Kentucky Hospital Association Signs Remote Patient Monitoring Deal

The Kentucky Hospital Association is partnering with a remote patient monitoring vendor to help healthcare providers in the state improve care management at home for their patients.

The Louisville-based non-profit has signed a deal with California-based Community Wellness to make its RPM platform available to members. The partnership gives providers a sanctioned solution to help them treat COVID-19 patients at home and develop a scalable service that monitors other populations ,such as those with chronic conditions or needing rehab after a hospital stay.

"We are delighted to announce a new resource to improve the health status of patients and reduce their overall cost of care," KHA President Nancy Galvagni said in a press release. "COVID-19 has been financially challenging to providers and it has been equally harmful to patients as many have avoided seeking medical care, thus exacerbating their chronic disease. Remote patient monitoring gives providers many options to care for their patient between visits and ways to help them manage their disease – whether it be diabetes, hypertension, COPD, or other chronic conditions."

The coronavirus pandemic saw a surge in telehealth and mHealth use as providers moved as many in-person services as possible into virtual care. RPM followed that growth curve after a while, with providers launching platforms that allow them to remotely track patient vital signs and other data at home and manage care in real time.

With the pandemic showing signs of easing, healthcare providers are repositioning their RPM platforms to treat other patients. Analysts expect the RPM market to continue growing as providers find more patients to monitor and payers accept and cover those services.

The KHA-Community Wellness partnership is unique in that it gives Kentucky providers – especially small hospitals, practices and clinics – some guidance on how to launch an RPM service.

"The coronavirus has changed the way we deliver healthcare,” Pam Kirchem, the KHA’s director of hospital services, said in the press release. “Patients expect more flexibility and convenience and, as a result, providers are looking for solutions to expand virtual care that will improve patient outcomes. Our post-pandemic future will rely more heavily on telehealth, including remote patient monitoring,  that will help providers engage with patients outside the doctor’s office or hospital to improve the patient’s health."