Digital Health: Prepare to thrive

Q. What does the future of AI and telehealth look like for the DME sector – and how do payers view these tools? Should we be preparing for an inevitable shift?  

A. The past five years have been about testing digital health in the DME space. The next five will be about proving it works – and payers will be the ones asking for the proof. Whether it’s a Medicare contractor, a commercial insurer or a value-based care network, they want measurable outcomes, and they want them fast.  

AI, telehealth and remote monitoring aren’t just tools anymore – they’re becoming the evidence pipeline for reimbursement decisions. If you can’t show that your patients are compliant, stable and avoiding costly interventions, your position with payers could weaken.  

What payers care about most 

• Outcome data – Has therapy adherence improved? Are hospital readmissions reduced? 
•  Cost savings – Can you show measurable reductions in acute care costs tied to your interventions?  
• Patient engagement – Are patients interacting with the technology regularly?  
• Regulatory compliance – Is your data secure, documented and audit-ready?  

The better you can present these metrics – in clear, data-backed reports – the more likely you are to maintain or improve your status with payers.  

Preparing now for the shift  

• Audit your current data – Can you quickly pull compliance rates, patient engagement stats and intervention timelines? If not, start building that capability.  
• Train staff on data literacy – It’s not enough to collect data; your team needs to understand how to interpret and act on it.  
• Start reporting voluntarily – Share outcome metrics with payers before they ask. It positions you as a proactive, value-driven partner.  
• Invest in scalable platforms – Choose tech that can handle more patients and more devices without needing a complete overhaul in two years.  

The bottom line  

The DME providers who thrive in the next decade won’t be the ones with the cheapest products – they’ll be the ones who can prove their products and services deliver measurable, sustained health improvements. AI, telehealth and digital health tools aren’t just the future – they’re the language payers will speak. The sooner you’re fluent, the better your chances of staying in the conversation.  

Robin Randolph is senior vice president of marketing for sovaSage. Reach her at robin@sovasage.com.  

Digital health, telehealth & AI: Key actions to take now  

Telehealth & compliance  

• Enable real-time device alerts for early intervention.  
• Follow up on compliance issues within 48 hours.  
• Use HIPAA-compliant video platforms for patient support.  
• Document every interaction thoroughly for audit readiness.  

Digital health tools for growth 

• Evaluate AI-powered patient management platforms for chronic conditions.  
• Implement predictive analytics to flag high-risk patients.  
• Explore remote setup/training tools to save staff time.  
• Offer automated patient engagement (texts, reminders, dashboards).  

AI in telehealth: benefits & risks 

• Start with clean, accurate device data.  
• Keep humans in the loop for decision-making.  
• Be transparent with patients about how AI supports their care. 
• Document AI-influenced clinical decisions.  

Preparing for the payer push 

• Track and report patient outcomes and engagement metrics now.  
• Train staff to interpret and act on data insights.  
• Share results with payers before they require it.  
• Invest in scalable tech that can grow with your business.