New Survey Finds Patients Want Home-Based Cardiac Rehab, While Coverage and Clinical Oversight Drive Participation

Data from Vivalink demonstrates need for reliable clinical oversight, seamless remote patient monitoring technology, and robust insurance coverage to meet patient demand for flexible, home-based cardiac rehabilitation

• Vivalink’s survey of more than 150 adults with cardiac conditions emphasizes the demand for flexible, home-based cardiac rehabilitation programs.
• Insurance coverage and ongoing clinical oversight are key factors in whether patients will participate in home-based cardiac rehab.
• Patients are receptive to remote patient monitoring when the technology is easy to use, comfortable, and automatically shares data with their care team.

Campbell, Calif. — September 29, 2026 — Vivalink, a leading provider of digital healthcare solutions, today published new data examining patient attitudes toward home-based cardiac rehabilitation and remote patient monitoring (RPM). The findings point to strong demand for more flexible approaches to these rehabilitation programs and highlight the importance of insurance coverage, clinical support, and seamless technology in making home-based programs viable for patients.

The survey of more than 150 U.S. adults with cardiac conditions found that patients are highly receptive to completing cardiac rehabilitation outside of a traditional hospital or clinic. If a provider recommended a home-based program, 79% of respondents said they would be very or somewhat likely to participate, and when given the choice between in-clinic and home-based options, 68% said they would prefer a primarily home-based or hybrid approach.

Interest alone, however, may not be enough to drive participation. When asked to identify their top considerations for participation in home-based care, respondents ranked insurance coverage higher than any other factor measured (58%). Sixty percent indicated they would not pay out of pocket for a home-based program, while 87% said knowing the program was covered by insurance would make them more likely to participate.

The findings also suggest that patients want the flexibility of recovering at home without losing connection to their care team. When assessing willingness to participate, patients cited active monitoring and review of data by their providers and having the ability to contact their care team as equally important as having easy-to-use monitoring equipment and flexibility to participate on their own schedule.

Key findings from the survey include:

• RPM is gaining patient acceptance: Seventy-eight percent of respondents said they would be comfortable using a wearable at home, and 81% were very or somewhat confident that a wearable could accurately capture the information their care team needs.
• Patients want technology to run in the background: Sixty-three percent of respondents cited automatic transmission of health information to care teams, without requiring them to manually record or submit data, as the most important factor for making RPM easy to use. This was followed by device comfort (57%), clear and simple instructions (44%), and little or no setup (37%).
• The biggest concerns about using RPM at home are practical: Among the top concerns for choosing home-based care, lack of motivation to exercise alone emerged as number one (40%), followed by lack of space or equipment at home (37%) and concern about performing exercises correctly (31%), outranking clinical or technological worries.

These findings show that patients value cardiac rehabilitation programs that offer greater convenience and flexibility while still keeping their care team closely connected,” said Sam Liu, vice president at Vivalink. “The opportunity is to make RPM simple and unobtrusive while giving clinicians the information they need to stay involved. At the same time, expanding access will require reimbursement models that make home-based care an option patients can realistically participate in.”

Vivalink’s acute RPM solution combines patient-friendly medical wearables with an integrated data platform and clinician portal for continuous remote data collection and monitoring. The solution is also used for other applications such as post-operative atrial fibrillation monitoring at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, and epilepsy induced cardiac events studies at Ochsner Health in New Orleans, Louisiana, to advance research and care delivery across cardiology and neurology.

For more information on Vivalink’s solutions and to download the full survey results, visit: https://www.vivalink.com/what-remote-cardiac-rehab-patients-want.

About Vivalink
Vivalink is a leading provider of digital healthcare solutions for remote patient monitoring in healthcare and clinical trials. With medical wearables, advanced algorithms, and clinical applications, we provide a more effective and accessible approach to patient care worldwide. Learn more at www.vivalink.com.

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