Remote patient monitoring · chronic pain
Remote patient monitoring
Remote patient monitoring (RPM) sends physiologic data such as blood pressure, weight, oxygen saturation and heart rate from a device between visits. IntellaRx pairs it with remote therapeutic monitoring of therapy and function, usually the more useful signal for chronic pain.
Consented between-visit signal, so that a problem is noticed when it starts rather than at the next appointment or in an emergency department.
Why does remote patient monitoring matter between visits?
Two related things travel under similar names and are worth separating. RPM — remote patient monitoring is physiologic data reported from a device between visits: blood pressure, weight, oxygen saturation, heart rate. RTM — remote therapeutic monitoring is device-reported data on a person’s therapy and function between visits, rather than a point-in-time observation — adherence, musculoskeletal function, respiratory measures, response to behavioral therapy. This program uses both, and for a chronic pain population the therapeutic and functional signal is usually the more useful of the two.
A patient on long-term therapy for a chronic condition is seen occasionally and lives the rest of the time. Almost everything that goes wrong — deterioration, a new symptom, a medication problem, a developing crisis — happens in the interval. The current system finds out about it either at the next visit or when it has become an emergency.
That interval is where the stranded population is created. A patient who cannot get a prescription filled, or who is in withdrawal, or who is deteriorating, has no route to say so that anybody is listening on.
How does remote patient monitoring work?
- Consented, explained and revocable. A patient who withdraws from monitoring continues to receive care. If that is not true in a given deployment, the deployment is wrong.
- Scoped to what will be acted on. Collecting a signal that nobody will respond to is a cost with no benefit and an unnecessary privacy exposure. If nothing changes when a reading changes, the reading should not be collected.
- Paired with psychometrics, because the deterioration that matters most in this population is often psychological rather than physical.
- A route in as well as out. Monitoring that only flows toward the clinic is surveillance. Monitoring the patient can use to raise a problem is care.
Does remote patient monitoring track your location or police adherence?
It is not location tracking. The program does not need to know where somebody is, and does not collect it.
It is not adherence policing. The purpose is to notice deterioration and respond to it. A reading that suggests a patient is struggling is a reason to contact them, not a reason to reduce their treatment.
It is not continuous observation. Monitoring here means defined measures at defined intervals that a clinician has decided are worth acting on, not an always-on feed.
It is not shared with an agency at the individual level, and it is not a source for anything other than the patient’s own care.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between RPM and RTM?
Remote patient monitoring (RPM) reports physiologic data from a device between visits: blood pressure, weight, oxygen saturation and heart rate. Remote therapeutic monitoring (RTM) reports data on therapy and function between visits, such as adherence, musculoskeletal function, respiratory measures and response to behavioral therapy. IntellaRx uses both, and for chronic pain the therapeutic and functional signal is usually the more useful of the two.
Can I stop remote monitoring and still get care?
Yes. Monitoring is consented, explained and revocable. A patient who withdraws from monitoring continues to receive care, and if that is not true in a given deployment, the deployment is wrong. Monitoring is also scoped to readings a clinician will act on; a signal nobody will respond to is not collected.
Can I use remote monitoring to tell my care team about a problem?
Yes. The program is built as a route in as well as out. Monitoring that only flows toward the clinic is surveillance; monitoring the patient can use to raise a problem is care. That matters most for someone who cannot get a prescription filled, is in withdrawal or is deteriorating between visits.
Does remote patient monitoring track where I am?
No. The program does not need to know where somebody is and does not collect location. It is also not continuous observation: monitoring means defined measures at defined intervals that a clinician has decided are worth acting on. The data is not shared with an agency at the individual level and is used only for your own care.
What happens if a reading shows I am struggling?
A reading that suggests a patient is struggling is a reason to contact them, not a reason to reduce their treatment. Monitoring is not adherence policing; its purpose is to notice deterioration when it starts rather than at the next appointment or in an emergency department. It is paired with psychometrics, because the decline that matters most is often psychological.