From Hospital to Home: How RPM Reduces Readmissions and Supports Recovery

Key Takeaways:

  • Early Detection Makes the Difference: When providers detect fluctuations early, they can make proactive choices to prevent the need for hospital readmissions.
  • Patient Empowerment Increases Engagement: Making real-time health data available empowers patients to take a more active role in their recovery.
  • Better Communication Equals Better Outcomes: Communication is crucial, especially after a hospitalization. RPM makes it possible to stay in touch when it matters most.

The Role of RPM in Modern Healthcare

The advancement of technology has made huge strides across the healthcare industry. One of those breakthroughs is in remote patient monitoring (RPM). RPM is a new innovation in patient care that allows providers and caregivers to monitor their patients through devices like blood pressure monitors, glucose meters, and wearable sensors like smart watches. These devices keep patients and their providers connected, ensuring that early warning signs and other acute issues are detected before they become more serious.
In a recent article, we explored how RPM monitoring can help prevent emergency room visits. However, it is not always possible to avoid hospital visits, and sometimes routine surgeries are necessary. So, how can RPM be a part of reducing hospital readmission? Is it possible that these innovative new tools can be a part of supporting recovery and make better patient outcomes possible? The answer is yes!

Reducing Hospital Readmissions with RPM

Did you know that 23% of patients end up back in the hospital due to a lack of home support? At Accessible Remote Care Management, we know how beneficial in-home care can be for recovery.
It has been proven that having someone, especially a trained and experienced in-home caregiver, at home to oversee your loved one’s health and well-being not only helps them follow through with their post-stay instructions but also increases the chances of positive health outcomes.

RPM is no different, except who instead of a caregiver that comes only during scheduled visits your family is equipped with 24/7 monitoring. The benefits of this level of care post-operatively can quickly add up, making this innovative solution a force to be reckoned with in senior care.

Early Detection and Intervention

RPM systems involve a blend of wearable devices and other technology to collect real-time data. They track vital signs closely and alert caregivers and medical providers when there is a deviation from a patient’s baseline. Those alerts make it possible for your senior’s care team to promptly intervene and begin problem-solving solutions that prevent health conditions from worsening. Early detection makes it possible to address issues and keep your loved one healthy and on track for recovery.

Patient Empowerment Through Data

Recovering from an emergency room visit or hospitalization due to surgery can feel disempowering. For many seniors, it can feel like they are no longer in control of their health. However, with RPM systems like Accessible Remote Care Management’s HealthVitals® platform, patients are able to see their own vitals and get more involved in their own care.

By fostering a sense of ownership, seniors will feel more comfortable adhering to their treatment plans, reducing complications and leading to better health outcomes.

Personalized and Proactive Care

The days and weeks after hospitalization are crucial to ensuring your senior loved ones recover to their full potential. By allowing their care-team to analyze real-time data, RPM platforms make it possible for healthcare teams to make adjustments specific to your family member’s personal experience. Not only does this assist in preventing readmissions, but the tailored approach offers your family the peace of mind that your loved one’s care is personalized and proactive, making recovery a goal that is easily within their grasp.

Better Communication for Better Outcomes

Before the era of remote patient monitoring, patients would have to wait for their post-operative appointments with their care team to know how well their recovery was going. With RPM, your senior loved one will have a direct channel to connect with their providers. Instead of waiting to get answers to their questions and concerns, patients are now able to make their own in-the-moment decisions about their health outcomes.

Making Recovery A Priority

Here at Accessible Remote Care Monitoring, we know that the best place for recovery is at home. When your senior loved one is able to prioritize their health while also being in a familiar place, their health and well-being increases.

Adding RPM to their care plan makes recovery even easier. The National Institute of Health agrees: a 2024 study revealed that RPM reduced hospitalizations, emergency room visits, and total hospital stays significantly. Not only does RPM reduce readmissions, but it also improves patient outcomes by making recovery an interactive and collaborative process between your senior loved one and their care team.

Including RPM in your family’s care and recovery plan can make the difference between being readmitted and recovering at home. And, with our years of experience in in-home healthcare, Accessible Remote Care Management is dedicated to making sure that seniors feel empowered and engaged in their recovery.

To learn more about what HealthVitals® can do for your family, contact us today. We’re here to help and cannot wait to be a part of improving the health and well-being of the seniors in your life.

What Are the Benefits of Remote Patient Monitoring?

One of the biggest challenges for patients and their care team in managing chronic disease is identifying health changes between office visits. A single appointment can only offer a snapshot of a patient’s health, leaving providers in the dark about crucial symptoms or subtle changes that may occur in their day-to-day lives.

