Today’s healthcare IT leaders face a multifaceted set of challenges as they work to enhance patient care, streamline operational efficiency, safeguard sensitive data, and contain technology costs. The pressure to make the right digital investments is immense, as each decision carries significant consequences for patient outcomes and the financial health of the organization. Balancing these diverse priorities requires careful consideration and strategic planning to ensure that technological investments align with both clinical and business objectives.
Across hospitals, while IT investment is increasing, focus areas are fragmented. According to a survey by Guidehouse, 75% of healthcare providers increased their digital and IT budgets from 2019 to 2023, with key areas for investment including cybersecurity infrastructure, electronic health record (EHR) modernization, digital care solutions, advanced analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML).
Profound impact resides in the intersection between these investment areas. For example, the marriage of virtual care, advanced remote telemetry, and AI-enhanced analytics can potentially transform diagnostics, disease management, and outcomes. When prioritizing technology investments, IT leaders should explore the area between solution categories and address areas of outsized inefficiency and cost. Investing in these areas will maximize ROI and impact.
It also helps to focus on the areas of greatest needs. For example, cardiology is one of the most widely utilized specialties, with cardiovascular diseases impacting roughly one of every two Americans. Yet it’s also one of the least efficient service lines, as the combination of complex care and specialized procedures contributes to outsized costs. Cardiovascular diseases cost the U.S. healthcare system more than $200 billion each year—a staggering cost that suggests an immense opportunity for savings and optimization.
This blog post will take a closer look at the marriage of virtual care, advanced remote cardiac telemetry, and AI-enhanced analytics in cardiology, spotlighting some of the many ways the application of this technology can power tangible improvements and accelerate ROI for today’s practices.
An Investment Worth Making: The Power of Virtual Care, Virtual Telemetry, and AI in Cardiology
Virtual care, virtual cardiac telemetry, and AI-enabled analytics together empower more efficient patient care and optimized clinical workflowss. Let’s explore each of these valuable investment areas.
- Virtual cardiac care and the rise of virtual-first care interactions. Virtual cardiac care has redefined care settings beyond traditional telehealth, enabling patients to replicate the quality of in-person care interactions from the comfort of their homes. The emergence of virtual-first care interactions across a more diverse array of clinical use cases lays the groundwork for stronger healthcare access, earlier clinical interventions, and lower costs.
- Advanced remote telemetry for high-acuity data in any setting. Modern virtual telemetry enables providers to replicate the precision of in-hospital tests remotely, nearly anywhere a patient may be located. In the cardiac specialty, diagnostic tests are routinely used as a means of diagnosis. Administering and analyzing these kinds of tests virtually enables new possibilities.
- AI-enabled analytics as a force multiplier. With virtual cardiac telemetry comes a large amount of data for processing and analyzing. This is where AI-enabled analytics come in. It supports human clinicians by rapidly identifying patterns and anomalies that might be missed by the human eye, providing clinicians with immediate, actionable insights. AI can assist in diagnosing conditions, predicting patient outcomes, and personalizing treatment plans, making it an indispensable component of modern cardiac care.
These investment areas don’t fit neatly into one specific category of healthcare IT focus. Rather, they combine several areas in a way that is complementary and transformative for the cardiology service line. The most impactful healthcare IT investments break boxes and incorporate different digital capabilities together to solve tangible challenges in care settings.
Unpacking the Return on Investment in Virtual Cardiac Care & Telemetry
In a fragmented healthcare IT landscape with no shortage of potential investments to make, let’s take a closer look at how investing in virtual care, virtual telemetry, and AI can fundamentally transform the efficiency and effectiveness of cardiac care, with numerous benefits that enhance clinical practice and patient outcomes.
Earlier Interventions
Virtual-first care interactions, supported by rich diagnostic data, allow providers to intervene before conditions worsen. The early detection and treatment of cardiac issues can prevent complications, reduce hospital admissions, mitigate expensive emergency care, and improve overall patient outcomes. One study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research found that remote patient monitoring (RPM) reduced the time to detect decompensation in heart failure patients by up to 50%, allowing for earlier intervention, thus helping prevent hospitalizations.
