Remote Patient Monitoring App Development – Complete Guide

The next decade will witness an enormous increase in remote patient monitoring services, with a 12.5 percent annual growth rate. Given the aging population, the high expense of in-patient treatment, and the immense demand on hospitals imposed by COVID-19, the trend is entirely foreseeable.

Given the aging population, the high expense of in-patient treatment, and the immense demand on hospitals imposed by COVID-19, the trend is entirely foreseeable.

Healthcare providers are indeed adopting more remote monitoring than ever before. Several hospitals began remotely monitoring the vital signs and symptoms of both coronavirus and non-coronavirus patients to free up beds.

Remote patient monitoring is here to stay, pandemic or not. This article covers RPM in healthcare, how it works, what features it contains, remote patient monitoring benefits and how to begin an RPM program.

What is Remote Patient Monitoring? 

Remote patient monitoring, also known as telemonitoring and in-home monitoring, is a combination of technologies and procedures that allow healthcare providers to follow radical improvements in a patient’s health data from a distance and use it in a treatment plan. It is an essential component of the wider telehealth and e-health industries.

The next decade will witness an exponential rise in remote patient monitoring devices, with a 12.5 percent annual growth rate. The trend is inevitable given the aging population, the high expense of in-patient treatment, and the immense demand for hospitals generated by COVID-19.

Healthcare practitioners are already employing more remote patient monitoring tools than ever before. Several hospitals began remotely monitoring the vital signs and symptoms of both coronavirus and non-coronavirus patients to free up beds.

How does Remote patient monitoring improve patient care? 

Remote patient monitoring software shines a light on chronic illness patients, post-operative patients, senior citizens, and individuals from remote regions with limited access to healthcare. Recent studies show that remote monitoring can be effective when applied to specific categories.

• Rehospitalizations are reduced by 38%.
• Cut emergency visits by 25%.
• Increase patient satisfaction by 25%.
• Lower healthcare expenditures by 17%.
• Increase medication compliance by 13%.

Considering the potential benefits of remote patient monitoring, it’s no wonder that over 88 percent of healthcare providers have already invested in or are planning to invest in RPM technology. To achieve their objectives, these technologies must develop an integrated system that spans the complete RPM cycle.

Authorities approved RPM practices. In the United States, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has expanded the list of telehealth services that are eligible for reimbursement. In addition, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved using non-invasive hospital equipment in home settings.

Features of Custom Remote patient monitoring 

1. Admin Portal

A system administrator is the primary user of the software. He serves as the primary point of contact between the service provider and the service users. The system administrator can onboard users or provider groups and grant the relevant rights and permissions based on the user’s role. He can also handle and oversee all master data and associated papers.

2. User Management

This is the most crucial feature necessary for any admin position to manage all users for whom the application was designed. In this feature, administrators may create users, assign responsibilities to them, and manage all relevant settings.

3. Dashboard

The admin dashboard displays the total number of provider groups linked in the system, total providers, and patients affiliated with various provider groups. The admin may access all information and monitor every activity the provider and patient conducted using the dashboard.

4. Provider Group Management

Provider Group Management allows the administrator to manage a group of physicians. Admin will be in charge of creating, modifying, deleting, or activating/deactivating Provider groups. The admin is required to fill out specific essential fields upon registration. The following fields are included while forming a Provider group:

• Provider Group Name
• Email Id
• Phone Number
• Specialty
• Physical Address
• Shipping Address
• Practice Fax Number
• Non-Mandatory Information
• Uploading a profile picture
• Website

5. Patient Management

This function allows the Provider to manage Patients. It allows the Provider to onboard Patients, examine Patient profile attributes, and change Patient onboarding data. Patient management will always have the Patient’s vitals and crucial medical information with the Provider.

It will enable the Provider to follow the vitals of onboarded Patients and monitor and record appointments and notes. The Provider will be required to fill out certain obligatory areas upon registration. The following are the required data that the Provider must fill out throughout the Patient onboarding process.

• Patient Name
• Address
• Contact information
• Health conditions

6. Patient Vitals & Alerts

Remote patient monitoring is used for collecting, storing and assessing health information (patient’s vital signs, blood sugar levels, etc.) via live monitoring using devices that transfer information from the home or care facility to a practitioner for vital tracking.

7. Patient RPM Programs

Remote patient monitoring, also known as remote physiologic monitoring, is the use of digital technologies to monitor and collect medical and other health data from patients and electronically transmit this information to healthcare providers for evaluation and, if necessary, recommendations and instructions.

