Cost-consequence analysis of daily continuous remote monitoring of implantable cardiac defibrillator and resynchronization devices in the UK

The implications of cardiac device cybersecurity responsibilities and challenges faced by policymakers, manufacturers, and patients

INTRODUCTION

As digital health expands, reliance on digital endpoints is rapidly increasing to improve diagnostic accuracy and management in the healthcare field. Digital endpoints are beneficial to monitor how patient's clinical information is processed outside of a clinical setting.

AREAS COVERED

Implications of cardiac digital endpoints play a role in allowing patients to track their clinical data outside of a clinical setting. Advances in cardiac digital endpoints involve advanced devices and implants, trackers, and artificial intelligence. We will explore further digital endpoints within cardiology and threats as well as security concerns for policies to focus on the maintenance of safe patient health data analysis, transmission, and processing.

EXPERT OPINION

As digital endpoints evolve and expand, policymakers must ensure there is adequate cybersecurity surrounding them. We believe guidelines should be in place to make sure data is accessed solely on a secure connection and access to digital literacy for patients should be readily available.

Economic Evaluations of Digital Health Interventions for Patients With Heart Failure: Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Digital health interventions (DHIs) have shown promising results in enhancing the management of heart failure (HF). Although health care interventions are increasingly being delivered digitally, with growing evidence on the potential cost-effectiveness of adopting them, there has been little effort to collate and synthesize the findings.

OBJECTIVE

This study's objective was to systematically review the economic evaluations that assess the adoption of DHIs in the management and treatment of HF.

METHODS

A systematic review was conducted using 3 electronic databases: PubMed, EBSCOhost, and Scopus. Articles reporting full economic evaluations of DHIs for patients with HF published up to July 2023 were eligible for inclusion. Study characteristics, design (both trial based and model based), input parameters, and main results were extracted from full-text articles. Data synthesis was conducted based on the technologies used for delivering DHIs in the management of patients with HF, and the findings were analyzed narratively. The PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines were followed for this systematic review. The reporting quality of the included studies was evaluated using the CHEERS (Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards) guidelines.

RESULTS

Overall, 27 economic evaluations were included in the review. The economic evaluations were based on models (13/27, 48%), trials (13/27, 48%), or a combination approach (1/27, 4%). The devices evaluated included noninvasive remote monitoring devices (eg, home telemonitoring using digital tablets or specific medical devices that enable transmission of physiological data), telephone support, mobile apps and wearables, remote monitoring follow-up in patients with implantable medical devices, and videoconferencing systems. Most of the studies (24/27, 89%) used cost-utility analysis. The majority of the studies (25/27, 93%) were conducted in high-income countries, particularly European countries (16/27, 59%) such as the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. Mobile apps and wearables, remote monitoring follow-up in patients with implantable medical devices, and videoconferencing systems yielded cost-effective results or even emerged as dominant strategies. However, conflicting results were observed, particularly in noninvasive remote monitoring devices and telephone support. In 15% (4/27) of the studies, these DHIs were found to be less costly and more effective than the comparators (ie, dominant), while 33% (9/27) reported them to be more costly but more effective with incremental cost-effectiveness ratios below the respective willingness-to-pay thresholds (ie, cost-effective). Furthermore, in 11% (3/27) of the studies, noninvasive remote monitoring devices and telephone support were either above the willingness-to-pay thresholds or more costly than, yet as effective as, the comparators (ie, not cost-effective). In terms of reporting quality, the studies were classified as good (20/27, 74%), moderate (6/27, 22%), or excellent (1/27, 4%).

CONCLUSIONS

Despite the conflicting results, the main findings indicated that, overall, DHIs were more cost-effective than non-DHI alternatives.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

PROSPERO CRD42023388241; https://tinyurl.com/2p9axpmc.

Investigating the Cost-Effectiveness of Telemonitoring Patients With Cardiac Implantable Electronic Devices: Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Telemonitoring patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) can improve their care management. However, the results of cost-effectiveness studies are heterogeneous. Therefore, it is still a matter of debate whether telemonitoring is worth the investment.

OBJECTIVE

This systematic review aims to investigate the cost-effectiveness of telemonitoring patients with CIEDs, focusing on its key drivers, and the impact of the varying perspectives.

METHODS

A systematic review was performed in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and EconLit. The search was completed on July 7, 2022. Studies were included if they fulfilled the following criteria: patients had a CIED, comparison with standard care, and inclusion of health economic evaluations (eg, cost-effectiveness analyses and cost-utility analyses). Only complete and peer-reviewed studies were included, and no year limits were applied. The exclusion criteria included studies with partial economic evaluations, systematic reviews or reports, and studies without standard care as a control group. Besides general study characteristics, the following outcome measures were extracted: impact on total cost or income, cost or income drivers, cost or income drivers per patient, cost or income drivers as a percentage of the total cost impact, incremental cost-effectiveness ratios, or cost-utility ratios. Quality was assessed using the Consensus Health Economic Criteria checklist.

