RPM in a Box offers solutions that can be tailored to fit any size office and provides the tools and training to help providers deliver high quality remote patient monitoring services. For those providers interested in offering remote patient monitoring but want to partner with a health-tech company to provide a managed solution, RPM in a Box can manage their entire program from patient onboarding to care coordination.

“We’re excited to partner with RPM in a Box to offer an affordable option for remote patient monitoring,” says Naveen Goel, Founder and CEO or HealthKOS. “Their solution is simple and easy to use, yet powerful because they’re backed by the software that powers HealthKOS. RPM in a Box and their customers have the full support of our team for onboarding, training and implementation.”

Together, RPM in a Box and HealthKOS are helping physician practices reduce costs, improve outcomes and capture the increased revenue generated by the advanced level of services they are providing. In fact, Primary Care Physicians with 200 patients enrolled in remote patient monitoring could generate as much as $300,000 in additional revenue.

Learn more by downloading their free white paper that explains how RPM in a Box works!

Interested in scheduling a Demo?  Click here to connect with the RPM in a Box team.

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The survey focused on 25 organizations that utilized an RPM solution provided by one of seven different vendors. In addition to improved satisfaction and reduced hospital admissions and readmissions, the study found that respondents credit RPM with additional benefits.

• 17% – Quantified Cost Reductions
• 13% – RPM Improves Medication Compliance
• 13% – Improved Patient Health
• 8% – Attribute Lower A1c levels to RPM

The KLAS study is just one of a growing number of reports that show the validity of RPM as a tool to improve satisfaction and outcomes while reducing costs for patients and providers.

HealthKOS provides an end-to-end solution for remote patient monitoring that can be tailored to the needs and capabilities of any healthcare organization, including turn-key solutions that allow providers to partner with HealthKOS to launch an RPM program with minimal effort.

For more information or to schedule a demo of our Remote Patient Monitoring Solution, contact us at 1-855-227-3567 or info@healthkos.com

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HealthKOS, a health-tech company that offers an end-to-end patient engagement solution, has opened a second office for its commercial operations.  The new office is located off I-595 near Weston, at 10200 w State Road 84 in Plantation.   HealthKOS has made the move to accommodate a growing team according to CEO Naveen Goel, MD.

“As our client base continues to grow, so does the staff and resources we need to provide excellent support and service,” says Dr. Goel. “Our new location is convenient for our team members and customers alike.”

HealthKOS now has two main offices in South Florida, The Plantation office is home for business development, marketing, implementation and executive offices. The Cypress Creek office is where the group’s information technology, cyber security and platform development teams sit. In addition, the company has several professionals that work remotely focusing on regional business development activities.

“We wanted to go after the best talent to meet our needs and the needs of our clients,” says Dr. Goel. “We serve customers across the country and need to be able to support them with a mix of in person and centralized teams hence a mix of centralized and regional talent has been assembled.”

As HealthKOS continues to expand, Goel says they’ll evaluate opportunities to open additional offices where the option to do so makes sense. “Wherever our footprint grows large enough to justify a physical location for team members and clients is where you’ll see HealthKOS establish another office,” says Dr. Goel. “We’re already evaluating our opportunities and will add more physical space when the time is right.”

With continued growth and expansion, you may see a HealthKOS location near you soon.

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Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) is gaining recognition as a proven method to reduce Hospital Readmissions. So much so that CMS has released CPT codes specifically meant for reimbursement of these services. If you haven’t had a chance to review the new codes – check out my previous blog post that explains the different codes and what services can billed under them.

Important Difference Between Telehealth and RPM

Unlike telehealth, which simply provides another access point for episodic treatment or utilization of healthcare services, Remote Patient Monitoring is a platform that provides continuous engagement between patients and providers. Think of telehealth as another single point of interaction in a patient’s record or chart whereas Remote Patient Monitoring provides a continuous stream of data and interaction that exponentially increases everything from communication to the collection of diagnostic information. Coupled with the correct algorithms to monitor health metrics and care coordinators to engage patients, Remote Patient Monitoring is a game changer in comparison to a simple remote office visit facilitated by telehealth services.

So, How Does Remote Patient Monitoring Help Reduce Admissions

Simply put, Remote Patient Monitoring allows providers to collect and access diagnostic and compliance information linked to a patient’s specific needs for care management, giving them the power to make decisions that are timelier and better informed. What’s more, the new CPT codes mentioned above, allow providers to utilize vendor partnerships and clinical staff to perform much of the work analyzing, engaging and educating patients which may be enough of an intervention to slow disease progression or prevent an admission or readmission.

