When I was practicing radiation oncology, I witnessed a pattern that haunted me: patients who responded brilliantly to oncological treatments would return months later with disease progression. This was not because the oral chemo, hormonal or targeted therapy failed, but because they stopped taking their medications at home.

The numbers are staggering, but they don't capture the human cost. Behind every statistic is a patient who ended up back in the ER, a family facing preventable complications, and a healthcare system buckling under avoidable costs.

The Hidden Crisis

Medication non-adherence costs the U.S. healthcare system $300 billion annually. That's larger than the GDP of some countries. But the real tragedy isn't the dollar amount, it is what those dollars represent:

125,000 preventable deaths each year

33-69% of medication-related hospital admissions are due to poor adherence

$2,000-$5,000 in preventable costs per non-adherent patient annually

In my oncology practice, I saw patients with heart failure and cancer diagnosis taking 12+ medications daily. When they missed doses of their diuretics, they'd return to the hospital with fluid overload. When diabetic patients with prostate cancer on advanced anti-hormonal therapy (often combined with steroids) skipped insulin (or oral metformin), their blood glucose levels would spike resulting in increased hospital admissions. Often oncological drugs would have toxicities, and my patients would stop the medication instead of addressing the side-effects with their medical providers. The cycle was predictable and preventable, but we lacked the tools to intervene early.

Why Traditional Approaches Fail

For decades, healthcare has tried to solve adherence with:

Pill organizers: Passive tools that can't alert anyone when doses are missed

Phone calls: Reactive, labor-intensive, and impossible to scale

Patient education: Necessary but insufficient; knowledge does not equal behavior change

Medication synchronization: Helps with refills but doesn't address daily adherence

These approaches share a fatal flaw: they're reactive, not proactive. By the time we discover a patient has stopped taking their medications, the damage is often done.

The Remote Therapeutic Monitoring Revolution

This is where Remote Therapeutic Monitoring (RTM) changes everything. Unlike traditional approaches, RTM provides:

Real-Time Visibility

Every scheduled dose is tracked automatically. When a patient misses their evening heart failure medication or a particular steroid that goes with oral chemotherapy, their care team knows within minutes, not weeks later when they show up in the ER with a hypertensive crisis or months later when they present with disease progression

Predictive Intelligence

AI algorithms identify patterns before they become problems. If a patient's adherence drops from 95% to 85% over two weeks, the system flags them for early outreach. We can intervene during the slide, not after the crash.

Actionable Data at Scale

A visiting nurse association managing 500 patients can't make daily check-in calls to everyone. But they can respond to automated alerts for the 15-20 patients who missed doses that day, focusing their expertise where it matters most.

RTM vs. RPM: Understanding the Difference

There's often confusion between Remote Therapeutic Monitoring (RTM) and Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM). Both are valuable, but they serve different purposes:

Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) tracks physiological data:

• Blood pressure, heart rate, weight

• Blood glucose, SpO2 levels

• Useful for monitoring chronic condition status

• CPT codes: 99453, 99445, 99454, 99470, 99457, 99458

Remote Therapeutic Monitoring (RTM) tracks therapeutic compliance and response:

• Medication adherence

• Therapy compliance

• Self-reported symptoms

• Treatment response data

• CPT codes: 98975, 98985, 98977, 98979, 98980, 98981

The key insight: You can have perfect vitals but still be non-adherent. A patient with a history of malignant hypertension might feel stable today while skipping doses, but the missed medications will catch up to them in days to weeks. RTM catches the problem at the source.

The most effective approach? Combining both. Monitor vital signs to understand disease status, and track adherence to ensure therapeutic interventions are actually happening.

