How Remote Patient Management is Helping Physicians Save Patient Lives and Limbs

By Dr. Wesley Smith; HealthSnap Cofounder and Chief Scientific Officer

Physicians using remote management for patients with chronic conditions are truly making a difference in their lives. Chronic conditions need to be managed and monitored continuously, allowing treatment plans to be informed by data, adjusted, and managed longitudinally as patients' health evolves.

When we conceived the idea that emerging technology and integrated evidence-based care plans could make healthcare more accessible and proactive—before RPM codes even existed—we expected it to be effective—of course, or we wouldn’t have pursued it—but the level of success is beyond what we ever imagined. Our committed, clever, and caring clinical staff provide a much-needed healthcare liaison to patients, offering continuity of care that is meaningful and a necessary complement to data monitoring and integrated care plans. Our staff of licensed nurses finish work each day knowing they connected with patients, saved lives, saved eyes, limbs, and kidneys. The difference they’re making in patients' lives, particularly those with diabetes, has been unprecedented. Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, blindness, and limb amputations in the United States. In fact, one in three Americans is expected to develop diabetes in their lifetime, highlighting the critical need for effective management and monitoring.

In 2024, HealthSnap collected 1.7 patient physiological data transmissions every second, revealing compelling improvements in blood glucose levels. Among 2,502 diabetic patients with initial fasting blood glucose levels over 125 mg/dL, those enrolled in the RPM program for at least 90 days experienced a significant 16.9 mg/dL decrease in fasting blood glucose from 159.6 mg/dl to 142.7mg/dl (p < 0.0001; avg 436 days ± 172 days). This reduction contributes to better health and a lower risk of long-term complications.

For 446 patients with severe hyperglycemia (average fasting blood glucose ≥180 mg/dL), participating in the RPM program for at least 90 days and meeting the 99454 billing code requirements (data transmission on at least 16 days in a 30-day period), there was a notable reduction of 59.9 mg/dL, from 221.2 to 161.3 mg/dL (p < 0.0001). These results were obtained by comparing the average of the first seven measures to the most recent seven, accounting for day-to-day variability (429 days ± 171 days).

These findings were observed among patients in the HealthSnap RPM and RPM/CCM program who transmitted data around 50% of the days of the month or more, aligned with the CPT 99454 billing code. Like any treatment, we wanted to examine the effects across the level of compliance and engagement by examining all diabetic patients, even those not transmitting data as often. We arranged all RPM diabetic patients on the program for at least 90 days into quartiles based on transmission index (frequency of days on the program with data transmission). What we see among all diabetic patients on the program is that patients do best if they transmit data around 5 days of the week or more. Q3 (n = 863; -17.1 mg/dL) and Q4 (n = 877; -17.1 mg/dL), who transmitted data 74-90% and 90-100% of the time, respectively, had significantly greater improvements in FBG than those in Q1 (n = 868; -8 mg/dL) and a trend with nearly 2 mg/dL improvement over those in Q2 (n = 872, -15.2 mg/dL).

These data are incredibly rewarding for anyone experiencing the power of remote patient management of cardiometabolic disease in healthcare. Especially among our clinical staff on the front lines who get to bond with these patients and empower them with self-efficacy and health literacy, as documented in our 2,781,680 clinical notes in 2024, which is equivalent to 5.3 clinical notes per minute for the entire year. If you or someone you love is dealing with a chronic condition, remote monitoring is the new age of digital healthcare that can truly make a difference.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). National diabetes statistics report. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/data/statistics-report/index.html

American Diabetes Association. (2024). Diabetes care and management: The role of remote patient monitoring. Diabetes Care Journal, 47(1), 12-18.