RESULTS

Overall, 15 cost-effectiveness analyses were included. All studies were performed in Western countries, mainly Europe, and had primarily a male participant population. Of the 15 studies, 3 (20%) calculated the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio, 1 (7%) the cost-utility ratio, and 11 (73%) the health and cost impact of telemonitoring. In total, 73% (11/15) of the studies indicated that telemonitoring of patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) and cardiac resynchronization therapy ICDs was cost-effective and cost-saving, both from a health care and patient perspective. Cost-effectiveness results for telemonitoring of patients with pacemakers were inconclusive. The key drivers for cost reduction from a health care perspective were hospitalizations and scheduled in-office visits. Hospitalization costs were reduced by up to US $912 per patient per year. Scheduled in-office visits included up to 61% of the total cost reduction. Key drivers for cost reduction from a patient perspective were loss of income, cost for scheduled in-office visits and transport. Finally, of the 15 studies, 8 (52%) reported improved quality of life, with statistically significance in only 1 (13%) study (P=.03).

CONCLUSIONS

From a health care and patient perspective, telemonitoring of patients with an ICD or a cardiac resynchronization therapy ICD is a cost-effective and cost-saving alternative to standard care. Inconclusive results were found for patients with pacemakers. However, telemonitoring can lead to a decrease in providers' income, mainly due to a lack of reimbursement. Introducing appropriate reimbursement could make telemonitoring sustainable for providers while still being cost-effective from a health care payer perspective.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

PROSPERO CRD42022322334; https://tinyurl.com/puunapdr.

A cost-effectiveness analysis of remote monitoring after pacemaker implantation for bradycardia in Japan

BACKGROUND

Although remote monitoring (RM) after pacemaker implantation is common, its cost-effectiveness has not been fully investigated. Therefore, we assessed the cost-effectiveness of RM compared with conventional follow-up (CFU) in Japanese patients with pacemakers.

METHODS

A Markov model was constructed to analyze costs and quality-adjusted life years after pacemaker implantation. The target population was Japanese patients implanted with a dual-chamber pacemaker for bradycardia. Transition probabilities (e.g. atrial fibrillation, stroke, and device trouble) were obtained from literature and expert sources. Additionally, stroke risk was determined according to anticoagulation and CHADS2 scores. We used a 10-year horizon with sensitivity analyses for significant variables.

RESULTS

Compared to CFU, RM was more effective; however, it was also more expensive. When the range of the Japanese willingness-to-pay threshold was considered to be ¥5,000,000, RM was at least cost-neutral relative to the CFU in all elderly patients with pacemakers for bradycardia. The cost-effectiveness of RM relative to CFU could be higher for patients with high CHADS2 scores, especially in patients with a CHADS2 score ≥ 3. Scenario analyses changing the interval between visits to an in-office evaluation in the CFU also demonstrated the same conclusions. In particular, when the interval between office visits was 1 year for the CFU, the RM could be more cost-effective.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrated that RM can be a cost-effective option for Japanese patients, especially those with high CHADS2 scores and long-term intervals between office visits.

2023 HRS/EHRA/APHRS/LAHRS expert consensus statement on practical management of the remote device clinic

Remote monitoring is beneficial for the management of patients with cardiovascular implantable electronic devices by impacting morbidity and mortality. With increasing numbers of patients using remote monitoring, keeping up with higher volume of remote monitoring transmissions creates challenges for device clinic staff. This international multidisciplinary document is intended to guide cardiac electrophysiologists, allied professionals, and hospital administrators in managing remote monitoring clinics. This includes guidance for remote monitoring clinic staffing, appropriate clinic workflows, patient education, and alert management. This expert consensus statement also addresses other topics such as communication of transmission results, use of third-party resources, manufacturer responsibilities, and programming concerns. The goal is to provide evidence-based recommendations impacting all aspects of remote monitoring services. Gaps in current knowledge and guidance for future research directions are also identified.

The digital journey: 25 years of digital development in electrophysiology from an Europace perspective

AIMS

Over the past 25 years there has been a substantial development in the field of digital electrophysiology (EP) and in parallel a substantial increase in publications on digital cardiology.In this celebratory paper, we provide an overview of the digital field by highlighting publications from the field focusing on the EP Europace journal.

RESULTS

In this journey across the past quarter of a century we follow the development of digital tools commonly used in the clinic spanning from the initiation of digital clinics through the early days of telemonitoring, to wearables, mobile applications, and the use of fully virtual clinics. We then provide a chronicle of the field of artificial intelligence, a regulatory perspective, and at the end of our journey provide a future outlook for digital EP.

CONCLUSION

Over the past 25 years Europace has published a substantial number of papers on digital EP, with a marked expansion in digital publications in recent years.

Remote monitoring of cardiac implantable electronic devices and disease management

This reviews the transition of remote monitoring of patients with cardiac electronic implantable devices from curiosity to standard of care. This has been delivered by technology evolution from patient-activated remote interrogations at appointed intervals to continuous monitoring that automatically flags clinically actionable information to the clinic for review. This model has facilitated follow-up and received professional society recommendations. Additionally, continuous monitoring has provided a new level of granularity of diagnostic data enabling extension of patient management from device to disease management. This ushers in an era of digital medicine with wider applications in cardiovascular medicine.

