Is Remote Patient Monitoring the Next EHR?

Healthcare technology is developing faster than ever before. Can we predict which emerging tech will reach the ubiquitous standard of electronic health records (EHR)? To understand what will succeed, we need to understand what already has.

Changing The Status Quo

Imagine it’s your first appointment at a new primary care practice. You likely expect to fill out prior health information, transfer records, and sign up for their electronic record system. In the U.S., three major players dominate hospital EHRs: Epic, Cerner, and Meditech. At this point, not using EHR is the anomaly.

Though most people think EHRs began with the internet, their history dates back to the 1960s—then exclusive to expensive government tech. Over time, EHR adoption soared. By 2021, 96% of general acute care centers used some form of electronic records.

Subsequent medical tech advancements—AI, 3D printing, telehealth, and remote patient monitoring—have followed. But unlike EHR, many of these face financial and behavioral hurdles that prevent full adoption.

In early EHR days, transitioning from paper was costly and complex. Yet the flaws of paper records—security issues, storage needs, and human error—eventually made change worthwhile. Early adopters of EHR saw ROI and became leaders in modern care delivery.

What followed was competitive growth and legislative momentum, leading to improved outcomes and easier patient access. Now, 9 out of 10 hospitals use EHRs.

Blue and Red Oceans in Healthcare

How can EHR’s evolution help us understand the future of Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM)?

Using Kim & Mauborgne’s Blue Ocean Strategy, we see healthcare traditionally as a red ocean—hyper-competitive and saturated. EHR started in the blue ocean: it solved a problem, presented a clear long-term value, and created new market space. Over time, this blue ocean turned red with competition, and only a few EHR vendors survived.

RPM is now entering that same blue ocean space.

Unlike EHR’s shift from paper to digital, RPM faces the challenge of improving existing electronic systems. That’s a tougher pitch, especially since EHR took 60+ years to reach its current adoption. But new tech often emerges from the unmet needs EHR systems don’t address—and that’s where RPM finds opportunity.

RPM Gains Traction

The COVID-19 pandemic catalyzed rapid adoption of virtual care. Hospital systems had to offer HIPAA-compliant, remote solutions almost overnight, creating a new blue ocean.

Today, both patients and providers demand more than EHR. Telehealth and RPM are top priorities—even for major EHR players who must now adapt to meet demand.

Among them, RPM stands out. It works in hybrid care settings and plays a crucial role in the value-based care model.

RPM empowers patients to track vitals, such as blood pressure, from home. Providers use this data to manage chronic conditions, reduce unnecessary visits, and improve care. It’s one of the most actionable telehealth technologies available—equally effective for health systems and startups.

As RPM companies begin integrating with enterprise hospital systems, competition will increase.

3 Reasons RPM Is the Next EHR

1. The Need Has Always Existed

Just like paper records had vulnerabilities, healthcare has always needed continuous patient monitoring. For chronic illnesses like diabetes, real-time data is critical. RPM fulfills this need—and new technologies will only widen its scope.

But even a clear need doesn’t ensure smooth adoption. Tech markets fail when they overestimate readiness. So we must ask:

• Are consumers ready?
• Are healthcare leaders willing to adopt?
• Is the use case easy to understand? 

With those answers in place, RPM stands a strong chance of succeeding. As adoption increases, patients will expect RPM, and organizations that resist may fall behind.

2. Adoption Has Been Slow but Steady

RPM isn’t new—it dates back to the 1940s. But like EHR, its modern rise came during a technological shift: EHR grew with the internet, RPM with consumerized healthcare and pandemic urgency.

Patients now want control over their health. Sharing vitals remotely has become the norm, not the exception. But adoption takes time. As with EHR, we may see many RPM startups enter and exit the space before a few dominate.

Eventually, RPM may become a must-have feature across care delivery.

3. Early Adopters See Higher Satisfaction

RPM improves outcomes just like EHR. For instance, EHRs reduce medical errors and support accurate diagnoses. Meanwhile, the global RPM market is projected to reach $1.7 billion by 2027.

But numbers aren’t everything. It’s also about ease of use and provider experience.

Organizations that choose the right RPM partner—like Tellihealth or accuRPM—gain early access to critical insights, smoother implementation, and better patient engagement.

In fact, 70% of healthcare leaders say EHR integration is essential for home-based care. And 78% say a centralized solution is key to success.

Final Thoughts

RPM is emerging as a must-have—much like EHR once did. To gain traction, it must be:

• Easy for patients to use
• Seamless for providers to adopt
• Integrable with EHR giants like Epic
• Financially viable to deploy

RPM meets all of these requirements—and it’s already winning attention for its value.

While we can’t predict exactly what RPM will look like in five years, we can say this: The similarities between EHR and RPM are too strong to ignore. Like EHR, RPM may take time. But the demand is here, the value is real, and the next blue ocean is already forming.