AI in Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) Market: Growth, Size, Share, and Trends

Many countries are increasingly supporting telehealth and AI in remote patient monitoring by establishing statewide coverage, defining reimbursement policies, and developing legal frameworks for patient monitoring practices. In November 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized changes to telehealth payment policies for 2025, including extending specific flexibilities such as virtual supervision for teaching physicians and permitting telehealth services for behavioral health in the home setting. These updates aim to incorporate telehealth more seamlessly while ensuring regulatory oversight remains intact. Additionally, in November 2024, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) extended telehealth prescribing flexibilities for controlled substances through the end of 2024.

There are significant variations in laws and policies governing AI in remote patient monitoring practices between different states and countries, which leads to a lack of specifications. For instance, as wearables become more popular, it is crucial to recognize that they may be classified as medical devices according to the regulations in different regions, such as Europe, North America, and China. The European Medical Device Regulation 2017/745 (MDR) sets the criteria for the classification of smart wearables in the EU. It is worth noting that the definitions of medical devices differ between the EU's MDR and the US Food Drug and Cosmetic Act's Medical Device Amendments (US FD&C Act). In addition, the classification of software is particularly complex under the EU-MDR.

Australia, China, Japan, Singapore, India, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, and South Korea are major AI in remote patient monitoring markets in Asia Pacific. Government initiatives for the implementation of AI in remote patient monitoring solutions, developing healthcare infrastructure, the rise in government spending on healthcare systems, growth in medical tourism, and increase in the number of skilled IT experts are major factors favoring the adoption of AI in RPM solutions in the emerging markets across the Asia Pacific region. For instance, in October 2022, Australian government invested USD 7.5 million to trial wearable health devices and on-the-spot blood analysis in remote Northern Territory communities. The funding aims to improve health monitoring, including tracking blood pressure, physical symptoms, and early detection of conditions like sepsis. In this regard, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a part of the World Bank Group that invests in the private sector in emerging markets, launched TechEmerge, a program designed to accelerate technology deployment in emerging markets

The adoption of AI in remote patient monitoring is hindered by a lack of high-quality data, resulting in reduced accuracy and potential risks. Challenges include data fragmentation, privacy concerns, costs, and expertise gaps. In November 2023, the WHO issued guidelines emphasizing safety, transparency, and regulatory measures for AI in healthcare, addressing risks and proposing solutions like data standardization, public-private partnerships, synthetic data, and AI-powered curation tools. Overcoming these barriers requires collaboration, robust legal frameworks, and further research into ethical and regulatory aspects to maximize AI's potential in remote patient monitoring