2023 HRS/EHRA/APHRS/LAHRS Expert Consensus Statement on Practical Management of the Remote Device Clinic

Remote monitoring is beneficial for the management of patients with cardiovascular implantable electronic devices by impacting morbidity and mortality. With increasing numbers of patients using remote monitoring, keeping up with higher volume of remote monitoring transmissions creates challenges for device clinic staff. This international multidisciplinary document is intended to guide cardiac electrophysiologists, allied professionals, and hospital administrators in managing remote monitoring clinics. This includes guidance for remote monitoring clinic staffing, appropriate clinic workflows, patient education, and alert management. This expert consensus statement also addresses other topics such as communication of transmission results, use of third-party resources, manufacturer responsibilities, and programming concerns. The goal is to provide evidence-based recommendations impacting all aspects of remote monitoring services. Gaps in current knowledge and guidance for future research directions are also identified.

2023 HRS/EHRA/APHRS/LAHRS Expert Consensus Statement on Practical Management of the Remote Device Clinic

Remote monitoring is beneficial for the management of patients with cardiovascular implantable electronic devices by impacting morbidity and mortality. With increasing numbers of patients using remote monitoring, keeping up with higher volume of remote monitoring transmissions creates challenges for device clinic staff. This international multidisciplinary document is intended to guide cardiac electrophysiologists, allied professionals, and hospital administrators in managing remote monitoring clinics. This includes guidance for remote monitoring clinic staffing, appropriate clinic workflows, patient education, and alert management. This expert consensus statement also addresses other topics such as communication of transmission results, use of third-party resources, manufacturer responsibilities, and programming concerns. The goal is to provide evidence-based recommendations impacting all aspects of remote monitoring services. Gaps in current knowledge and guidance for future research directions are also identified.

Telemedicine in Adult Congenital Heart Disease: Usefulness of Digital Health Technology in the Assistance of Critical Patients

The number of adults with congenital heart disease (ACHD) has progressively increased in recent years to surpass that of children. This population growth has produced a new demand for health care. Moreover, the 2019 coronavirus pandemic has caused significant changes and has underlined the need for an overhaul of healthcare delivery. As a result, telemedicine has emerged as a new strategy to support a patient-based model of specialist care. In this review, we would like to highlight the background knowledge and offer an integrated care strategy for the longitudinal assistance of ACHD patients. In particular, the emphasis is on recognizing these patients as a special population with special requirements in order to deliver effective digital healthcare.

Remote Patient Monitoring: What Have We Learned and Where Are We Going?

Purpose of Review

Remote monitoring (RM) of cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) is an important part of patient follow-up. The increasing number of patients with CIEDs and the recent pandemic pose several challenges for already limited device clinic resources. This review focuses on recent evolutions in RM and identifies future needs to improve RM.

Recent Findings

RM has been associated with multiple clinical benefits, including improved survival, early detection of actionable events, reduction in inappropriate shocks, longer battery lives, and more efficient healthcare utilization. The survival benefit was driven by studies using alert-based continuous RM with daily transmissions and fast reaction times. Patients report a high satisfaction rate without significant differences in quality of life between RM and in-office follow-up.The increasing workload, due to the increasing number of CIEDs implanted with daily remote transmissions, results in several challenges for the future of RM. RM requires appropriate reimbursement for RM device clinics to optimize patient/staff ratios, including sufficient non-clinical and administrative support. Universal alert programming and data processing may minimize inter-manufacturer differences, improve the signal-to-noise ratio, and allow the development of standard operating protocols and workflows. In the future, programming by remote control and true remote programming may further improve remote CIED management, patient quality of life, and device clinic workflows.

Summary

RM should be considered standard of care in management of patients with CIEDs. The clinical benefits of RM can be maximized by an alert-based continuous RM model. Adapted healthcare policies are required to keep RM manageable for the future.

Automatic daily remote monitoring in heart failure patients implanted with a cardiac resynchronisation therapy-defibrillator: a single-centre observational pilot study

INTRODUCTION

The impact of remote monitoring (RM) on clinical outcomes in heart failure (HF) patients with cardiac resynchronisation therapy-defibrillator (CRT-D) implantation is controversial. This study sought to evaluate the performance of an RM follow-up protocol using modified criteria of the PARTNERS HF trial in comparison with a conventional follow-up scheme.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We compared cardiovascular (CV) mortality (primary endpoint) and hospitalisation events for decompensated HF, and the number of ambulatory in-office visits (secondary endpoint) in CRT-D implanted patients with automatic RM utilising daily transmissions (RM group, n = 45) and conventional follow-up (CFU group, n = 43) in a single-centre observational study.

RESULTS

After a median follow-up of 25 months, a significant advantage was seen in the RM group in terms of CV mortality (1 vs. 6 death event, p = 0.04), although RM follow-up was not an independent predictor for CV mortality (HR = 0.882; 95% CI: 0.25-3.09; p = 0.845). Patient CV mortality was independently influenced by hospitalisation events for decompensated HF (HR = 3.24; 95% CI: 8-84; p = 0.022) during follow-up. We observed significantly fewer hospitalisation events for decompensated HF (8 vs. 29 events, p = 0.046) in the RM group. Furthermore, a decreased number of total (161 vs. 263, p < 0.01) and unnecessary ambulatory in-office visits (6 vs. 19, p = 0.012) were seen in the RM group as compared to the CFU group.

