Why more physicians are using remote patient monitoring for chronic conditions | TupeloLife Digital Therapeutics

TupeloLife Digital Therapeutics team presenting care management services at Genesis Physician Group Annual Conference

Why more physicians are using remote patient monitoring and chronic are management services to meet a variety of goals

Monitoring chronic conditions is a central part of any primary care and specialty physicians’ practice. In the past, this has meant regular in-office visits to check vitals and assess progress. However, as technology has advanced, more doctors are turning to remote patient monitoring (RPM) and chronic care management (CCM) services to improve care for their patients at home.

There are RPM systems available for a variety of chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension, CHF and COPD. These systems allow patients to transmit data from home using devices like scales, blood pressure cuffs, or glucometers. This data is then transmitted to our RN led care management team that follows the physician’s plan of care to triage, educate, and intervene based on the doctor's specific protocols. This provides a level of quality control to ensure that only actionable data is provided to the physician as needed.

Chronic care management services to help patients manage their health by providing them with education, support, and coordination of care.

Chronic Care Management (CCM) is a relatively new approach to chronic disease management that is proving to be highly effective. It consists of comprehensive strategies and activities developed by health care providers with the goal of helping patients to better manage their chronic conditions. By providing chronic care management services such as education, support, and coordination of care, doctors are empowering patients to take an active role in their health maintenance and chronic disease prevention. These efforts have led to improved outcomes for those living with chronic conditions, such as lower hospitalization rates, higher cost savings, and improved overall quality of life. As more medical professionals are recognizing the potential benefits of chronic care management services for their patients, CCM has become an increasingly popular way of managing chronic diseases.

CCM: Multiple Benefits for Physician Practices

Physician practices stand to benefit both financially and through achieving quality outcomes by offering CCM services to their patients. CCM CPT codes are available to provide physicians with reimbursement for services such as care management, care coordination and collaboration between the physician, patient and any other authorized caregivers.

Additionally, practices participating in an ACO can potentially save money by decreasing visits for preventable and avoidable emergencies or hospital readmissions due to better patient management. With conditions like hypertension and diabetes being triple weighted for quality, it has become very important to offer these types of services to supplement and support the care at home following office visits.

Here are the CPT codes available for CCM: 

• 99490- For non-complex chronic conditions. This covers 20 minutes of RN clinical care, support and patient accountability. This is billed monthly with an average reimbursement of $64.42

• 99439- Cover additional 20 minute increments for non-complex CCM above. This is billed in conjunction to 99490 and reimburses $48.81

• 99487- Covers complex chronic conditions. This covers 60 minutes of RN clinical care to manage and support the patient's comprehensive plan of care as directed by their physician. This is billed monthly with a reimbursement of $135.75

• 99489- Covers additional 30 minute increments for complex CCM above. This is billed in conjunction to 99487 and reimburses $71.17

So why do patients and their families love remote monitoring.

Remote patient monitoring (RPM) technology has revolutionized healthcare, providing patients and their families with increased visibility to their health status and delivering peace of mind. CCM and RPM covers a wide variety of condition management, but RPM can be used to measure patient-generated health data such as vitals, activity levels, and sleep patterns to help clinicians provide near-real time condition trends resulting from their for chronic condition.

So, why do patients love RPM? Patients just feel better knowing that this technology is easily accessible, keeps them connected to a clinician and allows for early detection of changes in their health, so they can intervene earlier when necessary and encourages individuals to become better self-managers which leads to improved healthcare outcomes. With RPM, patients have access to the tools and support needed for them to take control of their own health journey.

Physicians and ACOs are experiencing the benefits of RPM as well. The right RPM program will help drive quality outcomes which directly impact quality metrics and the reimbursement available covers the operational costs of establishing the program.

Here are the CPT codes for RPM: 

• 99453- Covers the device delivery and initial program patient education. The average reimbursement rate is $19.36

• 99454- Covers the biometric device, software/program, and data transmission. This is reimbursed on a 30-day period for every 16-day of biometric data completed. The reimbursement rate is $55.77

• 99457- This CPT code covers the review, interpretation, and communication of RPM data and insights with the patient. The clinical team must spend at least 20 minutes of each month. Reimbursement is $50.18

• 99458- Covers additional 20 minute increments for RPM above. This is billed in conjunction to 99457 and reimburses $40.84

RPM and CCM services are becoming increasingly popular among doctors and patients alike, as they offer a way to improve patient outcomes while saving money on healthcare costs. These services can help reduce hospitalizations and emergency room visits, as well as improve medication adherence and self-care. If you are thinking about offering these services in your practice, we are a trusted source that can provide you with the information and resources you need to get started. Click here to schedule a brief intro call with us!