As the world has quickly embraced mobile technology, ACT | The App Association member companies have been creating innovative solutions to revolutionize the American healthcare system. They are improving the way care providers, patients, and insurance companies connect, ultimately leading to better outcomes.
Remote patient monitoring (RPM) technologies have become integral to effective care, particularly for those dealing with chronic conditions. Through RPM apps and devices, physicians are no longer bound to care decisions based on an in-office visit. Instead, they can craft a care plan based on longitudinal data.
For example, Atlanta-based Rimidi makes Diabetes+Me™, a cloud-based enterprise solution for diabetes management. With Diabetes+Me™, health data from connected devices along with patient-entered information is easily shared with a healthcare team, which uses Rimidi’s data visualization tools to quickly assess a patient’s progress. Using this data, physicians can monitor a patient’s adherence to care plans, communicate with them directly, and make adjustments when necessary.
While we’ve seen the positive impact these technologies can have, barriers exist preventing the widespread use by some of the most vulnerable populations. Alert to these concerns, Senators Schatz, Wicker, Cochran, Thune, Cardin, and Warner introduced the bipartisan CONNECT for Health Act yesterday.
Driving the industry effort around CONNECT for Health, ACT | The App Association pledged strong support for the legislation and led a diverse set of stakeholders in highlighting its benefits to the Senate Finance Committee’s Chronic Care Working Group last week. CONNECT for Health offers a careful and balanced approach that would lift Medicare’s arduous limitations on the use of telehealth and enable the use of RPM technology for countless American Medicare beneficiaries with chronic conditions.
We look forward to continuing work to ensure the environment is one in which life-changing technologies can get into the hands of care providers and ultimately improve patient outcomes.