CONCLUSIONS

Follow-up of CRT-D patients using automatic RM with daily transmissions based on modified PARTNERS HF criteria enabled more effective ambulatory interventions leading indirectly to improved CV survival. Moreover, RM directly decreased the number of HF hospitalizations and ambulatory follow-up burden compared to CRT-D patients with conventional follow-up.

Is it feasible to outsource the remote monitoring of implantable cardiac defibrillators in a large tertiary hospital?

AIM

To provide a detailed description of the workflow at our telecardiology centre and to analyse the workload of real-world remote monitoring with the aim to assess the feasibility to outsource this service.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was conducted on the telecardiology service provided at the University Hospitals of Leuven by extracting patient demographic data, general time usage and detailed information about the type of remote contacts. 10,869 contacts in 948 patients have been included. A 2-week prospective study was conducted on the same service by documenting and monitoring every action performed by specialised nurses when analysing and solving remote monitoring transmissions. 337 contacts in 262 patients were collected during this period.

RESULTS

Both analyses indicated similar numbers of events and interventions. Unplanned transmissions were more challenging and required more interventions than planned transmissions. Relatively little time (retrospective median: 1.83 min; prospective median: 1.56 min, per event) was spent on incoming non-actionable 'normal' transmissions (retrospective: 46%; prospective: 40% of all events). Retrospectively 54% and prospectively 60% of transmissions showed abnormalities and were responsible for most of the time expended. Disease-related issues were the most frequent cause for these 'abnormal' alerts. Contacting patients and physicians were key interventions undertaken. Interaction initiated by patients mainly involved the installation process (42%) and bedside monitoring problems (32%).

CONCLUSION

External data centres could deal with 40% of the transmissions, but the decline in workload would be negligible for the in-hospital remote monitoring team, because very little time is spent dealing with the many 'non-event' transmissions whereas most of the time is spent solving clinical problems. Providing sufficient resources and optimising communication protocols is necessary to aid in managing the workload of the remote monitoring team.

Implications for practiceContacting patients and physicians are key interventions for specialist nurses in remote monitoring centres.Detailed timing confirmed that most time was spent on relevant disease-related clinical problems.Despite dealing with ∼40% of transmissions, outsourcing to external data centres would decrease the workload only by 15-25%.Patient initiated contacts with questions concerning remote monitoring form a high burden and should be countered by scaling the service and creating communication protocols.

Remote Monitoring of CIEDs-For Both Safety, Economy and Convenience?

Cardiac implantable electronic devices such as pacemakers and defibrillators are increasingly monitored by systems transmitting information directly from the patient to the hospital. This may increase safety and patient satisfaction and also under certain circumstances represent an economic advantage. The review summarizes some of the recent research in the field of remote monitoring of cardiac devices.

Home delivery of the communicator for remote monitoring of cardiac implantable devices: A multicenter experience during the covid-19 lockdown

Background

During the COVID‐19 pandemic in‐person visits for patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices should be replaced by remote monitoring (RM), in order to prevent viral transmission. A direct home‐delivery service of the RM communicator has been implemented at 49 Italian arrhythmia centers.

Methods

According to individual patient preference or the organizational decision of the center, patients were assigned to the home‐delivery group or the standard in‐clinic delivery group. In the former case, patients received telephone training on the activation process and use of the communicator. In June 2020, the centers were asked to reply to an ad hoc questionnaire to describe and evaluate their experience in the previous 3 months.

Results

RM was activated in 1324 patients: 821 (62%) received the communicator at home and the communicator was activated remotely. Activation required one additional call in 49% of cases, and the median time needed to complete the activation process was 15 min [25th‐75th percentile: 10–20]. 753 (92%) patients were able to complete the correct activation of the system. At the time when the questionnaire was completed, 743 (90%) communicators were regularly transmitting data. The service was generally deemed useful (96% of respondents) in facilitating the activation of RM during the COVID‐19 pandemic and possibly beyond.

Conclusions

Home delivery of the communicator proved to be a successful approach to system activation, and received positive feedback from clinicians. The increased use of a RM protocol will reduce risks for both providers and patients, while maintaining high‐quality care.

eHealth Applications to Support Independent Living of Older Persons: Scoping Review of Costs and Benefits Identified in Economic Evaluations

BACKGROUND

eHealth applications are constantly increasing and are frequently considered to constitute a promising strategy for cost containment in health care, particularly if the applications aim to support older persons. Older persons are, however, not the only major eHealth stakeholder. eHealth suppliers, caregivers, funding bodies, and health authorities are also likely to attribute value to eHealth applications, but they can differ in their value attribution because they are affected differently by eHealth costs and benefits. Therefore, any assessment of the value of eHealth applications requires the consideration of multiple stakeholders in a holistic and integrated manner. Such a holistic and reliable value assessment requires a profound understanding of the application's costs and benefits. The first step in measuring costs and benefits is identifying the relevant costs and benefit categories that the eHealth application affects.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to support the conceptual phase of an economic evaluation by providing an overview of the relevant direct and indirect costs and benefits incorporated in economic evaluations so far.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic literature search covering papers published until December 2019 by using the Embase, Medline Ovid, Web of Science, and CINAHL EBSCOhost databases. We included papers on eHealth applications with web-based contact possibilities between clients and health care providers (mobile health apps) and applications for self-management, telehomecare, telemedicine, telemonitoring, telerehabilitation, and active healthy aging technologies for older persons. We included studies that focused on any type of economic evaluation, including costs and benefit measures.

