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Chronic disease is the typical condition impacting the health of individuals, contributing notably to the cause of the rising number of fatalities and disability rates across the United States while piping up the annual healthcare costs. Reportedly, about 6 out of 10 adults in the US live with a single most chronic disease condition, with 4 out of 10 adults having two or more comorbid conditions. DM, or Diabetes Mellitus, ranks high on the list of chronic diseases bearing a host of possible complications. Therefore, a proper approach to diabetes care is a must for better health outcomes. So, how effective is the latest approach to Remote Patient Monitoring for Diabetes in people undergoing such conditions? In our post, we are going to scrub through dealing with this technically advanced approach while exploring the key perks of the highest level of diabetes care.
Diabetes, ranking at the top 8 chronic conditions and the major cause behind fatalities across the United States is the 4th common cause behind physician visitations. The annual estimated cost of those diagnosed with such prevailing conditions in the US is about $327 billion. This ranks up to reaching $245 billion in 2012, with a projected rise. The massive medical expenditures connected to diabetes include:
The cost of losing your loved one to diabetes surpasses every cost associated with it. Diabetes, being an endocrine disorder, often needs appropriate management, and this is made possible with diabetes remote patient monitoring. Lack of diabetes management would eventually lead to the major cause behind kidney failure, stroke, heart attack, and even associated blindness. Consequently, up close monitoring of the significant blood glucose levels is required for identifying the symptoms related to type 2 diabetes at its onset and delaying the progression. This is the reason why Medicare and Medicaid need to find the value offered by remote patient monitoring for diabetes.
For diabetes patients, for example, physicians can set thresholds on vital signs readings that inform the care team when they change. In this manner, care providers will only take a short time to attend to their patients. RPM technologies as diabetes management platforms can assist in preventing hospital readmissions because providers can ascertain that a patient has complications and offer preventive measures. Remote patient monitoring makes this avoidance of high rehospitalization expenses possible and significantly cuts the high costs of diabetes treatment.
Diabetes remote patient monitoring programs can require that patients obtain their blood-glucose measurements at least 16 days a month. Patients understand that care providers will evaluate their measurements, so they are keen to practice good health habits and follow their treatment regimes. Remote monitoring also enables clinicians to adapt to achieve the best patient outcomes are easily altered to fit the situation quickly.
CGM is one of the most outstanding and revolutionary technologies in diabetes management. It is an implantable device that comprises a tiny sensor placed under the skin to monitor blood glucose levels at any time of the day. These devices give a constant read, allowing patients and healthcare providers to note changes in glycemic levels, whether during the day or at night.
Continuous glucose monitoring is more useful than fingerstick methods that only present a single reading at a time. In the case of CGM, it presents a picture of the variations on the blood sugar levels. This can assist them in pointing out correlations between glucose levels and elements like meals and exercise, stress, and others. In addition, it is also common for alerts to be delivered instantly to the patient’s smartphone should their glucose level be out of range of the desired limit. This also offers a chance to get into the right action in good time, and it would thus be easier to have improved control over diabetes.
Remote glucose monitoring is most helpful for patients with Type 1 diabetes, especially during instances when these patients experience most glucose variation indications. It is also helpful for type 2 diabetes patients who require detailed information for better diabetes control. The work also pointed out that one of the advantages of having a plan implemented based on real-time and accurate data is the ability to change the models as they apply to diabetes for better outcomes and lower risks of complications.
One of the most often used monitors is a blood glucose meter. Employing a glucose meter is easy but effective, as explained below. A small lancet is used to pick up a small amount of blood from the skin. The blood is placed on a test strip that is inserted into the meter. The meter takes a small sample of the blood glucose level and then gives the result.
When digital health solutions are incorporated into a remote patient monitoring system, these devices can be configured to automatically send glucose data to a physician through an app on the patient’s smartphone or an internet account. This enables the monitoring of glucose levels from a distance without frequent visits to the clinic by the patient. The information can also be stored over time, which will make it easier for healthcare providers to see overall glucose level data and take the appropriate action.
Bring the following materials while using them with clean hands:
One key area to address the problem of patient non-adherence is ensuring that diabetes patients never run out of glucose monitoring supplies, such as continuous glucose monitoring patches. Medicare CGM monitoring uses patient management to track and monitor the patient's usage of lancets and test strips. Hence, they provide a replenishment program for those items used for glucose monitoring. The program can automatically deliver and restock supplies to ensure that patients never run out of blood glucose monitoring supplies.
For example, if the sensor or test strip is close to its expiry date, the RPM system can notify the patient and the healthcare provider. This means that there are no gaps in monitoring, and patients receive the required treatment without delay in either their appointments or information retrieval from the monitoring process.
It also frees the patient from the responsibility of remembering when to request a refill, which improves the standard of treatment. For health care providers, this real-time service means that they can identify when a particular patient is low on these essential supplies, enabling them to ensure that they make appropriate alterations to enhance diabetes management.
Diabetes is not only about checking blood sugar levels, as people tend to think. Therefore, managing the condition requires a multifactorial approach that involves medication, behavioral changes, and frequent follow-ups over the years. RPM tools make this process easier by supplying a stream of data for decision-making regarding chronic condition management.
From the RPM, the patients are in a position to get notifications for compliance to the administration of medication and record their diets and other health aspects such as blood pressure and weight. Such a high level of continuously makes patients aware of their health status making them more compliant to treatment regimes.
Healthcare providers can also use RPM data to individualize patient care. In addition to rehabilitating diabetes, RPM tools help patients adopt better lifestyles. This allows patients to make minor changes to their activity and stress levels, which are crucial to the proper management of diabetes.
It is also a great idea to encourage patients to check their blood sugar levels for diabetes using RPM regularly. Self-monitoring blood glucose lets patients be as involved as possible in managing their diabetes. They will also know how food, exercise, medications, and stress, among other factors, impact blood glucose. With accurate, real-time blood glucose data, several clinicians could effectively enhance their patients’ therapy, hence profit.
Remote patient monitoring is not a replacement for normal in-office visits. Diabetes patients often see their doctors every 3-6 months. Remote patient monitoring can be defined as the type of practice that provides physicians with continuous data in between visits to exclude the possibility that the complication is advancing.
Remote patient monitoring solutions are offered to healthcare workers, RPM service and software organizations, chronic care management organizations, and Telehealth for diabetes organizations.
Remote Patient Monitoring for Diabetes will also be effective for those with DM as it allows patients to track some health-related parameters, bring HbA1c to the target level, and communicate with healthcare providers. This, in turn, would result in improved overall health, reduced likelihood of developmental adverse effects,, and reduced likelihood of repeat hospitalizations. StrideMD offers the most effective remote patient monitoring, specializing in connected care associated with physician practices and medical facilities. Our solutions offer the ideal outcomes at budget-friendly costs while enhancing the quality of patients' lives.
Examples of RPM devices for DM include CGMs, blood glucose meters, wearable health monitoring devices, and Smartphone applications that generate real-time data for physicians.
As we progress to our treatment agreement, the schedule for monitoring changes accordingly. In general, a diabetic patient is instructed to monitor the blood glucose level several times a day, particularly when on insulin.
Telemonitoring can be useful when it augments face-to-face encounters but should not replace them. However, individuals still need check-ups to evaluate their condition and manage possible illness outcomes.