Potential Impact of Remote Patient Monitoring on the Diabetic Patient Population

Looking at just diabetic patients, the peer reviewed journal American Nurse Today noted that “patients with diabetes account for approximately 480,958 hospital in-patient stays per year with a 30-day readmission rate of 97,784, accounting for a 20.3% hospital readmission rate.”

Now consider, many of those admissions and readmissions are caused by out-of-control glucose levels, inactivity, compliance with medications and adherence to diet restrictions. A diabetic patient on an annual or semiannual follow-up with their primary care provider will only offer that practitioner one or two snap-shots of their health and an often-inaccurate account of their compliance with the prescribed treatment plan. This doesn’t provide the PCP with much of an opportunity to engage, educate, correct or intervene in a timely manner, often leading the non-compliant or progressing diabetic to seek care in another setting such as an urgent care or emergency room. Depending on the severity of the episodic condition or disease progression this can lead to an admission and/or readmission.

Put that same set of diabetic patients in a remote patient monitoring program with the correct set of diagnostic and compliance measures collected and couple it with an algorithm that alerts providers to negative changes in health metrics, and you create a new level of engagement that allows you to correct the patient’s compliance and treatment plan. This gives you the opportunity to help the patient avoid an ER visit, admission or progression of their disease. And for diabetic patients, that may mean avoiding further risk or complications associated with vision loss, neuropathy, infections, kidney disease and heart disease.

An End-to-End Solution to Help Reduce Admissions

HealthKOS is an end-to-end solution that was developed by doctors to improve patient engagement, compliance and outcomes. HealthKOS™ provides direct savings to the physician and healthcare organizations both in time and money as well as improving patient outcomes.

What makes HealthKOS™ different is that it utilizes automated algorithms, real-time data, and quality metrics to involve patients in their own care, as well as keeping healthcare providers and family constantly informed. HealthKOS™ allows the healthcare team to monitor patient progress outside the practice office, leading to timely interventions, preventing disease progression and unnecessary hospitalizations.

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CMS recently released new CPT Codes meant for use in the reimbursement of Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) services. In doing so, the agency proclaimed, “We now recognize that advances in communication technology have changed patients’ and practitioners’ expectations regarding the quantity and quality of information that can be conveyed via communication technology. From the ubiquity of synchronous, audio/video applications to the increased use of patient-facing health portals, a broader range of services can be furnished by health care professionals via communication technology as compared to 20 years ago.”

And though they specifically mention audio/video applications, these new codes differ greatly from the previous iterations that were meant to reimburse tele-health Services that connect providers to patients using these A/V plat

The new Remote Patient Monitoring codes are specifically designed to address reimbursement for establishing RPM services, remotely collecting and transmitting health related data from patients to clinicians, reviewing the data collected and interacting remotely with the patient. More information on the specific codes can be found here, in one of my earlier blog posts.

Differences Between Tele-Health and Remote Patient Monitoring

Some of the most notable differences between what qualifies as tele-health and what qualifies as Remote Patient Monitoring are within the requirements for the visual side of contact, rural geographies and originating sites.

Unlike Tele-health, RPM does not specifically require audio/visual interaction between patients and providers and there is no requirement for patients to access or receive services in a rural area. There are also no requirements for originating sites in order to bill for RPM services. However, for RPM services to be reimbursable, patients must have a qualifying face-to-face visit with the provider within one-year prior to the beginning of services. RPM simplifies the contact aspect, noting only that providers are required to deliver 20 minutes of professional time each month which includes interactive communication with the patient or caregiver.

Partnering With Health Tech Companies to Provide Remote Patient Monitoring

The new regulations also make it easier for healthcare providers to partner with health technology companies to provide Remote Patient Monitoring services. This is because most RPM services can be provided by “clinical staff” under “general supervision” to help fulfill the 20-minute-per-month requirement for providing RPM services. With that provision in place, providers are not required to be in the same place as the staff charged with providing RPM services.

Given this autonomy, choosing the right Remote Patient Monitoring partner gives providers peace-of-mind that the staff they choose to manage RPM will have all of the training and tools necessary to provide high quality services and outstanding patient satisfaction. It also means they’ll be positioned correctly to capture the increased reimbursement possible when all of the requirements are met.

An End-to-End Solution to Improve Patient Engagement

HealthKOS is an end-to-end solution that was developed by doctors to improve patient engagement, compliance and outcomes. HealthKOS™ provides direct savings to the physician and healthcare organizations both in time and money as well as improving patient outcomes.

What makes HealthKOS™ different is that it utilizes automated algorithms, real-time data, and quality metrics to involve patients in their own care, as well as keeping healthcare providers and family constantly informed. HealthKOS™ allows the healthcare team to monitor patient progress outside the practice office, leading to timely interventions, preventing disease progression and unnecessary hospitalizations.