RESULTS

We identified 55 papers with economic evaluations. These studies considered a range of different types of costs and benefits. Costs pertained to implementation activities and operational activities related to eHealth applications. Benefits (or consequences) could be categorized according to stakeholder groups, that is, older persons, caregivers, and health care providers. These benefits can further be divided into stakeholder-specific outcomes and resource usage. Some cost and benefit types have received more attention than others. For instance, patient outcomes have been predominantly captured via quality-of-life considerations and various types of physical health status indicators. From the perspective of resource usage, a strong emphasis has been placed on home care visits and hospital usage.

CONCLUSIONS

Economic evaluations of eHealth applications are gaining momentum, and studies have shown considerable variation regarding the costs and benefits that they include. We contribute to the body of literature by providing a detailed and up-to-date framework of cost and benefit categories that any interested stakeholder can use as a starting point to conduct an economic evaluation in the context of independent living of older persons.

Long-term cost-utility analysis of remote monitoring of older patients with pacemakers: the PONIENTE study

Background

Cost-effectiveness studies on pacemakers have increased in the last years. However the number of long-term cost-utility studies is limited. The objective of this study was to perform a cost-utility analysis comparing remote monitoring (RM) versus conventional monitoring (CM) in hospital of older patients with pacemakers, 5 years after implant.

Methods

Under a controlled, not randomized, nor masked clinical trial, 83 patients with pacemakers were initially selected. After five years of follow-up, a total of 55 patients (CM = 34; RM = 21) completed the study. A cost-utility analysis of RM in terms of costs per gained quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) was conducted. The costs from the Public Health System (PHS) as well as patients and their relatives were taken into account for the study. The robustness of the results was verified by the probabilistic analyses through Monte-Carlo simulations.

Results

After a five-year follow-up period, total costs were lower in the RM group by 23.02% than in the CM group (€274.52 versus €356.62; p = 0.033) because of a cost saving from patients’ perspective (€59.05 versus €102.98; p = 0.002). However, the reduction of in-hospital visits derived from RM exhibited insignificant impact on the costs from the PHS perspective, with a cost saving of 15.04% (€215.48 vs. €253.64; p = 0.144). Costs/QALYs obtained by the RM group were higher as compared to the CM group, although there were no significant differences. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of CM in comparison to RM became positive (€301.16).

Conclusions

This study confirms RM of older patients with pacemakers appears still as a cost-utility alternative to CM in hospital after 5 years of follow-up.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov: (Identifier: NCT02234245). Registered 09 September 2014 - Prospectively registered.

Cost-utility analysis of home-based cardiac rehabilitation as compared to usual post-discharge care: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

INTRODUCTION

Determining cost-utility differences between home-based cardiac rehabilitation (HBCR) on the one hand, and usual post-discharge care (UC) on the other, can improve resource-allocation in healthcare settings.

AREAS COVERED

In June 2019, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Cochrane library were searched for randomized controlled HBCR trials. Standardized mean differences (SMDs) of cost and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) between HBCRs and UCs were calculated using random effect models. Heterogeneity was assessed by inconsistency index (I2) and publication bias by funnel plot and Egger's regression test. Thirteen articles, representing 2,992 participants, were deemed representative for final analysis. In the meta-analysis, a significant difference with respect to QALYs favored HBCR, while no significant cost difference was observed between HBCR and UC. However, subgroup-analysis of trials with different follow-up durations revealed somewhat different results, and HBCR was found to be significantly better with regard to both cost and QALYs for patients with heart failure. Cost-utility analysis categorizing interventions as 'dominant', 'effective', 'doubtful', and 'dominated', found HBCRs dominant.

EXPERT OPINION

Although HBCR tended to be superior compared to UC in this review, larger and more robust trials addressing specific patients groups are needed for definitive results.

Cost-effectiveness of remote monitoring of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators in France: a meta-analysis and an integrated economic model derived from randomized controlled trials

Aims

Cost-effectiveness data on the remote monitoring (RM) of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) compared to the current standard of care (SC) remains limited. This meta-analysis was performed to assess the economic burden, and to develop an integrated economic model evaluating the efficiency of the RM strategy vs. SC in the context of French healthcare.

Methods and results

Randomized controlled trials, comparing RM to SC in patients implanted with ICDs with or without resynchronization therapy (±CRT-D), were identified through a systematic search of scientific literature databases dating from 2005. Seventeen trials (10 229 patients) reporting data on clinical outcomes, quality of life, cost, and/or utility, either as primary or secondary endpoints were identified. Compared to SC, RM resulted in significant reductions in annual costs per patient for direct healthcare costs (seven studies, difference in means −276.1, 95% standard error [SE]: 66.0, I2 = 76.3%) and for labour costs (two studies, difference in means −11.3, 95% SE: 1.4, I2 = 96.3%). A three-state Markov Model showed that RM resulted in cost-savings of €4142 per patient over a 5-year time horizon, with a quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gain of 0.29. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was −14 136 €/QALY, in favour of RM. Furthermore, probabilistic sensitivity analyses confirmed that the RM strategy was dominant over SC in 70% of cases.

