What is RTM, or Remote Therapeutic Monitoring?

Remote Therapeutic Monitoring (RTM) is a digital health method that uses software and connected devices to find out how well patients are following their treatment, how much pain they are in, how well they are moving, and how well they are functioning. Doctors can still keep an eye on their patients' progress even when they're not in the office.

What are the advantages of RTM for physical therapists?

RTM enables physical therapists to monitor patients in between appointments, create data-driven care plans, engage patients more actively, facilitate adherence to prescribed exercises, and enhance the efficiency of clinical workflows.

What kinds of data can RTM collect for physical therapy?

RTM can collect information about a patient's activity, such as their range of motion and repetitions, as well as their reported outcomes, such as pain scores, mobility metrics, and compliance information. All of these things help therapists figure out how well their patients are getting better.

How does RTM make physical therapy work better for people?

RTM lets doctors and therapists check a patient's progress with their rehabilitation on a regular basis. This lets them step in early if progress slows down, encourages communication, and lets them make changes to treatment plans that are specific to each patient. All of these things help people get better faster and with better results.

Can RTM get patients more involved?

Yes. Through active feedback loops, progress tracking, and direct communication with their therapist, RTM gives patients a sense of responsibility and involvement. This makes them more interested and likely to stay with the program.

Does RTM help physical therapy clinics cut costs?

RTM can help people avoid going to the clinic too often, find problems earlier so they don't get worse, and make the time spent in the clinic more useful. In the long run, all of these things can help both practices and patients save money.

Can physical therapists get paid for RTM?

When the right paperwork is in place, you can often use certain CPT codes (like 98975–98980) to bill for RTM services. This lets physical therapy clinics make more money while still helping their patients.

What does RTM do to help doctors save time?

RTM automatically collects data and keeps track of progress, which means less manual charting and administrative work. Therapists can spend less time entering data and more time making decisions about patients' care and giving them personalized care.

Who would benefit from RTM in physical therapy?

RTM can help people who are recovering from surgery, chronic pain, or musculoskeletal injuries, or anyone who has been told to do exercises at home. This is especially true if you want to keep track of your progress and stay motivated.

What kind of technology do people need for RTM?

Most of the time, patients need a smartphone or tablet that works with the system. They can use wearable sensors, motion trackers, or apps that safely collect and send therapeutic data to their therapist.

Improving COPD Care With Remote Patient Monitoring

By Jack Whittaker | February 26, 2024

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a serious lung problem that makes breathing tough for millions of people around the world. Although there’s no cure yet, catching it early and taking good care can slow down how fast it gets worse and help you feel better. Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) enhances COPD care; learn more in our Complete Guide to RPM.

RPM lets you check your lungs functioning, like how much air you can breathe in and how much oxygen is in your blood, right from home. This helps doctors and physicians catch any complications early. Studies have found that people using RPM have way fewer surprise trips to the hospital compared to before. This shows that RPM can really help make COPD easier to deal with by giving doctors a better way to manage it over time.

In this blog, we’ll talk about how COPD remote patient monitoring works and why it’s so helpful for patients.

Table of Contents

Warning Signs Of COPD

Early symptoms of COPD are often missed, making diagnosis and intervention difficult. Look out for the following signs.

COPD is a set of lung problems that get worse over time and make breathing hard. It’s not something you catch from someone else, and it can often be prevented. COPD is a big health issue and is one of the top causes of death worldwide, affecting about 16 million people in the US alone.

In the beginning, COPD might not show any obvious signs, so a lot of people don’t even know they have it. They just go about their days without realizing anything’s wrong. Most people only go to the doctor when COPD starts causing noticeable problems. But can doctors find COPD early and make it less severe? Luckily, there’s a way called COPD remote patient monitoring that can help spot it early on.

How Remote Patient Monitoring Helps Manage COPD

Spotting COPD early and taking action quickly is super important for keeping patients healthy. Using RPM improves how well physicians can take care of the patients and manage their condition. For patients at risk of COPD flare-ups, RPM can be a lifesaver, catching problems before they get serious. Plus, checking in with remote monitoring devices every day can help both patients and doctors learn more about COPD and come up with a plan that’s just right for each person. Similarly, RPM for heart disease management has shown comparable benefits in reducing emergency visits and enhancing chronic care, underscoring the value of RPM across multiple high-risk conditions.

To manage chronic conditions like COPD well, it’s important to stay ahead of the game rather than waiting for problems to pop up. Here are some important reasons why COPD remote patient monitoring is so helpful:

It makes healthcare easier and more convenient.
Doctors can keep an eye on more patients and use their time better.
It lowers the chance of needing to go to the hospital by focusing on staying healthy.
It encourages people to make healthier choices in their daily lives.
It saves money on healthcare overall.

COPD remote patient monitoring helps doctors keep an eye on patients who might be at risk, whether they’re getting long-term care or need help right away. Since COPD symptoms aren’t always obvious, keeping an eye on lungs functioning regularly can help catch problems early and get treatment fast.

Role Of RPM Devices In Managing COPD

Remote patient monitoring lets doctors check up on patients who might be at risk even when they’re not at the doctor’s office. It helps them gather lots of info about patients’ health to make better decisions. These devices can really make a difference in how COPD is managed

Spirometry

Spirometry is a test that checks how well your lungs are doing by seeing how much air you breathe in and out and how fast you can breathe out. People with COPD can use spirometers at home to help their doctors keep track of their lung health.