How it’s measured: Avoided hospital admissions and emergency care incidents multiplied by average cost of a hospital admission
Reduced Complications
Extending the reach of the cardiology clinic beyond its physical confines allows for the continuous monitoring of patients, especially during the critical post-discharge period. This constant vigilance helps in spotting potential complications early, ensuring timely interventions and reducing the likelihood of readmissions. A Mayo Clinic study revealed that patients enrolled in an RPM program had low rates of emergency department visits (11.4%), hospitalizations (9.4% within 30 days of enrollment), and a 30-day mortality rate of just 0.4%, showing that patients engaged in remote monitoring programs have better adherence to treatment plans and experience fewer complications.
How it’s measured: Reduction in complications and readmissions multiplied by average cost of a hospital readmission
Time Savings
The automation of data analysis through AI and remote cardiac telemetry significantly reduces the time that clinicians need to spend reviewing and interpreting data. Studies have found that implementing AI in monitoring and treatment plans can save 21.67 hours per day per hospital in the first year. This significant optimization of resources and increased efficiency allows healthcare providers to focus more on patient care and less on administrative tasks, ultimately improving the quality of care delivered.
How it’s measured: Hours saved in data review and administrative tasks, multiplied by cost per hour of clinician time
Enhanced Patient Engagement
Virtual cardiac care facilitates better patient engagement by providing them easy access to healthcare services. Patients can attend virtual appointments, access their health data, and communicate with their care team from nearly anywhere. This convenience encourages patients to be more proactive in managing their health, leading to better adherence to treatment plans and improved health outcomes—for example, admissions for chronic care complications were reduced by 19% to 41% due to the use of RPM.
How it’s measured: Patient engagement levels and adherence to treatment plans
Cost Efficiency
By reducing complications and hospital admissions while optimizing resource allocation, these technologies help in managing the high costs associated with cardiac care. Studies project that AI adoption in healthcare can save the industry up to $360 billion annually. According to one report, private payers could save roughly 7%-9% of their total costs, amounting to $80-$110 billion in annual savings within the next five years due to AI. Physician groups could save 3%-8% of costs, amounting to $20-$60 billion in savings. Meanwhile, hospitals could see savings of 4%-11%, or $60-$120 billion each year.
How it’s measured: Associated reduction in healthcare costs, including reduced complications, admissions, and optimized resource allocation
Improved Data Accuracy and Security
Secure data management is critical for maintaining patient trust and complying with strict healthcare regulations. Advanced remote telemetry and AI analytics ensure the accurate, secure collection and interpretation of patient data with superior results. For example, one deep-learning AI tool outperformed radiologists in detecting structural abnormalities associated with heart failure on chest X-rays. These technologies also enhance data security by minimizing manual data handling and lowering the risk of dangerous errors. AI’s integration into healthcare can reduce 86% of errors made by healthcare workers, potentially saving up to 250,000 lives each year.
How it’s measured: Reduction in errors multiplied by the average cost per error, plus the immeasurable costs of saving a life
Scalability and Flexibility
Virtual cardiac care solutions are highly scalable, making it easier for healthcare providers to expand their services without significant investments in physical infrastructure. Through RPM, patient data becomes more easily accessible and can be reviewed alongside other medical records, facilitating more comprehensive care management and enabling providers to scale their services efficiently. Virtual care solutions enable providers to monitor patients regardless of location, allowing for flexible scheduling and reducing the need for patient travel. This flexibility is particularly beneficial for those in remote or underserved areas. One study found that approximately 87% of patients enrolled in an RPM program had no emergency department visits, demonstrating the effectiveness of virtual care in managing patient health and preventing emergencies.
How it’s measured: Number of RPM enrollments multiplied by the cost savings per enrollment
Maximize Return on Your Virtual Telemetry Investment with InfoBionic.Ai
The integration of virtual care, advanced remote cardiac telemetry, and AI-enhanced analytics is truly revolutionizing the management and treatment of cardiovascular disease. By enabling near real-time monitoring, early detection, and more personalized treatment, these technologies greatly enhance patient outcomes and improve operational efficiency. As healthcare technology continues to evolve, these investment areas represent an area of outsized need and value for healthcare organizations and their patients alike.
The MoMe ARC® virtual cardiac telemetry platform brings together a tiered hospital-grade monitoring capability powered by advanced AI-enabled analysis to empower proactive cardiac interventions, surface actionable clinical insights, and identify the critical cardiac indicators that are outside traditional monitoring’s line of sight. The platform is equipped for use in any way a practice desires, as InfoBionic.Ai can provide a full insource or outsource service depending on its preference and requirements. Contact us to learn more about the MoMe ARC®.