Conclusion

Our economic model demonstrates that once implemented, RM of ICD ± CRT-D patients would result in increased effectiveness for lower costs over a 5-year period, compared to the current SC in France.

Cardiac implantable electronic device remote monitoring in a large cohort of patients and the need for planning

Aim: The remote monitoring (RM) of cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIED) is standard of care. We describe an organizational and projection RM workload model. Methods: At the time of the analysis (2015), 3995 CIED patients were followed-up; 1582 (40.5%) with RM. All RM transmissions (Tx) have been gathered in five event types. Results: We received 10,406 Tx, classified as: 128 (1.2%) red alerts, 141 (1.3%) atrial fibrillation episodes, 1944 (18.6%) yellow alerts, 403 (3.9%) lost Tx (disconnected/noncompliant patients) and 7790 (75.0%) Tx 'OK' (un-eventful Tx). At the time of 100% of remote CIED managed, we can expect a total of 25,990 Tx/year. Conclusion: We provide a descriptive analysis of remote monitoring management and workload estimation in a large cohort of CIED patients.

Cost-utility analysis of telemonitoring versus conventional hospital-based follow-up of patients with pacemakers. The NORDLAND randomized clinical trial

INTRODUCTION

The aim of our study was to perform an economic assessment in order to check whether or not telemonitoring of users with pacemakers offers a cost-effective alternative to traditional follow-up in outpatient clinics.

METHODS

We used effectiveness and cost data from the NORDLAND trial, which is a controlled, randomized, non-masked clinical trial. Fifty patients were assigned to receive either telemonitoring (TM; n = 25) or conventional monitoring (CM; n = 25) and were followed up for 12 months after the implantation. A cost-utility analysis was performed in terms of additional costs per additional Quality-Adjusted Life Year (QALY) attained from the perspectives of the Norwegian National Healthcare System and patients and their caregivers.

RESULTS

Effectiveness was similar between alternatives (TM: 0.7804 [CI: 0.6864 to 0.8745] vs. CM: 0.7465 [CI: 0.6543 to 0.8387]), while cost per patient was higher in the RM group, both from the Norwegian NHS perspective (TM: €2,079.84 [CI: 0.00 to 4,610.58] vs. €271.97 [CI: 158.18 to 385.76]; p = 0.147) and including the patient/family perspective (TM: €2,295.91 [CI: 0.00 to 4,843.28] vs. CM: €430.39 [CI: 0.00 to 4,841.48]), although these large differences-mainly due to a few patients being hospitalized in the TM group, as opposed to none in the CM group-did not reach statistical significance. The Incremental Cost-Effectiveness Ratio (ICER) from the Norwegian NHS perspective (€53,345.27/QALY) and including the patient/caregiver perspective (€55,046.40/QALY), as well as the Incremental Net Benefit (INB), favors the CM alternative, albeit with very broad 95%CIs. The probabilistic analysis confirmed inconclusive results due to the wide CIs even suggesting that TM was not cost-effective in this study. Supplemental analysis excluding the hospitalization costs shows positive INBs, whereby suggesting a discrete superiority of the RM alternative if hospitalization costs were not considered, albeit also with broad CIs.

CONCLUSIONS

Cost-utility analysis of TM vs. CM shows inconclusive results because of broad confidence intervals with ICER and INB figures ranging from potential savings to high costs for an additional QALY, with the majority of ICERs being above the usual NHS thresholds for coverage decisions.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02237404.

Where Does Telemedicine Achieve a Cost Reduction Effect? Cost Minimization Analysis of Teleradiology Services in Japan

Background: Telemedicine as a technology is expected to resolve issues such as doctor shortages and disparities in medical services. However, high costs of system installation and maintenance inhibit its widespread use. Introduction: This study involved a cost minimization analysis for installation of a teleradiology system in the Hokkaido prefecture of Japan. Conditions under which system utilization is cost-efficient and system utilization is effective for cost reduction were analyzed. Materials and Methods: A cost minimization analysis was conducted using three geospatial points of 50, 100, and 200 km from Sapporo city, the prefectural capital of Hokkaido, assuming a central imaging diagnosis center in Sapporo. The analysis was conducted from the standpoint of both patients and requesting hospitals. Results: From the patient's standpoint, a cost reduction effect was observed at all three distances from system installation. In contrast, from the hospital's standpoint, a cost reduction effect was found only when teleradiology examination was conducted from a distance of at least 100 km from Sapporo. Discussion: Results show that the cost reduction effect for patients increased as the travel distance increased. Although the teleradiology service is beneficial for a wide range of patients, the financial burden on requesting hospitals is significant. Conclusions: The following conditions were found necessary to reduce the requesting hospital's financial burden: the hospital should be far from the imaging diagnosis center, an inexpensive system is to be selected, and the system needs to be utilized continuously.

Telemedicine in heart failure-more than nice to have?

