The Impact of a Remote Patient Care Program on Health Care Costs and Utilization Among Medicare Patients With Chronic Disease

Abstract

Remote patient monitoring coupled with technology-enabled, guideline-directed clinical care—or remote patient care (RPC)—has consistently led to improved outcomes for Medicare patients with chronic diseases. However, the ability for RPC to drive reductions in total cost of care and health care utilization is limited. We sought to determine whether an RPC program can reduce health care costs and utilization. Using patient-level Medicare claims data, a difference in difference analysis was conducted to assess the impact of an RPC program compared with a propensity score–matched control group on total health care costs and resource utilization over a 12-month period following program activation. The retrospective analysis included patients enrolled into an RPC program from July 1, 2022 to October 31, 2023 from primary care and cardiology clinics across 15 states. The RPC program included a group of clinicians who monitored and triaged vitals and conducted clinical visits using standardized clinical protocols to facilitate guideline-directed clinical interventions. We compared 5872 patients enrolled in an RPC program to 11,449 eligible propensity score–matched control patients. RPC resulted in a statistically significant reduction in total cost of care (−$1302 per patient per year; P<.01), which was driven primarily by a reduction in inpatient costs (−$1428 per patient per year; P<.01). Patients enrolled in the RPC program also had a lower rate of hospitalizations (−23 vs +41/1000 patients/y; 27% reduction; P<.01). These data highlight the potential for a nationwide RPC program to lead to significant cost savings and a reduction in health care utilization among Medicare patients at scale.