Excerpt

Remote Health Monitoring (RHM) begins with the collection and electronic transfer of patient health data to a predetermined database, without face-to-face interaction between patients and providers. Physicians receive 24-hour, real-time, high resolution, physiologic data, enabling a more accurate diagnosis and more effective and efficient management of patient care; and it provides patients with the tools they need to focus on their particular healthcare needs and to improve self-management. RHM will be used to proactively evaluate clinical results and identify best treatments, promoting the practice of evidence-based medicine.

RHM is an outgrowth of the movement toward Online Physician-Patient Communication (OPPC) and eAdherence. OPPC, the use of the Internet for asynchronous communication between physicians and patients, changes the physician-patient relationship. It enables greater access to physicians – beyond the office and the telephone – fostering an environment of shared decision-making that is the first step towards patients taking greater control of their healthcare.

eAdherence, the use of the Internet and other technologies to facilitate adherence success, expands the physician-patient partnership beyond one-way medical advice to two-way communication. The physician provides the tools and techniques to educate patients and encourages ongoing dialogue to ensure compliance. Taking responsibility for adherence is the next step towards patient self-management. …