Telemedicine in chronic diseases like heart failure is rapidly evolving and has two important goals: improving and individualising care as well as reducing costs. In this paper, we provide a critical and an updated review of the current evidence by discussing the most important trials, meta-analyses and systematic reviews. So far, evidence for the CardioMEMS device is most convincing. Other trials regarding invasive and non-invasive telemonitoring and telephone support show divergent results, but several meta-analyses and systematic reviews uniformly reported a beneficial effect. Voice-over systems and ECG monitoring had neutral results. Lack of direct comparison between different modalities makes it impossible to determine the most effective method. Dutch studies showed predominantly non-significant results, mainly due to underpowered studies or because of a high standard of usual care. There are no conclusive results on cost-effectiveness of telemedicine because of the above shortcomings. The adherence of elderly patients was good in the trials, being essential for the compliance of telemedicine in the entire heart failure population. In the future perspective, telemedicine should be better standardised and evolve to be more than an addition to standard care to improve care and reduce costs.

Cost-utility analysis on telemonitoring of users with pacemakers: The PONIENTE study

INTRODUCTION

Few studies have confirmed the cost-saving of telemonitoring of users with pacemakers (PMs). The purpose of this controlled, non-randomised, non-masked clinical trial was to perform an economic assessment of telemonitoring (TM) of users with PMs and check whether TM offers a cost-utility alternative to conventional follow-up in hospital.

METHODS

Eighty-two patients implanted with an internet-based transmission PM were selected to receive either conventional follow-up in hospital ( n = 52) or TM ( n = 30) from their homes. The data were collected during 12 months while patients were being monitored. The economic assessment of the PONIENTE study was performed as per the perspectives of National Health Service (NHS) and patients. A cost-utility analysis was conducted to measure whether the TM of patients with PMs is cost-effective in terms of costs per gained quality-adjusted life years (QALYs).

RESULTS

There was a significant cost-saving for participants in the TM group in comparison with the participants in the conventional follow-up group. From the NHS's perspective, the patients in the TM group gained 0.09 QALYs more than the patients in the conventional follow-up group over 12 months, with a cost saving of 57.64% (€46.51 versus €109.79, respectively; p < 0.001) per participant per year. In-office visits were reduced by 52.49% in the TM group. The costs related to the patient perspective were lower in the TM group than in the conventional follow-up group (€31.82 versus €73.48, respectively; p < 0.005). The costs per QALY were 61.68% higher in the in-office monitoring group.

DISCUSSION

The cost-utility analysis performed in the PONIENTE study showed that the TM of users with PMs appears to be a significant cost-effective alternative to conventional follow-up in hospital.

Early warning systems for the management of chronic heart failure: a systematic literature review of cost-effectiveness models

INTRODUCTION

Describing the general and methodological characteristics of decision-analytical models used in the economic evaluation of early warning systems for the management of chronic heart failure patients and performing a quality assessment of their methodological characteristics is expected to provide concise and useful insight to inform the future development of decision-analytical models in the field of heart failure management.

AREAS COVERED

The literature on decision-analytical models for the economic evaluation of early warning systems for the management of chronic heart failure patients was systematically reviewed. Nine electronic databases were searched through the combination of synonyms for heart failure and sensitive filters for cost-effectiveness and early warning systems.

EXPERT COMMENTARY

The retrieved models show some variability with regards to their general study characteristics. Overall, they display satisfactory methodological quality, even though some points could be improved, namely on the consideration and discussion of any competing theories regarding model structure and disease progression, identification of key parameters and the use of expert opinion, and uncertainty analyses. A comprehensive definition of early warning systems and further research under this label should be pursued. To improve the transparency of economic evaluation publications, authors should make available detailed technical information regarding the published models.

Home monitoring after ambulatory implanted primary cardiac implantable electronic devices: The home ambulance pilot study

BACKGROUND

The Home Monitoring (HM) system of cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) permits early detection of arrhythmias or device system failures. The aim of this pilot study was to examine how the safety and efficacy of the HM system in patients after ambulatory implanted primary CIEDs compare to patients with a standard procedure and hospitalization.

HYPOTHESIS

We hypothesized that HM and their modifications would be a useful extension of the present concepts for ambulatory implanted CIEDs.

METHODS

This retrospective analysis evaluates telemetric data obtained from 364 patients in an ambulatory single center over 6 years. Patients were assigned to an active group (n = 217), consisting of those who were discharged early on the day of implantation of the primary CIED, or to a control group (n = 147), consisting of those discharged and followed up with the HM system according to usual medical practices.

RESULTS

The mean duration of hospitalization was 73.2% shorter in the active group than in the control group, corresponding to 20.5 ± 13 fewer hours (95% confidence interval [CI]: 6.3-29.5; P < 0.01) spent in the hospital (7.5 ± 1.5 vs 28 ± 4.5 h). This shorter mean hospital stay was attributable to a 78.8% shorter postoperative period in the active group. The proportion of patients with treatment-related adverse events was 11% (n = 23) in the active group and 17% (n = 25) in the control group (95% CI: 5.5-8.3; P = 0.061). This 6% absolute risk reduction (95% CI: 3.3-9.1; P = 0.789) confirmed the noninferiority of the ambulatory implanted CIED when compared with standard management of these patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Early discharge with the HM system after ambulatory CIED implantation was safe and not inferior to the classic medical procedure. Thus, together with lower costs, HM and its modifications would be a useful extension of the present concepts for ambulatory implanted CIEDs.

Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Follow-up: Role of Remote Monitoring

Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is increasingly used in heart failure treatment and management of these patients imposes significant challenges. Remote monitoring is becoming essential for CRT follow-up and allows close surveillance of device function and patient condition. It is helpful to reduce clinic visits, increase device longevity and provide early detection of device failure. Clinical effects include prevention of appropriate and inappropriate shocks and early detection of arrhythmias, such as atrial fibrillation. For modification of heart failure the addition of monitoring to CRT by means of device-based multiparameters may help to modify disease progression and improve survival.

Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Follow-up: Role of Remote Monitoring

Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is increasingly used in heart failure treatment and management of these patients imposes significant challenges. Remote monitoring is becoming essential for CRT follow-up and allows close surveillance of device function and patient condition. It is helpful to reduce clinic visits, increase device longevity and provide early detection of device failure. Clinical effects include prevention of appropriate and inappropriate shocks and early detection of arrhythmias, such as atrial fibrillation. For modification of heart failure the addition of monitoring to CRT by means of device-based multiparameters may help to modify disease progression and improve survival.

Health Care Utilization and Expenditures Associated With Remote Monitoring in Patients With Implantable Cardiac Devices

Several randomized trials and decision analysis models have found that remote monitoring may reduce health care utilization and expenditures in patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs), compared with in-office monitoring. However, little is known about the generalizability of these findings to unselected populations in clinical practice. To compare health care utilization and expenditures associated with remote monitoring and in-office monitoring in patients with CIEDs, we used Truven Health MarketScan Commercial Claims and Medicare Supplemental Databases. We selected patients newly implanted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD), cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (CRT-D), or permanent pacemaker (PPM), in 2009, who had continuous health plan enrollment 2 years after implantation. Generalized linear models and propensity score matching were used to adjust for confounders and estimate differences in health care utilization and expenditures in patients with remote or in-office monitoring. We identified 1,127; 427; and 1,295 pairs of patients with a similar propensity for receiving an ICD, CRT-D, or PPM, respectively. Remotely monitored patients with ICDs experienced fewer emergency department visits resulting in discharge (p = 0.050). Remote monitoring was associated with lower health care expenditures in office visits among patients with PPMs (p = 0.025) and CRT-Ds (p = 0.006) and lower total inpatient and outpatient expenditures in patients with ICDs (p <0.0001). In conclusion, remote monitoring of patients with CIEDs may be associated with reductions in health care utilization and expenditures compared with exclusive in-office care.

Remote monitoring of cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIED)

With increasing indications and access to cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) worldwide, the number of patients needing CIED follow-up continues to rise. In parallel, the technology available for managing these devices has advanced considerably. In this setting, remote monitoring (RM) has emerged as a complement to routine in-office care. Rigorous studies, randomized and otherwise, have demonstrated advantages to patient with CIED management systems, which incorporates RM resulting in authoritative guidelines from relevant professional societies recommending RM for all eligible patients. In addition to clinical benefits, CIED management programs that include RM have been shown to be cost effective and associated with high patient satisfaction. Finally, RM programs hold promise for the future of CIED research in light of the massive data collected through RM databases converging with unprecedented computational capability. This review outlines the available data associated with clinical outcomes in patients managed with RM with an emphasis on randomized trials; the impact of RM on patient satisfaction, cost-effectiveness, and healthcare utilization; and possible future directions for the use of RM in clinical practice and research.

Remote Monitoring for Follow-up of Patients with Cardiac Implantable Electronic Devices

Follow-up of patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices is challenging due to the increasing number and technical complexity of devices coupled to increasing clinical complexity of patients. Remote monitoring (RM) offers the opportunity to optimise clinic workflow and to improve device monitoring and patient management. Several randomised clinical trials and registries have demonstrated that RM may reduce number of hospital visits, time required for patient follow-up, physician and nurse time, hospital and social costs. Furthermore, patient retention and adherence to follow-up schedule are significantly improved by RM. Continuous wireless monitoring of data stored in the device memory with automatic alerts allows early detection of device malfunctions and of events requiring clinical reaction, such as atrial fibrillation, ventricular arrhythmias and heart failure. Early reaction may improve patient outcome. RM is easy to use and patients showed a high level of acceptance and satisfaction. Implementing RM in daily practice may require changes in clinic workflow. To this purpose, new organisational models have been introduced. In spite of a favourable cost:benefit ratio, RM reimbursement still represents an issue in several European countries.

Cardiac Pacing - Is Telemonitoring Now Essential?

Modern pacemakers and implantable defibrillators are able to automatically perform tests executed manually during in-office visits; such as measurement of sensing and pacing thresholds. In addition, the devices also record a wealth of diagnostic data that are of clinical relevance. The advent of wireless technology in these devices allows automatic transmission of these data that can be consulted remotely by the physician. There is now solid evidence indicating that remote device follow-up can safely reduce the number of in-office visits, thereby improving convenience for patients and caregivers alike. Remote monitoring with automatic alerts for arrhythmias, heart failure and technical issues, has been shown to dramatically reduce delay to diagnosis of these events compared with standard follow-up; potentially improving patient safety and outcome. For these reasons, remote device management is becoming the standard of care.