How to Get Buy in for Remote Patient Monitoring Technology
Over the last several years, technology has transformed all aspects of our lives. Inste...
Most providers know that healthcare tech is evolving at an unprecedented rate. But what some may not know is that among the most innovative advancements, AI-driven remote patient monitoring (RPM) is transforming how care is delivered and managed.
By seamlessly combining telehealth with artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, remote patient care has become more efficient, personalized, and accessible.
For you, the healthcare provider, this means improved outcomes, reduced costs, and a new horizon in patient engagement.
This article explores how AI-enabled RPM is reshaping healthcare, offering tools for better chronic disease management, enhanced care coordination, reduced hospital readmissions, and much more.
What is AI-Driven Remote Patient Monitoring?
At its core, remote patient monitoring uses connected devices to collect health data from patients outside clinical settings.
With the addition of AI, RPM systems can analyze data patterns, detect anomalies, and provide actionable insights to healthcare professionals.
This combination not only enables continuous patient monitoring but also enhances the ability to predict and prevent health issues. This technology leads to more effective management of chronic diseases and acute conditions.
One study found the five leading causes of mortality include asthma, heart attack, stroke, pneumonia, and pulmonary embolism. These are conditions where early detection with AI-enabled RPM tools can mean the difference between life and death.
Imagine this: A heart failure patient with a wearable device (i.e., ECG) gets daily health metrics—such as blood pressure—through their RPM system. The AI continuously analyzes this data, but one day, it detects a slight issue.
It alerts the healthcare provider, allowing a medication adjustment that prevents hospital readmission or worse. This is just one example of how AI-driven remote patient monitoring can lead to proactive care.
Below, we list several more ways AI-enabled RPM improves patient outcomes, streamlines operational efficiency, and boosts cost savings.
Chronic Disease Management Made Smarter with RPM
Chronic illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension affect millions of individuals worldwide, often requiring consistent monitoring.
AI-powered RPM facilitates early detection of health risks, delivering effective solutions for chronic disease management with RPM.
This allows healthcare providers to:
- Identify complications earlier and faster through predictive analytics.
- Deliver personalized care plans tailored to a patient’s unique needs.
- Reduce emergency visits and hospital admissions.
- Equip their patients with the right tools to make healthier choices.
For example, when providers want to help their patients manage their blood sugar, remote AI technology can be a strong ally in diabetes management.
Picture this: A diabetic patient is trying to pick out yogurt in a supermarket. Usually, the person would have to pick up each container and read the labels to find the right nutritional information for their condition.
This process can be overwhelming and time consuming.
Now, patients can use remote AI food scanner technology to help scan the labels (and, in some cases, the actual food) faster, assisting them in narrowing down the right yogurt choice.
This technology empowers patients to make healthier choices and gives them a sense of personal agency.
Enhancing Care Coordination with AI
In a healthcare ecosystem where patients can end up seeing multiple specialists, effective care coordination can be a challenge.
AI-enhanced RPM platforms act as a central hub for patient data, ensuring all caregivers—from primary doctors to specialists—have access to updated and accurate information.
Some real-world examples:
- iSalus is an all-in-one EHR that works as an extension of your care team to improve health outcomes, keep patients engaged, and drive a new revenue stream. Specialists can access all of the data they need in one place and quickly view a graph of a patient’s vitals, medications, lab results, and more on a single screen.
- Thanks to virtual care and AI, gaps in care can also be identified, ensuring patients receive the necessary interventions. According to HealthcareITNews, this technology allows for more effective triaging. It provides the most urgent cases rise to the top of their workload, improving overall efficiency and reducing the risk of overlooking serious conditions.
Reducing Hospital Readmissions with RPM
One of the pressing challenges for healthcare providers is reducing hospital readmissions, which often results in increased costs and poor patient outcomes.
AI analyzing RPM data can flag potential problems before they escalate into emergencies. This action leads to:
- Proactive interventions that keep patients out of the hospital.
- Continuous patient engagement, minimizing health risks.
