The success of your Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) program depends on whether your patients actually take their measurements as prescribed. We call this Patient Compliance. Getting a daily or 2x daily or other regular measurement produces better results for everyone as follows:
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So, high RPM Patient Compliance is directly tied to the success of your RPM program on all levels. In our experience working with more than 100 patient groups and tens of thousands of RPM patients, you can expect the "rule of thirds" in terms of compliance. That is:
As you see, you might get 30 to 40 percent compliance with low human effort and limited technological capability. However, if you want to optimize your results, you can get to 80 to 90 percent average monthly compliance by doing the following seven things:
A full-featured technology system should support your RPM program. This system should automatically send the patient a text and/or email message once their measurement becomes overdue. This kind of automated nudge is incredibly powerful and efficient.
Your RPM program should ensure the Care Team receives "compliance alerts" that can be layered so they are proactively notified should several days have gone by since the last measurement from the patient was taken.
Your RPM program should ensure the Care Team can easily call, text, or email the patient to inquire why measurements are not coming through, identify the root cause, and potentially resolve it. Often, just knowing the team at a more personal level and seeing them get after it can help correct non-compliance. Give the Care Team the option to send an on-demand text or email for a real-time video session with the patient—this level of support and 1:1 human communication will improve patient compliance.
Your RPM program should be capable of sending immediate acknowledgments and messages to patients via text and/or email, e.g., a confirming "pat on the back / we got your message / thank you". This will help enforce the positive habit loop. The care team can follow up later, too, but the automated "nice work" message is a powerful tool. Of course, we make it possible for you or your patients to disable these so they don't cross the line towards "annoying."
Provide the patient with immediate access to their ongoing trends and results. Cellular/LTE devices are great for ease of use, but don't necessarily provide an ongoing view of the measurement trends for the patient. These can be extremely effective motivators—your RPM system should include an OPTIONAL patient-facing web portal and mobile application that allows patients to view all of their historical measurements and trends. This is especially powerful when the patient is making positive progress towards lowering blood pressure, weight, glucose, and so on.
Your RPM program should allow the spouse, children, parents, friends, and other caregivers to join the patient's "support community" so they can see and know the status of every measurement. These individuals can serve as an extended "care team" keeping the patient on track and providing reminders, support, and encouragement.
Typically, as a last resort, we have seen success sending an official Compliance Request Letter. Typically, this originates on letterhead from the provider's office, asking the patient to comply with the RPM program. The benefits of the program will be highlighted, the same benefits the patient originally acknowledged as part of their agreement to participate. This letter, or a follow-up letter, may also confirm for the patient that their participation in the RPM program will be terminated if they don't restart their ongoing measurements.
Many of these best practices detailed above rely on the Sentinel Effect and Hawthorne Effect. That is, the tendency for human performance to improve when it is being observed and/or evaluated. Simply put, your patients are more likely to take their measurements on time if they know the care team is watching and cares about their behavior. A high-quality RPM solution must include elements of engagement so that patients—particularly those who tend towards non-compliance—know that their actions (within the scope of their medical program) are being observed and scrutinized by the Care Team. This will drive higher compliance and, in turn, deliver better outcomes across the board. At 1bios, we ensure your RPM program can leverage these best practices and more.
For more information on what to look for in software features and functionality in a full-featured RPM, CCM, and other virtual care programs systems, check out our other articles, or download our e-book.
If you want to discuss the best approach for your organization and patients, book a virtual meeting with us today!