Patients need to take a big breath and blow into the spirometer as hard and fast as they can. The doctor can then use the results to see if the patient’s lungs are getting worse or if the treatment is working well. If a healthcare professional see any changes, they can adjust the treatment plan right away.

Pulse Oximetry

Pulse oximetry is a method to check how well your lungs are working by shining a light on your fingertip to see how much oxygen is in your blood. This helps doctors or physicians understand if your body is getting enough oxygen from your lungs.

For people with mild COPD, it can be hard to notice when their oxygen levels drop dangerously low. But by using a pulse oximeter, doctors can keep an eye on these levels. If the oxygen saturation in your blood goes below 90%, the monitoring system will let your doctor know right away so they can help you quickly.

Remote Peak Flow Monitoring

At-home peak flow meters are like devices that measure how fast you can breathe out. They connect to your phone or computer using Bluetooth or cellular technology. A recent study found that most people using these meters were able to do their breathing tests regularly.

The data from these tests gets sent securely to the doctor’s computer, where they can keep track of how you’re doing. Some meters even send the results automatically, making it easier for you and your healthcare provider to stay connected.

Key Takeaways

The way doctors handle COPD has changed a lot with remote patient monitoring. Now, they can keep an eye on patients’ health all the time by checking things like breathing and oxygen levels. This helps them catch any problems early and stop patients from needing to go to the hospital.

Remote monitoring also saves money and makes managing COPD easier and more accurate. Plus, it gives patients more control over their health. All these good things mean that remote monitoring is really important for COPD care. And as technology gets better, it will only help more COPD patients feel better and stay healthier.

Boost your COPD care with HealthArc’s advanced RPM clinical software and digital health platform focused on smooth patient transition, seamless communication, and enhanced overall patient engagement, ensuring optimal outcomes for both patients and healthcare providers.

Request a free demo or feel free to talk to our team at +201 885 5571 to learn how we can help you manage your COPD symptoms with RPM.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is COPD, and why does it need to be treated all the time?

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a lung disease that gets worse over time and makes it hard to breathe. It’s essential to continue getting care because symptoms can change over time. If you catch signs that things are getting worse early, you can stop serious problems from happening.

What is isRPM, or Remote Patient Monitoring?

RPM uses digital tools and connected devices to collect health data from patients, for example, their oxygen saturation or breathing patterns. The system securely transmits this data to healthcare providers, enabling them to monitor the patient’s condition even when they are not present in the clinic.

How can RPM enhance the care provided to individuals with COPD?

RPM enables physicians to monitor health data in real time. This allows for the early detection of a patient’s deterioration, immediate response, rapid adjustment of treatment regimens, and the potential prevention of unneeded emergency room visits or hospital admissions.

What kind of information do individuals with COPD often monitor?

Physicians frequently utilize oxygen saturation (SpO₂), respiratory rate, heart rate, activity levels, and symptom reports to assess the progression of a patient’s condition.

Does RPM prevent those with COPD from requiring hospitalization?

Indeed, RPM can diminish both the frequency and severity of hospital admissions associated with COPD by identifying early warning indicators and enabling timely therapeutic intervention.

In what ways does RPM empower individuals with COPD to assume greater control over their healthcare management?

RPM facilitates patient engagement in their healthcare by providing personalized feedback, monitoring health changes, and simplifying communication with their care team.

In what manner does RPM facilitate the coordination of care for COPD patients?

RPM collects all of a patient’s information and lets care teams know if there are any changes that need more attention. This guarantees the alignment of physicians, nurses, and care coordinators, enabling them to respond promptly when needed.

Can RPM assist individuals with COPD in reducing their healthcare expenses?

Indeed, RPM can reduce the utilization of healthcare resources, emergency department visits, and hospital readmissions, hence, decreasing expenses.

How does RPM help make sure that COPD care is well-coordinated?

RPM gathers all of a patient’s information and lets care teams know when something changes that could need further attention. This makes sure that nurses, doctors, and care coordinators all know what’s going on and can respond swiftly when they need to.

Can RPM help individuals with COPD pay less for their medical care?

Yes. RPM can save expenses by cutting down on the utilization of healthcare services, trips to the emergency room, and hospital readmissions.

How does RPM help keep COPD care organized?

RPM collects all of a patient’s information and alerts care teams when something changes that might need more attention. This ensures a shared understanding among doctors, nurses, and care coordinators, enabling prompt action when necessary.

Can RPM help people with COPD pay less for their health care?

Yes. RPM can help people use fewer healthcare resources, go to the emergency room less often, and stay in the hospital less often, which can save money.

Do people with COPD need special tools to do RPM?

Patients usually use simple tools like pulse oximeters and sensors that they wear on their bodies to send data to a platform that is connected to the internet. These tools are easy to use and don’t get in the way.

Who benefits the most from RPM when it comes to taking care of COPD?

People with moderate to severe COPD, frequent flare-ups, or those at risk of hospitalization benefit most from RPM as it enables doctors to monitor their condition and provide timely medical assistance.

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