A new study from the University of California San Francisco, supported by supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of HHS, shows using remote patient monitoring can improve chronic disease management.

The study focused on practices that combine electronic remote patient monitoring and telehealth to improve patient outcomes while reducing hospitalizations and costs for those needing long-term care for chronic conditions.

The study first sorted remote monitoring technology by the chronic conditions for which it was used to manage. These conditions included chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), congestive heart failure, hypertension and hyperlipidemia. Twenty healthcare providers were then interviewed on their use of technologies and data collection.

Results showed that, for all four chronic conditions, patient outcomes improved with the use of remote patient monitoring. While these results are positive, researchers emphasized that providers must be trained to not only know how to use the technology but also how to verbally assist patients, what question to ask and make accurate clinical judgments.

“Telemonitoring will never fully replace hands-on clinical care, however to fully achieve the potential of remote monitoring, programs should invest robustly in training,” concluded Aubri Kottek, the first author on the study, and colleagues. “An expanded effort to share information across remote monitoring programs would accelerate learning and enhance success. Additional research is needed to identify best practices and standards for alerts and intervention. As health care organizations face greater pressure to improve the quality of care while controlling costs, they will need to accurately determine the costs of each of the components of remote monitoring programs and assess their value.”