Inadequate oral feeding in newborns is a clinical condition where infants are unable to consume enough nutrition by mouth to maintain growth and hydration. It is a barrier to hospital discharge in preterm infants. It often keeps otherwise healthy babies in the hospital for extended periods, even after they’re medically stable, solely to support feeding. For hospitals and families alike, this results in high costs, prolonged use of NICU beds, and unnecessary stress. Now with digital health, some infants go home sooner with remote monitoring for newborns.
Research provided by University of Virginia’s Building Hope remote monitoring program, reports 33% lower length of stay than the overall average of NICU length of stay. Additionally, the percentage of oral feeds increased significantly in the remote patient monitoring infant group, from a 12% increase prior to discharge to a 57% increase at home, indicating the benefit of developing full oral skills outside the hospital setting.
New Research, How Newborns Can Go Home Earlier
Remote patient monitoring, commonly used to support maternal health during pregnancy, is now being used for newborns. One study shows that early discharge supported by remote patient monitoring for newborns not only improves the care experience for families but also results in significant healthcare costs savings. A 2025 study published in the Journal of Perinatology researched the financial and clinical impact of remote patient monitoring for newborns discharged with ongoing feeding needs. The study tracked 180 neonates discharged on RPM protocols between May 2019 and June 2024.
The research shows:
- Average hospital stay was reduced by 9.2 days per patient thanks to RPM.
- The cost of a remote patient monitoring newborns episode (including equipment, physician monitoring time, and home support) averaged $1,768.24.
- In contrast, the cost of extended hospitalization for the same patients was projected at $13,978.32.
- That’s a cost savings of $12,210 per patient—a reduction from both a payer and system-level view.
Sensitivity analyses confirmed that the primary factor driving savings was the high cost of inpatient care, reinforcing the financial case for scalable RPM programs in neonatal care.
Impact of Remote Patient Monitoring for Newborns
This study strengthens the case for remote patient monitoring in newborns as a scalable strategy with measurable value.
Remote patient monitoring for newborns supports:
- Earlier bonding at home between parents and infants.
- Decompression of NICUs, which are often under high demand.
- Lowered infection risk from prolonged hospital exposure.
- Increased provider efficiency, as time can be redirected from routine in-hospital care to targeted virtual monitoring.
As remote health technologies continue to mature, programs like these offer a real-world model for how RPM can extend beyond chronic care management to improve outcomes and reduce unnecessary utilization in neonatal care.
Understanding Remote Patient Monitoring
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