Three steps to improve patient connectivity

How to optimize your remote monitoring program for on-time, billable reports.

Remote cardiac monitoring improves clinical and financial outcomes – when patients stay connected. According to our recent survey of more than 110 U.S. cardiology practices, keeping patients connected for on-time, billable reports is one of the top two challenges cardiology practices face in their remote monitoring program. 

Read the Report: Struggling to Connect: 2021 State of Remote Cardiac Monitoring

Increasing patient engagement and education helps patients stay better connected so they – and your clinic – can realize the benefits.

Improve clinical outcomes. Remote monitoring reduces hospital admissions, length of stay, and emergency presentation for cardiovascular disease. When patients stay connected, you have real-time visibility into their status for well-informed decisions about their care. RCM also helps increase patients’ awareness of their condition, giving them new tools to manage their disease.

Maximize reimbursement. You need on-time, billable reports to maximize reimbursement for remote monitoring. Keeping patients consistently connected puts you in a better position for optimizing your billing workflow and avoiding claim denials. 

Device clinic staff responsible for patient onboarding, engagement and education are often overwhelmed by thier remote program’s administrative duties. Many programs began with a few patients and grew rapidly, leaving one or two staff members scrambling to manage data, complete reports, and troubleshoot devices for hundreds, sometimes thousands, of patients. This may leave a gap in effective patient engagement and education that directly affects connectivity rates. 

Three Steps to Improve Patient Connectivity

Better connectivity starts with patient education and staff support. So how do practices find the time to educate patients and optimize their remote monitoring workflows? 

1. Assign administrative tasks to non-clinical staff. In many programs, the administrative burden on nurses and advanced practice providers leads to staff frustration and turnover, compromising enrollment and connectivity goals – and increasing costs. 
2. Communicate consistently with patients, especially BEFORE implant and during the first three months post-op. Deliver consistent messaging for all patient communications – in person, by phone, and via written materials or electronic communications. New technology can be overwhelming for patients. They may feel more comfortable and gain confidence in the remote monitoring process when they receive the same information from your partner’s vendor and device clinic staff. 
3. Understand and help patients overcome obstacles to connectivity. When patients struggle with activities of daily living or have low levels of health or technology literacy they may have trouble staying connected. Identify these challenges early on and have a plan to help patients overcome them. One solution is to work with a remote monitoring partner who proactively helps patients get and stay connected, transmit data on time and troubleshoot connectivity issues.   

Your remote cardiac monitoring program demands a significant investment of financial and human resources. The benefits for patient care are real, but an underperforming program can demoralize overworked practice staff. Create processes that free up your patient engagement experts to work to the top of their abilities. This in turn helps forge a path to a successful program and greater reimbursement. 

To learn more about how to take the next steps down the path to value for remote cardiac monitoring, read the new white paper by Vector’s Chief Clinical Officer Kristin Stitt titled Path to Value: Remote Cardiac Monitoring to Support the Journey to Value Based Care.