8. Patient Devices, Notes & Providers

This feature allows the provider to view the device associated with a specific patient, notes added by the provider to that specific patient, and providers assigned to the patient.

9. Alerts management

If the contested vitals are not within the usual range, alerts must draw the provider’s attention to them. The provider can configure customized alarms based on the patient’s health status.

10. Providers

This feature allows providers to view the other providers in the system. Additionally, providers can add new providers and assign the necessary responsibilities and permissions.

11. Messages

This module allows providers to communicate with patients anytime using texts, video, and voice calling. The clinician can also email the files to the patient.

12. Billing

This feature lets providers see which patients are eligible for billing and data for individual patients. The provider may access the patient’s enrollment details, devices allocated to the patient, time log for time spent with the patient, and insurance information.

Using this function, the provider creates a summary report of patients for a certain period. They can also send these reports to the billing department.

13. Patient Dashboard

The patient dashboard feature allows the patient to see the most recent vitals and notes added by doctors. This tool allows patients to access all reminders, notifications, and alerts sent by the system or providers for various ailments. Patients can also use the dashboard function to fulfill and act on alerts and notifications.

14. Medication

This feature will allow patients to view the medication plan allocated to them. The medication count and its frequency will be displayed in the medication plan.

Remote patient monitoring Development Process 

Developing an effective software platform for healthcare takes significant talent, resources, and effort. The development process may be split into five parts in general.

1. Research

We undertake an in-depth analysis throughout the research stage. This includes the following:

• Identifying the critical patient group (those with chronic diseases, elders, and children will require different features) and their demand for RPM solutions
• Setting objectives for stakeholders (investors, doctors, and medical staff)
• Analyzing existing RPM systems on the market
• Learning about certification requirements and regulatory compliance

Following that, we collect requirements and define product specs. Before proceeding, we also get a clear idea of the technological stack, budget, and time estimations.

We advise prioritizing essential features and progressively adding additional functionality to the final product (perhaps even after release). To create a one-of-a-kind RPM solution, you should start with a minimal viable product (MVP) with basic capabilities that can be utilized for additional testing.

2. Design

Our development team will produce a UI/UX design here, including a sitemap and interface for mobile, desktop, and online apps. Remember that the gateway should be simple for physicians and patients.

The team also decides on the monitoring devices, database (local server in your clinic or cloud solution), and synchronization protocols between the RPM app and your database.

3. Coding

At this phase, software developers will convert the product’s design and architecture into functional applications based on technical specifications. The RPM solution could include various products, including a web portal, mobile and desktop apps, and wearable devices. To establish an interoperable system, these pieces must interact with one another.

The development process may have a sequential (Agile methodologies) approach, in which your developers will go through the processes sequentially. Alternatively, your team can use an Agile technique, in which design, development, and testing are repeated in iterations until the optimal solution is found.

4. Testing

A development team test all of your products’ components and features. Typically, this process includes bug resolution (unit testing) and system component verification (integration testing).

5. Release

When your RPM development is complete, a development team will deliver it alongside all required documentation. Investing in video tutorials, manuals, and training webinars is also recommended. This will assist your employees and patients learn about your application’s features.

Remote Patient Monitoring Development Cost 

Several factors determine the cost of remote patient monitoring software, including its features, development strategy, and compliance level.

The cost of developing RPM software is determined by several factors, including its features, development strategy and compliance level. The essential app includes a patient app, a provider app and an admin panel for a unified platform.

If you want to design a feature-rich RPM system with greater functionality and complexity, your development expenses range between $60,000 and $90,000. The average time it takes to build RPM software ranges from 3 to 12 months.

Future of Remote patient monitoring 

According to the US Government Accountability Office, RPM is “a synchronized system that employs one or more home-based or mobile monitoring devices that send vital sign data or information on activities of daily living that area healthcare practitioner then assesses.”

Almost 88% of healthcare businesses have either invested in remote patient monitoring services or are planning to do so. According to the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), 68% of healthcare organizations favor patient monitoring tools to improve the future of the healthcare business.

The future of remote patient monitoring seems promising. Although people may not want to use expensive clinical devices in their homes, healthcare providers are looking for value solutions to improve the healthcare business in 2023 to generate improved patient outcomes and revenue growth.

For any questions and inquiries, visit us at thinkitive