RPM didn't curb hospital admissions after serious infections

One of the most-cited benefits of remote patient monitoring is its potential to reduce readmissions by providing real-time data that clinicians can act on. But recent research adds nuance to this notion, showing that remote monitoring alone may not have this effect in all cases.

The study, published in JAMA Network Open, found that remote monitoring itself did not help individuals discharged home after hospitalizations for sepsis and lower respiratory tract infections avoid readmissions.

Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC Health Plan assessed whether remote monitoring is effective in reducing readmissions following hospitalizations for serious infections. While remote monitoring can help identify signs of clinical needs, the effectiveness of RPM approaches for certain conditions is understudied, they noted in the study.

The study evaluated four remote monitoring interventions and compared them to usual care following hospital discharge. Usual care included a post-discharge phone call from a nurse and continued management with a primary care physician. Meanwhile, the RPM interventions included narrow and broad smartphone-based questionnaires to capture patient-reported symptoms, as well as clinical responses from either a standard nurse call center team or an enhanced multidisciplinary team.

In the study, there were 1,286 adults who had been discharged after hospitalization with sepsis or lower respiratory tract infection between March 2021 and December 2024. Of those included in the study, 399 were assigned to receive usual care, while the rest were enrolled in one of the four remote monitoring interventions.

All remote monitoring interventions were less effective than usual care at reducing readmissions among study participants, the researchers found. The rate of readmissions within 90 days of discharge ranged from 36.3% among the patients who received the broad questionnaire and the enhanced multidisciplinary team response to 44.2% among those who received the narrow questionnaire and the standard nurse call center team response.

In contrast, the control arm that received usual care had a 37.8% readmission rate.  

Additionally, researchers observed that among patients 65 years and older, remote monitoring reduced days spent at home and increased readmission rates compared with usual care.

"These findings suggest that the CMS should reassess the role of remote therapeutic monitoring in reducing readmissions and underscore the value of tailoring remote monitoring in post-acute care for serious infections," the study authors wrote.

Anuja Vaidya has covered the healthcare industry since 2012. She currently covers healthcare IT and innovation, including artificial intelligence, digital healthcare, EHRs and interoperability.