Report: Remote monitoring can cut costs substantially

Remote home-based monitoring of patients with congestive heart failure can cut costs substantially by reducing the number of hospitalizations these patients experience, according to a new research report.

The report, from independent research firm the New England Healthcare Institute, concludes that remote monitoring cuts hospital readmissions for patients 60 percent over those who just received standard care. Patients who received remote monitoring, as well as being enrolled in disease management programs had 50 percent fewer readmissions, compared with those who were in disease management programs with no remote monitoring component.

All told, remote monitoring could prevent 460,000 to 627,000 heart failure-related readmissions per year, the firm estimates.

So how does that translate into dollars? Home monitoring technology costs $2,052 per patient per year, or $2,802 per patient per year when disease management software is added. However, it would save $3,703 for patients in disease management programs with remote monitoring, and $5,034 for patients getting remote monitoring along with standard care.

To learn more about the report:
- read this Health Data Management article

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