Accountable care organizations are using remote patient monitoring technology – hoping to get a return on investment – despite concerns over the integration challenges the method presents, according to a new study.

Seventy-one percent of organizations interviewed for a new trend study conducted by Spyglass Consulting Group expressed concerns about integrating RPM technology with existing clinical care processes and clinical information systems including their electronic medical record, according to a July 8 news release by Spyglass. 

Spyglass researchers for Trends in Remote Patient Monitoring 2013, released July 8, found that when RPM technology is used for disease management and care coordination it has been shown to reduce the risk of hospital readmissions, control healthcare delivery costs and increase access to care. 

[See also: Remote monitoring market growing fast] 

The majority of hospitals and health systems interviewed for the study were ACOs, or were in the process of becoming one, Spyglass officials said. Fifty-five percent of the organizations have deployed, or were evaluating RPM technology to address:

• Readmissions;
• Value-based financial incentives focused on chronic disease management and care coordination; and
• New patient-centered care models focused on patients taking a more active role in managing their health.

According to Spyglass, the study also showed:

• ACOs lack clinical analytics to manage explosion in patient data. Fifty-eight percent of organizations interviewed expressed concern that RPM technology does not provide adequate support for clinical analytics and decision support tools, which allow them to transform raw patient data into actionable knowledge and insights based on evidence-based medicine. 
• ACOs question clinical and financial efficacy of RPM technology. More than 50 percent of organizations interviewed questioned the clinical effectiveness of RPM technology and their ability to generate a positive return on investment. 

The content for Trends in Remote Patient Monitoring 2013 was derived from more than 100 in-depth interviews with healthcare organizations involved in telehealth/telemedicine including home health agencies, standalone community hospitals, multi-hospital delivery systems, government agencies and payers, according to Spyglass.

[See also: New tool tracks remote monitoring ROI]