RPM–HT saves Veteran lives, reduces hospital admissions

Remote Patient Monitoring-Home Telehealth (RPM-HT) is saving Veterans' lives.

RPM-HT is a VA telehealth program that provides Veterans with devices to measure their daily vital signs, such as temperature, glucose levels, blood pressure and heart rate. Veterans can then upload and share the vital sign data with their VA care team from the comfort of their home. The care team monitors the health information to identify potential medical problems.

"We're catching a lot of medical problems early, so that prevents hospitalizations or an ER visit," said Kenneth Horseman, lead care coordinator for RPM-HT. "The overall improvement of quality of life is just amazing. It's unbelievable the differences we're making doing this."

RPM-HT's personalized care

RPM-HT enables Veterans to become more involved in their health care, but the program offers more than health information monitoring. It also seeks to educate Veterans about their health conditions. Care coordinators coach and mentor Veterans in self-management and provide support through regular check-ins.

If a care coordinator identifies an abnormal vital sign reading, such as a low blood-oxygen level, they quickly connect with the Veteran. This may mean a phone call or scheduling a video telehealth visit to assess the Veteran's breathing status to discuss the next steps.

"We have witnessed RPM-HT save lives on many different occasions. We have had Veterans who did not realize their health was degrading and we were able to prevent them from going to the hospital," Horseman said.

Navy Veteran Charles Hamrick has taken part in RPM-HT since 2021. Hamrick was referred to the program by his primary care provider due to the many health issues he was experiencing, and RPM-HT has played an important role in his care. Now he feels supported by his care coordinator whenever he has a concern.

"Kenneth has been right there whenever I needed him for a problem I was having. And that's important to me," Hamrick shared.

Reducing hospital admissions

RPM-HT currently serves more than 132,000 Veterans per year.

Veterans enrolled in RPM-HT have approximately a 41% reduction in hospital admissions. Additionally, enrolled Veterans who do get admitted have approximately a 70% reduction in the number of days they stay in the hospital.

"If they weren't enrolled in RPM-HT, they would have a much longer stay in the hospital," Horseman said. "Because we're catching their illnesses and problems earlier, they don't have to stay as long."

To learn more about RPM-HT, check out this YouTube video.

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