This blog entry is part of a Medixine series that dives into utilizing remote patient monitoring in the care of chronic diseases.
Chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and COPD are a significant burden on the global healthcare system in terms of cost and patient outcomes. For example, it is estimated that chronic diseases account for approximately 86% of the total healthcare costs in the United States1) – and the trend is similar worldwide.
Why so high? The costs associated with chronic diseases build up from expenses related to hospitalization, prescription drugs, and lost productivity due to illness.
Instead of waiting for the financial burden to grow too heavy to handle, healthcare organizations globally are searching for solutions. How can the increasing number of chronically ill patients be cared for with less money? And even more importantly: how can we keep people healthier and improve their quality of life, despite their condition?
Health technology has taken giant leaps over the past decade, and healthcare professionals and patients are becoming more receptive to new ways to deliver and receive care. This has led us to a situation where remote patient monitoring has the potential to revolutionize chronic disease management. It changes how health data is gathered from patients and allows for more effective communication and coordination between healthcare providers.
Remote patient monitoring improves health and care coordination
Remote patient monitoring enables healthcare providers to monitor a patient’s vital signs, symptoms, and medications in real-time through telehealth technologies such as mobile devices, wearables, and remote monitoring devices. This helps medical personnel detect any deterioration in patients’ health early and enables them to act to avoid the situation worsening.
And what happens when problems get caught early? Patients stay healthier and avoid costly acute hospital or emergency room admissions.
This has been shown by various studies, which have found that remote monitoring can reduce unnecessary office visits and hospital admissions, the length of stays, and emergency department presentations by as much as 41-49%.²)
Remote patient monitoring also tends to improve patient engagement and care coordination. Patients who have real-time access to their health data and who can easily communicate with their healthcare team are more likely to take an active role in managing their health. When a remote monitoring program is well integrated into the other systems used in health care, the coordination between professionals becomes more manageable too.
So, if you’re working in a healthcare organization and looking for an answer to your chronic disease management problems, it makes sense to consider a remote patient monitoring solution.
With Medixine, you have all the tools you need to monitor your patients, store and analyze data, and communicate with patients securely. You can empower your patients and help them to manage their health better and improve their outcomes.
Let’s explore how we can help you adapt to new ways of delivering care – contact us for a personalized demo today.
Sources:
1) Holman, H. R. (2020). The Relation of the Chronic Disease Epidemic to the Health Care Crisis. ACR Open Rheumatology, 2(3), 167-173. https://doi.org/10.1002/acr2.11114
2) Taylor, M. L., Thomas, E. E., Snoswell, C. L., Smith, A. C., & Caffery, L. J. (2021). Original research: Does remote patient monitoring reduce acute care use? A systematic review. BMJ Open, 11(3). https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-040232