In the past, care teams may have tried to offset this challenge by asking patients to keep manual logs of their symptoms and vitals. However, this outdated approach is prone to human error and inconsistency, and the data isn’t always accessible to providers when they need it most. Luckily, technology has helped close the gap between office visits to ensure better outcomes.

What Is Remote Patient Monitoring?

Remote patient monitoring (RPM) is a digital healthcare technology and type of telehealth that uses electronic devices—such as weight scales, blood pressure monitors, glucose meters, and pulse oximeters—to collect patient-generated health data while the patient is at home or out with their loved ones. The data is then securely transmitted to their providers for review.

By incorporating RPM into a comprehensive chronic disease management plan, patients and their care team can collaborate more effectively to improve communication and gain valuable treatment insights. We’ll explore the benefits of this technology for both patients and providers and examine how RPM supports a transition from reactive to proactive care, particularly for seniors managing one or more chronic conditions.

RPM Benefits for Patients and Their Families

For patients, RPM can be a transformative tool that empowers them and their families to take an active role in managing their health. A 2020 study found that RPM improved both patient satisfaction and self-management of chronic conditions. By strengthening the support system, it encourages independence and builds stronger relationships between patients and their care team. Let’s take a closer look at the benefits of RPM to understand its value from the patient’s perspective.

Proactive Health Management

RPM helps support early detection by providing real-time health alerts and detecting subtle changes in vitals before they become severe. Too often, these new symptoms, if not reported, aren’t known until the next doctor’s visit, when it may already be too late. Early detection helps prevent health complications, reduces stressful emergency room visits, and lowers hospital readmissions.

Greater Independence

With user-friendly interfaces and automated measurements, patients can track vital signs independently, monitor medication schedules, and record their symptoms. Sensors and alarms built within the system can help inform the patient of any alerts or irregularities. RPM allows them to feel in control of their health without the constant need for in-person check-ups.

Streamlined Communications

The data collected through RPM supports informed communications with healthcare providers. Patients can get instant feedback on their health data and receive answers and resources to help manage their condition. RPM reinforces positive behaviors and helps patients understand how lifestyle choices impact their health.

Medication Adherence

Automated reminders and adherence tracking within RPM systems help patients stay on schedule with their prescribed medications, a common challenge in managing chronic conditions. Studies have shown that reminder systems of any type can improve adherence by up to 20%.

RPM as a Tool to Support Healthcare Practices

For healthcare providers and the healthcare system as a whole, RPM can provide many different benefits that support better decision-making and improve cost efficiency. Below are some of the benefits that have been identified to help providers manage their practices and deliver better care.

  • 1. Streamlined workflows and efficiency
  • 2. Stronger care coordination
  • 3. Cost-savings for care
  • 4. Expanded patient reach

RPM can help patient care teams of different providers access a continuous stream of data, reducing the need for as many in-person follow-ups and prioritizing patients who need immediate attention. Different providers can share information and insights within the team easily to create a more unified treatment plan.

From a business perspective, RPM has proven to be very beneficial to practices. Many healthcare organizations have reported significant savings of up to $8,000 per patient annually by using RPM to prevent hospital visits and manage conditions proactively. In some cases, RPM has enabled practices to expand their reach and create new, scalable revenue streams.

How ARCM Helps Seniors Live Healthy and Independent

For seniors and their families, RPM offers an opportunity for more independence and peace of mind while living at home. As seniors typically face a higher rate of chronic disease, they are uniquely positioned to benefit most from this technology. While implementing it can present challenges, the right partnership with an RPM provider can ensure a seamless and successful transition.

Accessible Remote Care Management (ARCM) features an intuitive, HIPAA-compliant platform that makes registering and tracking health data simple for all users, including seniors who may not be as technically proficient. With over 20 years of experience in providing home care services, we offer a complete solution for chronic care management.

Our expertise covers every aspect of remote patient monitoring, from providing advanced devices and software to offering hands-on training and dedicated ongoing support.

Physicians, seniors, and caregivers can connect to discuss treatment options and address feedback based on real-time data. As a whole, the technology is designed to be flexible and accessible with customizable features that encourage engagement and make it more manageable for seniors.

By providing consistent health monitoring and a direct line to their care team, ARCM empowers seniors and caregivers to stay on top of chronic health issues and helps providers deliver the best available treatment interventions. Families can also rest assured knowing that their loved one’s health is being continuously tracked, with immediate alerts sent if any measurements fall outside personalized targets.

Ultimately, though, regardless of age, ARCM is a remote care solution that ensures quality care is always within reach. Contact us today to learn more about the benefits of switching to ARCM.

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