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As hospitals are continually being penalized for excessive 30-day readmissions, chronic care management (CCM) has become a rising area of healthcare. Chronic care management in the form of transitions of care (TOC) programs are effective, but still not enough to hinder disease progression. In relatively recent years, CCM methods have started to integrate remote patient monitoring (RPM) systems for further assessment of care.

Chronic Disease Progression, Still A Growing Problem

Hospital readmissions from chronic conditions are costing upwards of half of billion dollars or more, annually. These chronic care conditions are proving to be key sources of rising costs as well as lower quality of care. This could be due to several factors such as non-adherence, low health literacy, or use of several medications from different healthcare providers.

The most prevalent chronic conditions include:

• Heart Disease
• Hypertension
• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
• Diabetes

These chronic conditions can be assessed according to certain health metrics. Qualitative metrics include diet, lifestyle, and family history. Other quantitative metrics as shown in the table below can also provide more direct monitoring opportunities. These metrics can be compared based on the chronic condition although many patients suffer from more than one chronic condition at a time.

Timely Interventions Are Crucial For CCM

The benefits of CCM extend towards decreasing emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and long-term care admissions. This is due to consistent opportunities to follow up on patient health metrics and overall condition. If abnormalities in vital signs and symptoms are overlooked, the patient is at risk of worsening disease states and eventual hospitalizations.

Therefore, it is not only important to assess chronic conditions with every follow-up, but also provide education and intervention as necessary. Moderate ticks in blood pressure levels, heart rates, and breathing patterns can make all the difference in ensuring optimal patient care. Otherwise, events like exacerbations from asthma or heart failure could send a patient straight to the hospital.

Studies show that health data transmitted by patients remotely can increase the likelihood of  positive patient outcomes. Patients with diabetes, who are receiving consistent chronic care management, have received timely interventions comparable to those after a regular clinic visit.¹ Chronic care management can be boosted to an even higher level with the use of remote patient monitoring.

Remote Patient Monitoring as a Supplemental Solution

Continual advancements in technology have allowed the use of remote patient monitoring systems to improve the quality of care. Clinicians now have the ability to assess patient’s functional, medical, and psychosocial needs via remote platform systems. With easy access and oversight, remote monitoring programs can provide the necessary tools to enhance the management of chronic conditions. 

Patients have the opportunity to keep track of their condition(s) by uploading vitals and health metrics to a secure platform. Clinicians and healthcare providers are then able to analyze patient conditions and provide the necessary feedback to slow disease progression. For instance, a hypertensive patient who is not taking their medications can easily be counseled after noticing a decline in blood pressure values.

Remote patient monitoring can further provide an effortless, low cost way to provide patient education and address adherence concerns. Patient health metrics can be closely tracked and attended to with a comprehensive care plan. This plan can consist of expected outcomes and prognosis, measurable treatment goals, and scheduled medication management visits. By immediately attending to these patient care elements, chronic disease progression can be slowed. Therefore, chronic care management (CCM) plus remote patient monitoring can be an optimal combination for better patient care.

Footnote: 1. Chase, H.P.; Pearson, J.A.; Wightman, C.; Roberts, M.D.; Oderberg, A.D.; Garg, S.K. “Modem transmission of glucose values reduces the costs and need for clinic visits”. Diabetes Care. 26 (5): 1475–1479. doi:10.2337/diacare.26.5.1475.

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By now, it is no secret that remote patient monitoring (RPM) can be an effective solution for improving patient care. Not only can RPM provide a streamlined approach, but it can also cut down on financial penalties due to poor hospital performance. By implementing an effective RPM system guided by a care coordinator, healthcare providers can more closely monitor their patients and intervene when needed.

So how can we integrate remote patient monitoring programs into our health systems?

Enable RPM Programs with Strong Care Coordinators

As the accountable care organization (ACO) model of healthcare continues to expand, the care coordinator is becoming a vital role after hospital discharges. Initially, physicians and advanced clinicians, such as nurse practitioners and physician assistants, were the main players in care coordination. However, other healthcare professionals have become valuable resources for care coordination, especially among chronically ill patients.

Care coordinators are responsible for several actions that can help improve quality of care and overall patient satisfaction. They ultimately help reduce hospital readmissions and execute cost saving measures for both the hospital and the patient. In a remote patient monitoring system, these responsibilities can include:

1. Following up with patients after hospital discharge by telephone or health software platform
2. Ensuring patients receive their discharge instructions and fill any new medications
3. Educating patients on their condition and chronic signs and symptoms
4. Monitoring patient quality metrics and measuring them against assigned values
5. Identifying risks for hospital readmission and relaying patient vitals and “alerts” to their physician

Drive Patient Engagement with Coordination of Care

Care coordinators are essential for driving patient engagement in a consistent manner. By providing virtual check-ins and assessments, patients can get the care they need with minimal effort and cost. This way, patients can feel comfortable knowing that supportive resources are available.

