A new continuous remote patient monitoring program at Piedmont Healthcare combines Telemetrix's RPM software with devices from Remote Care Partner. Data from the devices is fully integrated into Piedmont's Epic system. 

WHY IT MATTERS

To provide more efficient care, Atlanta-based Piedmont is leveraging a cloud platform for the secure transfer of devices directly to its electronic health record.

While providers must often sift through a flood of information and toggle between cloud-based data hubs and their EHR, this integration allows data collected from RCP's devices to be encrypted and securely transferred through the Telemetrix cloud platform and automatically populate patient records, the health system says.

The process can take two minutes or less, according to a news release, and can help to give clinicians more timely and relevant patient data.

The combined platform with Telemetrix and Epic "starts with a hub that collects device data from remote devices including scales, blood pressure cuffs, and glucose meters," said Gregg Smith, chief executive officer of Remote Care Partners, said in a statement. 

"Continuous care isn’t really possible in a doctor’s office with periodic visits, but it is made possible by the interoperability between home devices, the cloud and the electronic health record,” added Dr. Nancy Beale, chief nurse executive and chief clinical informatics officer at Telemetrix. 

"Advancements in remote and continuous patient care are eliminating the need for every healthcare interaction to be in an office," she added. "Virtual care is evolving into interactive care, connecting the hospital to the home."

The partners say that Medicare compensates payors and practices for the service because it reduces emergency room and doctor visits.

The data exchange program will be launched at two of Piedmont's medical facilities with plans to roll out across the not-for-profit, community health system and its 22 hospitals. 

RCP's 70 registered nurse coaches will provide backend support will be available to Piedmont's healthcare providers.

THE LARGER TREND

Devices like pulse oximeters and spirometers monitored patients discharged from the hospital after COVID-19, but many conditions lack devices for care at home.

With a reduction in patient visits due to the pandemic, physicians would only see pieces of patient conditions, said Dr. Waqaas Al-Siddiq, chairman, CEO and founder of Biotricity, a medical diagnostic and healthcare technology company. 

"One of the biggest expenses in healthcare is chronic conditions. Individuals suffering from chronic issues frequent hospitals and clinics while also having higher risk of COVID complications," he told Healthcare IT News last year while discussing RPM's move to mainstream healthcare. 

"Remote patient monitoring has been a big boost in collecting data from chronic patients remotely, without the need for them to come into the care setting as often, thereby easing the burden on the system while reducing patient risk."

Easing that burden is now leading the way to broader adoption, particularly for specialty care.

"With the keen ability to manage patients between physician office visits and customize treatment plans, monitoring patients in between visits can reflect a positive effect on costs to the healthcare system where billions of dollars each year are spent on ER visits, hospital stays and readmissions," said Andrew Zengilowski, CEO and cofounder of RPM platform CoachCare.

ON THE RECORD

"Healthcare practices are flooded with data," Smith said in the statement. 

"The objective of this program is to make continuous care more accessible for healthcare providers and patients alike.”

"This platform is fully integrated into our provider workflow, so they don’t have to transition into other systems in order to provide care," added Patrick Cossart, Piedmont Healthcare Director of Virtual Health. 

"From the patient perspective, they can see their information in the patient portal, so everything is integrated into their normal process."

Andrea Fox is senior editor of Healthcare IT News.
Email: afox@himss.org
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.