For RPM companies, selling an RPM program to a new practice or healthcare provider is just the first step in generating sustainable sales. It’s relatively easy for practices to see the positive results from the clinical research and calculate a clear ROI based on the RPM CPT® reimbursement codes. However, most RPM companies don’t generate recurring revenue until devices are deployed and used. And that’s where the “rubber can hit the road” for healthcare providers.
RPM onboarding and ongoing monitoring takes considerable staff time. Clinical staff is a scarce resource at most practices and health providers. Without sufficient staffing, practices struggle to identify and effectively onboard patients to an RPM program. And when devices are deployed, they often sit unused in patients' homes.
The extra stream of promised revenue from incremental CPT® codes isn’t there because patients are taking sufficient readings and not engaging with clinical staff. And without engagement, the clinical improvements aren’t there either.
Many RPM companies have pivoted towards full-service or managed RPM programs to alleviate these challenges. With this all-in-one solution, RPM companies provide the devices, clinical monitoring software, and clinical staff to conduct the actual patient onboarding and ongoing monitoring.
Since this comes with a higher price point to the end client, many RPM companies structure managed RPM contracts so that practices only pay if certain engagement thresholds are met, such as the 20 minutes of engagement time required for CPT® Code 99457.
Managed RPM relieves the burden of staffing on the practice while giving an RPM company more control over generating revenue and improving clinical outcomes.
Remote clinicians working for RPM companies can dramatically improve the clinical effectiveness of an RPM program, but they still need operational support. Clinicians should be focused on what they do best - providing care. They shouldn’t spend time tracking lost devices and troubleshooting issues with device reps.
With a comprehensive device management support, a remote monitoring nurses can easily dropship a device to a patient’s home and schedule a virtual onboarding appointment. When onboarding is easy and effective, patients are more likely to maintain engaged in the RPM process.
In today’s world of staffing shortages, great clinicians are a scarce resource. Strong nurses will naturally be driven to provide high-quality, compassionate care to their patients. However, they may be less qualified and motivated to deal with confusing online delivery websites and administrative headaches from device issues.
To maximize patient engagement, monitoring nurses should have access to an intuitive dashboard that allows them to easily manage devices, and troubleshoot device issues on the spot without playing phone tag with a device rep.
Continua Systems enables dedicated RPM clinicians to provide quality care to RPM patients without administrative device headaches. See how easy back-office device operations can be with Continua. Contact us to learn more.