Impact of a Large-Scale Remote Patient Monitoring Program on Hospitalization Reduction

Abstract

Introduction/Methods: Patient Monitoring at Home is a Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) program through Michigan Medicine, which provides symptoms and vital sign monitoring via a provided cellular tablet and Bluetooth-connected devices. A team of registered nurses monitors patients 7 days per week. Results: The team examined 6-month outcomes for 1,139 encounters from November 2020 to August 2022, which showed a 59% reduction in the average number of hospital admissions 6 months after the start of enrollment (1.38 vs. 0.57, p < 0.0001) across multiple enrollment diagnoses including COVID-19, congestive heart failure, and hypertension. The duration of enrollment varied, ranging from 7 to 386 days, with a median of 38 days. A shorter duration of monitoring was associated with a more favorable outcome (hospitalization reduction). Discussion: Our findings show that RPM is effective in reducing hospital admissions for a wide variety of conditions. More research is needed to optimize patient selection, ideal method, and duration of monitoring.