New guide available for remote heart patient management

Cardiologists use digital devices and wearable technology to remotely monitor their patients for a variety of chronic cardiovascular diseases, including heart failure, coronary artery disease, vascular disease and atrial fibrillation. However, guidance is needed on the optimal use of direct-to-consumer devices as a care tool. The American College of Cardiology has released a workbook on remote patient management (RPM) that provides guidance to the cardiovascular care team on definitions, types, clinical uses, benefits and limitations of RPM. The workbook also aims to help clinical practices determine whether they are ready for RPM utilization and provide considerations about how to set up an RPM program.

The workbook is available here.

"As the cardiovascular landscape continues to become more complex, the addition of remote monitoring tools to gain valuable insights into patient care when they are away from the hospital and office setting has become critical to patient care," said Tony Das, MD, FACC, chair of the ACC Remote Patient Management Workbook writing group. "The ACC has brought together digital health clinician experts to produce this workbook with detailed protocols, best practices and practical insights to help clinicians use these ever-changing complex technologies."

RPM is the recording, saving, transmitting and interpretation of certain health parameters, continuously or intermittently, outside of a clinical encounter setting. Cardiovascular clinicians report an increase in patients using consumer-grade RPM products, such as smart watches and other wearables. This has led to questions about the validity of and clinical importance of the data generated by the devices—especially if they are experiencing relevant symptoms. Sophisticated computer platforms allowing real-time measurement of data trends have also increased dramatically. These data, collected away from a clinic or hospital, are all considered forms of RPM

According to the authors, questions exist around the validity of device data and the need for higher standards of sensitivity and specificity, including U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorization. Challenges also exist in developing a strategy at the practice level for implementing an RPM program, including reimbursement options and device integration into the clinician workflow.

Surveys have shown clinicians are looking to professional medical societies to provide guidance on the optimal use of direct-to-consumer devices. They also show clinicians would be more likely to use RPM if there was more robust research to ensure data accuracy, medical grade devices and EHR interoperability.

The ACC workbook aims to address these needs and covers a variety of topics on the basics of RPM, including:

• Categories of current RPM technology
• Objectives of RPM
• The evidence base of RPM
• Limitations and opportunities

The workbook also examines the considerations before starting an RPM program, such as:

• Conditions that can be monitored
• What devices to choose
• Staffing needs for an RPM program
• The role of AI in remote monitoring
• Reimbursement for RPM

More information:
The workbook is available here.

Provided by American College of Cardiology