Most of us probably remember the Verizon "Can You Hear Me Now?" campaign and watching the “Test Man” go to various off-the-beaten-path locations and verify that cellular coverage existed. It was a great campaign for Verizon, but the reality is every cellular network still has dead zones. And when it comes to RPM, no one feels that more than patients living in rural areas and the providers who serve them.
Dead zones exist when a specific cellular carrier doesn’t have a tower close to that location. Towers are expensive so each carrier has to make decisions on where to place towers. In densely populated areas, all major carriers typically find it worthwhile to invest in towers. However, in rural areas, the investment has a more questionable payback. If a carrier believes they won’t have enough demand for service in a certain area to make investing in a tower worthwhile, they likely won’t build a tower. And that’s why dead zones vary by carrier in different rural areas. Verizon generally has the least dead zones, but they still have them.
If a healthcare provider services rural patients, they may have a difficult time deciding between cellular and Bluetooth devices. While most RPM companies, providers, and patients prefer the simplicity of cellular over Bluetooth, if a cellular device doesn’t get service, it becomes dramatically harder to use.
Some providers will coach rural patients to try a device in different areas of their home (closer to a window may be better). Another option is for a patient to take readings every day and then bring the device when they go to town or a place with a cellular signal and transmit multiple days of readings in a batch. While it’s great that a cellular device has this capability, it’s hardly a patient-friendly solution.
Alternatively, providers can purchase a small number of Bluetooth devices and reserve those for patients who have high-speed internet at home, but spotty or no cellular coverage. This presents multiple challenges. First, unless the patient is very tech-savvy, Bluetooth devices tend to be more difficult to use and almost always result in lower adherence and engagement. Second, a practice is now managing many more device types, making inventory, re-ordering, and overall device management more time-consuming and burdensome unless they have a seamless device management platform.
There is a third option — multi-network devices. Multi-network devices are not limited to a single carrier and work with any cellular tower. If Verizon has made the strategic decision not to build a tower in a certain rural location, but AT&T has, a multi-network device will still work whereas a Verizon one would not. Multi-network devices significantly increase the number of patients that can use cellular devices because you are not limited to any one cellular network. It means individual carrier dead zones are irrelevant. The only places that will not work are locations with no towers whatsoever.
While it may seem like multi-network coverage would only impact a few patients, even a small improvement in patient retention can make a significant long-term impact. With every patient leading to recurring monthly revenue, retaining even 2% more a month quickly compounds into sizeable reimbursement dollars for a practice. For an RPM company, that 2% patient retention across many practices can result in real growth and financial gain.
Continua Systems offers multiple secure, multi-network cellular devices, so you can provide your clients and their patients with cellular devices that work for more rural patients. See how easy back-office device operations can be with Continua. Contact us to learn more.