Page 24 - SFHN JAN 2022

MEDICAL INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Cover Story: Remote Patient Monitoring Transforming Healthcare Delivery

Continued from page 1 RPM@Home® Education and Communication pose is to consistently provide more data
visits and remote patient monitoring had WITHmyDOC created and launched Is Vital to physicians to help guide their deci-
limited acceptance with only a 1% mar- the RPM@Home® program which places However, providing equipment to sion-making, increasing proactive inter-
ket share. However, when the pandemic high value on patient engagement, adop- patients at no cost, without vital educa- vention to reduce costly ER visits that are
further contributed to staffing shortages tion and adherence resulting in improved tion of and communication with patients a financial burden on our health and sat-
and professional stress and burnout, it outcomes. regarding the commitment to monitoring isfy reimbursement guidelines. Providers
fortified the entrepreneurial spirit of Using artificial intelligence this plat- their vitals to avoid further deterioration can increase their care footprint through
WITHmyDOC to provide new method- form helps monitor patients and trans- does not promise patient adherence suc- the use of RPM, relieving their time
ologies and remote resources for physi- mits real-time data enabling healthcare cess. For example, thanks to client feed- stress and yielding more job satisfaction.
cians and patients. providers to review patient biometric back, WITHmyDOC recognized that
“Now, the increased education and data as frequently as needed between nurse staffing shortages are creating Improved Care for
improved reimbursement guidelines office visits, making it easier to detect, problems for physicians and so they cre- Vulnerable Populations
have given remote patient monitoring diagnose and treat symptoms such as ated their teams – PEP squad (Patient Additionally, the American Rescue
more traction and physician acceptance high blood pressure, low oxygen levels, Engagement Professionals) and MED Plan and the FCC COVID-19 Telehealth
which results in a greater opportunity for increase/decrease in weight due to med- squad (RN Patient specialists) – to help program now allows Community Health
remote patient care,” he said. ications, arrhythmias, high temperature with the heavy lifting, according to Centers to use federal grant funding for
With the extreme nursing shortages and elevated blood glucose levels. Rodriguez. telehealth and RPM services specifically
caused by expansion of lucrative oppor- Studies show that incorporating RPM in “Our PEP squad provides training to for the vulnerable under-insured and
tunities for travel nurses; and heightened chronic disease management of patients ensure confidence, knowledge, and ease uninsured communities who otherwise
physician burnout rates due to intense with co-morbidities can significantly of use. They work with patients in their often forego care due to lack of trans-
hospital-based monitoring of COVID improve patient quality of life by pre- home to introduce RPM and follow-up to portation, inability to find a doctor or
patients; along with the COVID fear venting complications. assure understanding not only on how to lack of time to seek primary care due to
trend of patients postponing office visits; RPM@Home® patients are provided use the equipment itself, but on the physical challenges, home childcare
there was a need for an alternate business with wireless sensor kits to use at home importance of consistent transmission of responsibilities and/or job hour limita-
strategy for physician practices to pro- to electronically record vital signs that their physiological data to the care team tions. Care is postponed until it is urgent
vide quality care to patients. are to be monitored. for monitoring. Additionally, our MED and often at a higher cost and more omi-
Patients have many reasons for not mak- For example, the O2 saturation sensor Squad specialists are available if a full- nous to recuperation.
ing it to the office from transportation is a clip the patient puts on his finger to service clinical monitoring program is Rodriguez summarized, “RPM@Home®
issues to childcare responsibilities, or job record the oxygen level; an EKG patch is preferred and provides a valuable benefit kit offers many advantages using the latest
and low-income constraints. Virtual mon- put on the chest and it records tracing of by easing the burden on physicians,” he breakthroughs in medical technology to
itoring can alleviate many of these valid the heart rhythm; the blood pressure said. monitor chronically ill patients that typi-
excuses with home monitoring devices monitor wirelessly records systolic and WITHmyDOC nurses can provide cally require more attention. Proactively
and video to provide needed diagnosis and diastolic measures directly into the sys- monitoring of key vitals and simultane- reducing ER visits and readmissions min-
care to patients in their homes, communi- tem. The kit also includes an 8-inch ously encourage patient engagement imizes emergent situations which could
ty settings and other locations particularly tablet, which is used to capture and through regular communications, check- help to alleviate provider burnout. The
as hospitals face the crisis of high occu- record information into the database. ins and reminders. platform allows providers to receive real-
pancy due to COVID.
The MED squad checks the automatic time patient information to quickly and
alerts categorized into non-urgent, efficiently review a large number of mon-
urgent, and emergent groupings and con- itored patients. Its reporting functionali-
nects with the physician to determine ty also facilitates billing.”
care plans. The staff understands how “By using artificial intelligence and
important it is for patients to become predictive analytics, this user-friendly,
comfortable with the new technology end-to-end, web-based intelligence sys-
and ease-of-use early on and for physi- tem is designed for success, and is here
cian alerts to be shared in real time. to stay,” he predicts.
Rodriguez explained that the
RPM@Home® system is not meant to For additional information, visit
replace traditional office visits. Its pur- www.withmydoc.com to request a demo.

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24 January 2022 southfloridahospitalnews.com South Florida Hospital News