If you dismiss preconceived notions, they’ll come back with a vengeance. If you ignore them, they’ll only grow stronger. Although telemedicine is technically mature and backed by a solid regulatory and financial framework, it still suffers from a few clichés. Depending on the case, these may reflect legitimate but not insurmountable fears, or remnants of a bygone era when the practice was still in its infancy.
Addressing these beliefs through dialogue helps remove remaining barriers—whether cultural or organizational—with the aim of building a healthcare system that lives up to its potential, for the benefit of more patients. Here is the first installment of our series addressing the most common misconceptions:
1. “Telemonitoring is time-consuming”
The fear of being disturbed at the drop of a hat by unnecessary alerts sometimes weighs on people’s minds. The reality is different: triage by the paramedical team or the HCP allows the physician to address only relevant alerts.
Furthermore, a prospective observational study(1) on the remote monitoring of ventilated patients found “that the workload for the remote monitoring team is acceptable and can be reduced by customizing alert settings.” This benefit increases after the learning phase and as remote monitoring becomes more widespread.
2. “The regulations are too complex”
Do you mean precise and comprehensive? Because french regulatory texts(2) are comprehensive and sufficiently detailed, they actually facilitate the adoption and implementation of remote monitoring by healthcare professionals, guiding them through every step of the process. This long-awaited regulatory framework, now a reality, supports the process of continuous improvement in practices.
Since July 2025, there has even been a guide on the ethical issues of telemonitoring(3), which, while not legally binding, helps raise the right questions.
3. “The business model is unclear and unprofitable”
Such a claim calls for clarification. From a financial standpoint in France, the rules are clear: the health insurance system reimburses the operator €28 per month per patient for the remote monitoring service for eligible patients with chronic respiratory failure(4). The provision of the digital medical device (DMD) is reimbursed to the operator (€50/month/patient). These flat rates are in addition to the physician’s prescription and LPP ventilatory care coverage.
In addition to these direct and recurring revenues, telemonitoring promotes more efficient care organization over time by reducing hospital admissions and associated costs(5), optimizing workload, and streamlining equipment management(5,6).
Still unsure about getting started with remote monitoring? Feel free to contact us!
References :
1. Arnal JM., Arnaud PY., Courtières E., Roucou M., Balzeau P., Desteffani P., Garnero A., 2024. Mise en place du forfait télésurveillance de la VNI : premières expériences. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1877120324002453
2. Haute Autorité de santé, avis d’inscription adopté le 21 mars 2023 : https://www.has-sante.fr/upload/docs/application/pdf/2023-03/tls_lg_insuffisance_respiratoire_chronique_dm_eval-320_avis_du_21_03_2023.pdf
3. https://esante.gouv.fr/actualites/telesurveillance-medicale-penser-le-soin-distance-avec-ethique
4. Patients éligibles : les patients relevant des indications de l’ALD 14 (insuffisance respiratoire chronique grave) sous ventilation non invasive (VNI) et/ou les patients insuffisants respiratoires chroniques sous oxygénothérapie à court ou long terme.
5. Cardoso Pinto A., Almeida J., Candeias Pinto S., Pereira J., Gouveia A., De Carvalho M., 2011. Home telemonitoring of non invasive ventilation decreases healthcare utilization in a prospective controlled trial of als patients. HAL open science. DOI : https://hal.science/hal-00574381v1
6. Réginault T., Bouteleux B., Wibart P., Mathis S., Le Masson G., Pillet O., Grassion L., 2023. At-home noninvasive ventilation initiation with telemonitoring in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients: a retrospective study. ERJ OPEN RESEARCH. DOI : https://doi.org/10.1183/23120541.00438-2022
