According to the CDC, about 6.2 million adults in the United States have Congestive Heart Failure (CHF). This condition costs the nation billions of dollars in health care services, medications and missed days of work. However, there are tools that can help patients manage their condition and lessen the likelihood of expensive hospital admissions, re-admissions, ER utilization, lost income, and additional complications. Providing patients with access to Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) programs to help them adjust to a treatment plan is instrumental in supporting patients and improving their clinical outcomes.
RPM Healthcare has several tools that support patients with CHF. RPM devices allow patients to monitor their condition and share data with their health providers, in real time, which leads to early intervention. RPM devices most commonly used for patients with CHF range from scales, blood pressure machines, and pulse oximeters. With each of these RPM devices the patient will have a care team of local Nurses that regularly check in, assist with any questions or concerns, respond to custom alerts, educate patients on lifestyle changes and more.
At RPM Healthcare, our team of trained nurses, licensed in the same state as their patients, will respond to the patient’s alert the same day. For instance, when a patient gains 2 pounds in 24 hours or more than 5 pounds in a week, this alerts our staff of possible water retention that may lead to decompensation. Reaching the patient quickly and having the Care Team assess the situation in a timely manner can reduce the risk of hospitalization.
“During their outreach efforts, the Care Team can also ask patients about Social Determinants of Health (SDoH). This allows the team to better understand the patient’s needs. We have helped our patients with setting up transportation, medication delivery and food delivery,” said Tia Atwood, Clinical Team Manager. All of that clinical work allows patients to take an active role in taking control of their health, well-being and livelihood while also helping providers to see the clinical and financial benefits of implementing RPM.
