FDA Greenlights Expanded Remote Patient Monitoring to Keep Patients Out of Coronavirus-Slammed Hospitals

On Friday, the FDA issued a policy to facilitate greater use of remote patient monitoring technologies to cut back on hospital visits and thereby minimize the risk of exposure to COVID-19 while also reducing the burden on providers during the current crisis.

The remote patient monitoring device guidance applies to non-invasive devices that can be connected to a wireless network through Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or cellular connection to transmit a patient’s measurements directly to their healthcare provider or other monitoring entity. Some of the devices have the potential to apply algorithms to turn a patient’s physiological data into an index or alarm that may aid in diagnosing or assessing the severity of a condition.​