X
GO
Resource Overview
  • Rationale
  • Challenges
  • Approach

Mobile health (mHealth) tools have the potential to play a pivotal role in fostering a sense of greater patient engagement within underserved populations. By facilitating patient use of mHealth applications in collaboration with electronic health record (EHR) and personal health record (PHR) systems there is an opportunity to empower individuals to take a more active role toward managing their health conditions.

The proliferation of consumer mobile health applications and devices is creating new opprotunities for engaging patients in their care and leaves little doubt as to the impact that these tools will have on the way that people manage their health, health information, and health communications with their care providers, family and friends. This shift to increased self-management of health by consumers will change a patient’s relationship with their doctor and the way healthcare is practiced.
The current laws and standards in place to ensure patient’s privacy and health information security will need further review to determine whether mobile health technologies create unique situations that are not yet addressed. This poses many challenges for health centers as to how best to support patient use of these tools and ways in which to incorporate them into their own clincial support systems.

Mobile health characterizes a shift in the point of care for the patient. The point of care has classically been located at the hospital or clinic. Mobile health is beginning to shift this model so that the point of care is more frequently a matter of where the person happens to be located at that time, consequently providing opportunities for more timely care. It is also important to note that these tools help to increase the accessibility of Healthcare to populations where direct access to Healthcare professionals is limited and so health management is more frequently left in the hands of the consumer.

The tools provide in this resource cover a range of different mobile health tools, strategies, and guidelines for consideration as Health Centers seek to leverage these technologies to better engage and activate their patients.

Mobile Health Resources
Safer at Home: Using Remote Patient Monitoring for Patient Care
HITEQ Center
/ Categories: Electronic Patient Engagement, Mobile Health, Telehealth

Safer at Home: Using Remote Patient Monitoring for Patient Care

Published in January 2021

Download the full PDF resource, complete with recommended resources, in the Documents to Download Section below!

Summary: While remote patient monitoring may not be separately reimbursable for federally qualified health centers, there are other benefits including keeping patients with chronic conditions safer at home during the pandemic and monitoring patients with chronic conditions to detect changes early and intervene. This early detection and intervention supports high value care and improved health outcomes.

For those launching or expanding a remote patient monitoring program, there are three keys:

  • Planning: Create a team, develop a project management plan, identify your patient population, and then select your vendor or tool using key selection criteria.
  • Implementation: Some health centers have begun implementing self-monitored blood pressure programs, but despite promising results and relevant for clinical quality measures, they remain underutilized. Successful implementation of RPM offers the opportunity for patients to be more engaged in their care, as well as for both patients and care team to have access to near real time feedback on how the patient is doing. Training for health center staff training and support for implementation. Health center staff must both know how to configure RPM to provide meaningful information and how to support patients when they may encounter challenges. The many successes of other organizations provide helpful insights.
  • Financial sustainability: While RPM is often not separately reimbursable for health centers beyond their prospective payment system or perhaps chronic care management reimbursement, it is important to monitor changes at the state and local level as RPM adoption increases and payers further realize its value. Other funding, such as telehealth grants or incentives from value-based care contracts can help offset the cost. Demonstrating the value of RPM for your patients can help secure additional funding in the future. 

Documents to download

Previous Article Patient Resource: QuestionBuilder App
Next Article Electronic Patient Engagement Tools: Adaptation for Use in COVID-19 Vaccination Rollout
Print
9446
Tags: telehealth Blood Pressure self-management remote patient monitoring

Related Resources

Acknowledgements

This resource collection was cultivated and developed by the HITEQ team with valuable suggestions and contributions from HITEQ Project collaborators.

Looking for something different or have something you think could assist?

HITEQ works to provide top quality resources, but know your needs can be specific. If you are just not finding the right resource or have a highly explicit need then please use the Request a Resource button below so that we can try to better understand your requirements.

If on the other hand you know of a great resource already or have one that you have developed then please get in touch with us by clicking on the Share a Resource button below. We are always on the hunt for tools that can better server Health Centers.

Request a Resource  Share a Resource
Quick Feedback Request
Highlighted Resources & Events
Need Assistance?
Would you like more assistance regarding Mobile Health strategies or support in using any of the included resource sets?

  Request Support

 

Upcoming Events
The Quadruple Aim
Quadruple Aim

A Conceptual Framework

Improving the U.S. health care system requires four aims: improving the experience of care, improving the health of populations, reducing per capita costs and improving care team well-being. HITEQ Center resources seek to provide content and direction aligned with the goals of the Quadruple Aim

Learn More