Balancing Equipment and Demand

In general, patients enrolled in Telehealth participate in remote patient monitoring for a standard three months.  This amount of time has been found to be effective in determining whether a patient will benefit from further monitoring.  However, not all patients show much progress in the initial three months.  After this time period has passed, it is up to the provider to extend the referral, requesting for further remote patient monitoring. Some patients participating in the Central Oregon Telehealth Network (COTN) have been enrolled for nearly a year, and depending on specific health issues and provider concerns, this may be necessary.

For patients who are not ready or willing to make lifestyle changes, continuing to monitor their health from afar may not be helpful to their care.  Due to a potential increase in demand for equipment, especially with new sites being added to the COTN, it may be necessary to distribute limited equipment to new patients who may use the feedback from their daily readings to proactively take charge of their health.

While this balance of equipment with patient demand is an issue to be aware of, it is a challenge that program administrators believe will balance itself out as they continue working with providers to ensure that patients involved in remote monitoring are benefiting from the program.