Page 24 - HME Business, August/September 2018

SEEING THE BIGGER PICTURE
SEEING THE BIGGER PICTURE
By Holly J. Wagner
Remote patient monitoring for portable oxygen continues to grow and develop. What factors need to happen in order for it to become a ubiquitous care technology for oxygen provider and patients?
Hospitals are increasingly investing in remote monitoring for post-release care,
and cost-cutters are looking to telemedicine to improve care, contain costs and extend services to underserved communities. RPM
is sure to play a big role in all of those efforts.
When Does RPM Become the Norm for O2?
So while industry adoption of remote moni- toring for oxygen is a best practice for now, it’s likely to become a requirement, under pressure from payment sources, patients and even Big Data. So far, monitoring compli- ance requirements are limited to CPAPs and some diabetes monitors. But as RPM capabili- ties improve and technology spreads across medical service delivery, it’s a safe bet that compliance requirements for oxygen and other service products are not far off.
Colorado is going all in for RPM and has developed a Medical Assistance Program that pays providers a flat fee to cover it, provided the patient is being treated for congestive heart failure, COPD, asthma or diabetes,
and the provider is monitoring the patient
at least five times per week; working with patients who’ve been hospitalized twice over a one-month period; and ensuring a patient’s home has enough room for the equipment and transmission capability. Other states are considering similar measures.
“CPAP has required compliance for some time now, driven mainly by reimbursement
REMOTE OXYGEN MONITORING is starting to peek into HME. Use of CPAP systems has increased, and now broader application of the same monitoring innova- tions is bringing it out of the shadows to daytime oxygen systems.
Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) is most common in diabetes and respiratory function management today, but experts say it has a promising future in cardiac event and function monitors such as cardiac rhythm/event moni- tors, EKG/ECG and fetal heart monitors; and neurological event monitors like EEGs.
Worldwide, the RPM market is expected to reach $31.326 billion by the end of 2023, increasing from $15.871 billion in 2017, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12 percent during the forecast period, according to Research and Markets. The confluence of technology and finan- cial necessity is opening a path — albeit a narrow one — for DME providers.
“Demand is the highest it has ever been. The manufacturers are at an all-time high.
But they have this gap in the middle where a DME, the guys who can bridge the gap between supply and demand, will win,” says Caleb Umstead, education director at First Class Medical.
“Portable oxygen is a growing market today. Some companies are using POCs for a number of reasons to help patients,” says David Lyman RRT, vice president of respiratory at VGM & Associates. “POCs can be used for those traveling; to help discharges from hospitals; patients who are not within close proximity to the provider; for patients who are very active; and to reduce long-term overhead cost.”
Data firm Research and markets attributes part of the recent growth in RPM to “significant growth ... in disposable incomes and increasing demand from an aging population. Availability of technologically advanced products, the budding prevalence of chronic diseases, government support in various countries and rising awareness regarding the benefits of remote patient monitoring are the major factors driving the demand for these systems.”
24 HMEBusiness | August/September 2018 | hme-business.com
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Special FocuS on portable oxygen
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