The healthcare sector is undergoing a transformative phase due in large part to the integration of digital technologies into every-day care. At the forefront of this revolution is Remote Patient Monitoring (“RPM”), a technology that appears poised to redefine the industry’s approach to care. In the ninth episode of Sheppard Mullin’s Health-e Law Podcast, Vipul Kella, M.D., Chief Medical Officer at Physio AI, sheds light on how RPM is revolutionizing the healthcare landscape, with Sheppard Mullin’s Digital Health Team co-chairs, Sara Shanti and Phil Kim.
Dr. Kella highlighted that RPM technology has seen rapid advancements, moving beyond basic physiological monitoring to technologies that capture sophisticated metrics, like voice patterns and cadence, which can enable early diagnosis of conditions such as dementia, depression, and other mental health issues. This leap from basic monitoring to a more personalized healthcare approach signifies the dawn of “RPM 2.0”, where technology integrates seamlessly into patients’ lives, offering non-invasive, continuous monitoring which supports early detection. Of particular interest, RPM allows for data to be collected and delivered to providers in real time, which in turn allows providers to tailor patient care. This is a dramatic departure from historical patterns of care, where patients typically waited to obtain care until their conditions prompted an in-person appointment with a provider.
However, the journey of RPM adoption faces hurdles, including challenges surrounding patient trust, particularly within under-resourced communities. In addition, RPM faces operational challenges with providers due to implementation and operating costs which providers may not wish to undertake. Separately, from a technical perspective, RPM can still improve in terms of the sophistication of data which its collects as well as through integration with existing technologies in regular use.
Despite these obstacles, Dr. Kella reports that the future of RPM remains promising, with potential widespread adoption driven by Medicare reimbursement codes and the evolving landscape of wearable technology. Dr. Kella notes that this is particularly true as integration of RPM into patient care not only promises improved health outcomes through early intervention but also signifies a shift towards a more proactive, personalized healthcare system, which is consistent with the industry’s movement towards value-based care.
The Bottom Line
As we navigate through the early days of RPM, Dr. Kella’s insights underscore the critical role which RPM can play in achieving a healthcare model that prioritizes efficiency, proactive disease management, and early detection. Despite the promises of RPM, adoption remains low and the industry is ripe for innovation.
To listen to the full episode, click here.
