"Remote patient monitoring (RPM) used as an enabler of proven intensive care models has been shown to improve outcomes and reduce costs in patients with chronic diseases," Jones says. An aging population, greater healthcare expenditures, and shrinking healthcare resources also contribute to the interest in remote health monitoring; sales are expected to increase as older monitoring equipment is replaced by remote or wireless monitors.

The technology behind remote patient monitoring – typically wireless communication based on sensors on a device that measures parameters like blood pressure or blood glucose levels – has existed for years but the applications are new.

By 2018, remote patient monitoring – also known as home telehealth – is expected to result in savings of up to $36 billion worldwide, according to a mHealth market report from Juniper Research. Much of these cost savings are from fewer outpatient visits and less time in the hospital.

"Currently we have no data on how patients do once they leave the doctor's office. Accurate real time outcome data is the promise of remote monitoring," says Kevin Stone of The Stone Clinic in San Francisco, who is also founder of the remote monitoring start-up Propriosense.

One example of how remote patient monitoring has improved patient care is William, a 62-year-old man with diabetes and high blood pressure who had a stroke three years ago. He had talked with his diabetes healthcare provider weekly but wasn't writing down his blood sugars and never checked his blood pressure. His provider started using Ambio, which is a wireless gateway that plugs into a standard home-based Ethernet router, bundled with a blood-glucose monitor and other instruments. His provider now had a record of all the readings and was able to make immediate medication changes.

While some physicians are concerned about being inundated by data from remote patient monitoring, Jones says a "care pathway" that organizes information can provide doctors with data they believe is most relevant.

Jones said that other best practices in remote patient monitoring include holding weekly phone discussions focused on motivation, coaching, problem solving, and adherence; initiating follow up calls within 2 hours of alerts; identifying and following-up with patients who have had no readings in past 24 hours, and encouraging self-care behavior change.

What is the future of remote patient monitoring? Stone says he believes mHealth will be all-prevalent with even all sports equipment, shoe wear and novel therapies fitted with monitors. "The tools that will dominate the future of remote patient monitoring will be lower cost and easier to use," adds Jones.