Depending on patient conditions, care coordinators typically perform monitoring and assessments on an ongoing basis. In some cases, targeted conditions such as COPD and heart failure, may need additional support such as a 30-day post-discharge check-in and/or a quarterly or annual assessment

Through the use of remote patient monitoring platforms, care coordinators have a direct line of communication to address patient concerns. Patients may sometimes have questions regarding their condition(s), such as appropriate diet or lifestyle measures. Care coordinators can continually review patient vitals and overall health via remote monitoring platforms for quick intervention. These interventions can include recommending a doctor’s visit, referring the patient to a specialist, or providing coaching for self-management.

Care Coordinators Becoming Essential

Care coordinators are becoming an essential part of chronic care management. Because of their growing importance and the flexibility in remote patient monitoring reimbursement requirements, their positions can often be filled without the need for advanced medical degree. While many care coordinators are nurses or medical social workers, these roles can also be sourced from those with bachelor’s degrees in medical, business, or hospital administration.

Depending on the organization utilizing remote patient monitoring services, a care coordinator can be part of the internal team or outsourced as a remote position. Many healthcare professionals can build upon their existing education and experience and be trained to provide the correct level of coordination by their employer or their employer’s remote patient monitoring partner. Utilizing a dedicated care coordinator then allows providers to be more efficient by focusing on patients who are physically present in the clinical setting.

Care coordinators can help providers maintain a higher standard of care on an ongoing basis through remote patient monitoring programs. With little cost and minimal oversight, healthcare providers can supplement patient care with consistent assessments allowing for education and intervention as needed. By providing extensive support for patients and physicians, care coordinators can ultimately improve patient engagement, reduce cost and drive appropriate levels of utilization.  

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New CPT Codes released by CMS in 2019 are meant to incentive providers to offer better quality Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) services, especially for those patients diagnosed with chronic diseases. These rules also give healthcare providers greater leeway to collaborate with digital health companies to provide RPM services.

2019 RPM CPT Codes Explained

CPT 99453:  This code reimburses certain costs associated with initial device set-up and patient education on the use of devices such as blood pressure cuffs, pulse oximeters and even scales. This is necessary because patients may know how to use these devices on their own but they may not understand how to sync them to a device in order to transmit the data remotely. Reimbursement for this charge is minimal but overlooking it could cost your organization a one-time reimbursement of $21 per patient participating in a remote monitoring care plan.

CPT 99454: Allows for the reimbursement of remote monitoring of physiologic parameter(s). For example, weight, blood pressure, pulse oximetry and respiratory flow rate. This code is also meant to cover the initial supply and set-up of devices. CMS specifically noted these devices should be capable of “daily recording(s) or programmed alert(s) transmission, each 30 days.” However, most devices cannot function without a platform to help transmit the data. In addition, they may depend on software to help recognize abnormalities or declining health status and alert providers. CMS will reimburse approximately $69 per patient, per month.

CPT 99457: This code covers remote physiologic monitoring treatment management services. CMS requires 20 minutes or more of professional time from clinical staff, physicians or other qualified healthcare professionals, along with interactive communication with the patient or caregiver, each calendar month. The reimbursement for this service is approximately $59 per month.

Capturing Chronic Care Management Reimbursement

In addition to revenue generated by Remote Patient Monitoring, providing these services could be a catalyst to offering Chronic Care Management services under CPT codes 99490 and 99487 which allow for reimbursement of approximately $43 and $94 respectively. The difference is 99490 requires 20 minutes of Chronic Care Management and 99487 requires 60 minutes of Chronic Care Management. However, creating better patient engagement and acquiring a more robust and timely set of health data from Remote Patient Monitoring would help providers offer better Chronic Care Management services to their patients.

Requirements for Billing

Providers should note that there are additional requirements to bill for Remote Patient Monitoring. Three of the most important requirements are:

• Patients must be diagnosed with 2 or more chronic conditions
• The devices used to collect and transmit data must be cleared by the FDA
• RPM must be ordered by a qualified healthcare professional

An End-to-End Solution for RPM

HealthKOS™ has created an end-to-end solution that provides your organization with the tools needed to offer true remote patient management and capture the revenue generated by providing these enhanced services to your patients.

For more information on the HealthKOS Platform, or to request a demo, please contact us at 1-855-227-3567 or info@healthkos.com.

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