- Significant cost savings for both patients and providers
For example, RPM devices can monitor vital signs such as oxygen levels and heart rate after surgery. AI algorithms can then flag deviations, prompting medical teams to reach out proactively.
How much can hospital readmissions be reduced with this technology? A new study revealed RPM in care homes has reduced hospital attendance by 11% and emergency admissions by 25%.
Cost-Effectiveness of AI in RPM
While adopting new technology is often perceived as costly, the cost-effectiveness of AI in RPM is becoming increasingly evident. This approach reduces the burden on hospital resources by enabling virtual care, thus lowering the costs associated with in-person visits, emergency care, and readmissions.
Additionally, AI automates many routine tasks, such as data analysis, appointment scheduling, and reporting, freeing healthcare professionals to focus on more critical and complex cases.
Over time, healthcare systems and practices adopting AI-enhanced RPM technology will likely experience significant financial and operational benefits, offsetting the initial investment.
Some real-world examples:
- An analysis published in JAMA spotlighted research suggesting that remote monitoring could be associated with reduced per-patient costs of $11,472 over standard care and gains of 0.013 quality-adjusted life-years.
- GluFormer, a new AI model, predicts how a person’s glucose levels will respond to dietary changes, enabling precision nutrition. This technology allows doctors and patients to adopt preventative care strategies sooner, reducing in-person visits and medication and lowering the economic impact of diabetes, expected to reach $2.5 trillion globally by 2030.
Improved Healthcare Automation
AI simplifies complex processes in RPM through healthcare automation, improving operational efficiency. Some of the benefits of this technology include:
- Automating alerts for abnormal patient data.
- Generating easy-to-understand reports for clinicians.
- Streamlining billing and administrative tasks.
For example, iSalus EHR includes a Real-Time Benefit Check (RxBC) and Electronic Prior Authorization (ePA) solution for every prescription medication and insurance plan type.
This automation improves practice operations and revenue cycle management by:
- Eliminating the need for PA-related paperwork
- Automating prescription workflows
- Reducing the risk of claim denial due to manual errors
- Saving patients money
Patient Engagement in RPM
Enhanced patient engagement in RPM is one of the standout benefits of AI integration. AI-powered platforms offer intuitive dashboards, personalized health recommendations, educational content, and even virtual coaching.
With these benefits, patients feel empowered to take charge of their health. This motivation helps them stick to treatment plans and makes them active participants in their care.
AI-enabled RPM has been shown to increase patient adherence by up to 36%.
For healthcare professionals, this increased engagement unlocks better outcomes and builds stronger provider-patient relationships.
Telehealth and Remote Patient Care with AI
Telehealth has already revolutionized access to care, but adding AI to virtual care takes it to another level. Healthcare automation, enabled by AI in telehealth systems, ensures patients receive continuous monitoring, timely alerts, and precision-level care recommendations.
For instance, AI tools can support healthcare decision-making by analyzing high volumes of patient data and providing insights tailored to each individual.
Virtual consultations powered by AI also help clinicians make faster and more informed decisions, ultimately improving patient satisfaction and treatment outcomes.
For example, iSalus offers AnywhereCare, a fully integrated telehealth software solution enabling practices to provide patients with virtual visits.
This technology allows providers to:
- Easily bill a claim right from the telehealth module.
- View a patient’s location and automatically pull up a list of their closest pharmacies.
- Meet with patients on their desktop or mobile app.
The Future of AI and RPM in Healthcare
From wearable devices to intelligent algorithms, AI is paving the way for smarter, more efficient healthcare solutions.
By addressing some of the most pressing challenges—like chronic disease management and rising care costs—AI in RPM represents a significant leap forward in delivering better health outcomes.
As healthcare organizations and practices implement or scale RPM, they must have the right tools and platforms to leverage the data for personalized and predictive care.
Contact iSalus to learn more about our All-in-One EHR & Practice Management Software solutions. Let us be your partner in transforming care delivery and creating healthier communities.
