Examining a Remote Patient Monitoring Program with Medicaid Patients Managing Diabetes and Hypertension: A...

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Chronic Disease Management
• Patient Experience Research

Background:

• Diabetes Mellitus (DM) and hypertension (HTN) self-management is challenging due to barriers like limited access to care and lifestyle factors.
• Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) enables digital health data tracking for chronic conditions.
• Limited research exists on Medicaid patients' experiences with RPM for DM and HTN.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the experiences of Medicaid patients managing DM and HTN using RPM.
• To identify facilitators and barriers to RPM utilization in this population.

Main Methods:

• Semi-structured longitudinal interviews were conducted with 17 participants in an RPM program.
• Thematic analysis was used to analyze interview data, identifying key themes.

Main Results:

• Patients reported a positive overall experience with RPM.
• RPM assisted in overcoming challenges related to unhealthy eating and inconsistent blood sugar/blood pressure monitoring.
• Key themes included program enrollment, RPM utilization, and factors influencing disease management.

Conclusions:

• RPM programs show potential as an effective strategy for supporting DM and HTN self-management among Medicaid patients.
• Findings highlight the benefits of RPM in improving adherence to monitoring and healthy lifestyle choices.
• Further research with larger sample sizes and diverse Medicaid program designs is warranted.