount, as should high redundancy and low latency along with assurances that the technology can grow with your needs. Not one size fits all, but in choosing your RPM the closest fit should take into account all current as well as potential future needs.
Proven Leadership and Fit
Let’s assume that the companies in the RPM space have good leaders. After all, they’re running a business and, in some cases, have been successful enough to be a target for acquisition. However, does that leadership have a vision that aligns with the goals and visions for your organization? Do they have a history of success in the marketplace and will they be a good fit for your hospital/partnership if they’re in the midst of an acquisition? Following the acquisition? Also, who have they partnered with or had as customers in the past, what are the outcomes of those partnerships and how long have they lasted?
Finding a team that will support your goals and visions for your patients or business, and will be around for the long haul, is an important factor when considering your decision because, if done right, the decision will result in a long-term relationship that will be beneficial to both parties.
In summary, as the health care market continues to advance and morph due to the lessons learned from COVID-19, it’s very likely that telehealth and RPM will be with us and used extensively for the foreseeable future. Choosing the right partner in that venture is a decision that should be examined carefully with myriad factors taken into consideration. Choose wisely.
