Remote Monitoring Significantly Decreases Rehospitalizations in Arthroplasty Patients

From DocWireNews:

Remote monitoring in patients who underwent joint arthroplasty led to a fourfold decrease in rehospitalizations, a randomized trial found. According to the researchers, this may have been due to goal setting and connection to the care team.

The use of telemedicine surged amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and its usability and convenience has left patients and providers alike wondering what its future may look like post-pandemic. It may seem more difficult to implement in some specialties compared to others, including orthopedics. While orthopedic surgeries have not yet moved to the patient’s home, it appears that postoperative patient monitoring has the potential to go remote.

Hip and knee arthroplasty is the most widely performed inpatient surgical procedure among Medicare beneficiaries, the authors note in their study.

“There are great opportunities for health systems and clinicians to improve the quality and value of care for patients getting hip and knee joint replacement surgery, and some of the most important advances are focused on what happens when patients return home,” said lead study author Shivan Mehta, MD, associate chief innovation officer at Penn Medicine, in a press release. “Technology, behavioral science insights, and care redesign can help to improve care at home and prevent patients from coming back to the hospital unnecessarily.”