Ontario’s healthcare system is experiencing high demand due to an increasing patient population. To combat the issues caused by this increase, remote patient management offers solutions to help manage chronic conditions, improve the quality of care, and reduce healthcare costs. In April 2021, the federal government recognized the importance of remote care and invested $46 million to expand the practice across Ontario in response to COVID-19. This investment ensures that residents gain better access to care when they need it while enabling healthcare workers to provide quality services.
In this blog, we’ll highlight the benefits of remote patient management and discuss how it can improve experiences for patients and healthcare providers, lower costs for organizations, and improve patient outcomes
The Benefits of Remote Management
Reduce Patient Overflow
Ontario hospitals face challenges with readmission rates, overloaded systems, and staff shortages, all of which were made even worse during the pandemic. Exhausted staff members, lengthy wait times for patients, and increased hospital admissions are all factors that have exacerbated the situation.
In situations where virtual care is appropriate and where patients can be fully managed from home, such as at-risk COVID patients or those with multiple complex or chronic conditions, remote patient management helps providers deliver coordinated care. This can drastically reduce the number of patients admitted to the hospital, freeing up space for those in critical need of in-person care, and allowing patients who don’t require hospitalization to receive care in the comfort of their homes
Reduce Overall Healthcare Costs
Through remote patient management, clinicians can identify complications quickly in patients with chronic illnesses, or those who receive regular care to reduce hospital readmission rates. This practice can help decrease the demands of in-patient care, therefore reducing medical costs. Remote patient management also provides healthcare professionals with more accurate databases that help reduce costs and time associated with errors. A study by Deloitte shows that remote patient management is expected to save $200 billion in healthcare costs globally. The study also found that 75% of hospital visits could be treating patients remotely, saving another $100 billion yearly.
Improves Patient Outcomes
Most importantly, remote patient management has proven time and time again that it has a positive impact on patient outcomes. By enabling medical professionals to coordinate with other professionals or caregivers and collect information about symptoms, vital signs, and other assessments in real-time, they can identify deviations and guide patients and caregivers to take action. Furthermore, patients will be provided with educational resources to help them change habits and avoid high-risk activities, which also contributes to better health outcomes. Studies have shown that these patient management methods have led to positive outcomes including a 10-14% reduction in pain, and 5% fewer hospital readmissions in Ontario.
Improving Ontario Healthcare with Remote Patient Management
Remote patient management is a promising solution for improving patient and provider satisfaction with Ontario’s healthcare system. The technology solves many challenges that organizations face, including the lack of hospital accommodations, staff shortages, and tight healthcare budgets. It’s important that remote patient management continues to expand its availability in Ontario to allow more patients to access more convenient and enhanced care services
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