The Business Case for RTM

When I completed my MBA at MIT, I learned to deeply understand systems dynamics and system based problem solving (more on this on a separate blog post). Here's what RTM delivers in terms of systems based problem solving:

Reduced Readmissions

Hospital readmissions cost Medicare $26 billion annually, with many triggered by medication non-adherence. Organizations using LynxFlow Health have achieved:

• 67% reduction in 30-day readmissions

• 45% fewer emergency department visits

• Direct impact on value-based care metrics

Revenue Generation

RTM isn't just a cost-saving measure, it is a revenue opportunity (2026 rates):

• CPT 98975: $21.71 per device setup

• CPT 98985 (2-15 days device): $40.08

• CPT 98977 (16-30 days device): $40.08

• CPT 98979 (10-19 min clinical): $26.39

• CPT 98980 (20-39 min clinical): $54.11

• CPT 98981 (Additional 20 min): $41.42

• For a typical patient monitored for 30 days: $100-150 in reimbursement

A visiting nurse association managing 200 patients on RTM can generate $20,000-30,000 monthly while improving outcomes. For more insight go to our ROI calculator in the Resources Hub.

Operational Efficiency

Before RTM, nurses spent hours on phone calls to check on patients. With automated monitoring:

• 75% reduction in unnecessary check-in calls

• Focus clinical time on high-risk patients

• Earlier intervention prevents crisis management

Real-World Impact: A Case Study

A Neurology practice in Rhode Island serving a mixed age population with complex medication regimens. Before implementing LynxFlow:

• Average patient took 8-12 medications daily

• Readmission rate: 18% within 30 days

• Nursing staff spent 3-4 hours daily on adherence check-ins

After three months with RTM:

• Readmission rate dropped to 6%

• Nursing time on check-ins reduced to 45 minutes daily

• $420,000 estimated in cost savings from prevented readmissions

• 96% patient adherence rate (up from 68%)

The practice lead told me: "For the first time, we're preventing problems instead of reacting to them. Our clinical mid-levels feel empowered, and our patients feel supported."

Implementation: From Pilot to Scale

The most common question I get from healthcare organizations: "Where do we start?"

Phase 1: Targeted Pilot (Months 1-2)

• Identify 20-30 high-risk patients (recent readmissions, complex regimens)

• Enroll with connected medication devices

• Train 2-3 clinical staff on the platform

• Establish alert response protocols

Phase 2: Expand and Refine (Months 3-4)

• Scale to 50-100 patients

• Analyze data patterns and adherence trends

• Optimize alert thresholds

• Integrate with EHR workflows

Phase 3: Full Deployment (Months 5-6)

• Organization-wide rollout

• Train all clinical staff

• Establish quality metrics

• Document outcomes for payers

The key is starting small, proving value, then scaling with confidence.

Addressing Common Concerns

"Will patients adopt the technology?"

In our pilots, 89% of patients over 65 successfully used the devices. The key is proper onboarding and responsive support. Most patients appreciate the safety net and they know someone is watching out for them.

"How do we handle alert fatigue?"

Smart algorithms are crucial. With use, LynxFlow's AI learns each patient's patterns and adjusts alert thresholds. We focus on actionable alerts and missed critical medications, not every minor deviation.

"What about HIPAA compliance?"

All data is encrypted end-to-end, servers are SOC 2 certified, and the platform is fully HIPAA compliant. Security isn't an afterthought, it was core to the development of our analytics platform.

"Can we afford this?"

The better question is: can you afford not to? With average savings of $2,800 per patient annually and Medicare reimbursement for RTM services, most organizations achieve positive ROI within 3-6 months.

The Future of Medication Adherence

We're at an inflection point. The technology exists. The reimbursement codes are established. The clinical evidence is overwhelming. What's missing is widespread adoption.

As someone who spent years in clinical practice and now leads a health technology company, I see RTM as inevitable. The question isn't if healthcare organizations will adopt remote therapeutic monitoring, it is when and who will lead.

The organizations implementing RTM today are positioning themselves for the value-based care future: better outcomes, lower costs, happier patients, and empowered clinical teams.

Take the Next Step

If you're a visiting nurse association, home health agency, or hospital system looking to reduce readmissions and improve medication adherence, I invite you to explore what RTM can do for your organization.

Access our Resources Hub to gain more information.

The medication adherence crisis won't solve itself. But with the right tools, the right approach, and the right commitment, we can transform how healthcare manages one of its most persistent challenges.