Chattanooga Care* started using remote patient monitoring about five years ago, before RPM became as talked about as it is now. What began as a practical response to COVID turned into something much bigger: a new way to stay connected with patients, improve outcomes, and build a steadier, more scalable business.
The clinic, founded by Alan Temlock, is known for delivering deeply personal, community-rooted care. Temlock's background in family medicine, behavioral health, and obesity medicine shapes the clinic’s whole-person approach and its emphasis on long-term relationships.
Today, the clinical team works with Quokka Care. They were drawn to the platform’s mix of simplicity, reliability, and what Temlock describes as “concierge-level care.” For some practices, that includes real health coaches who actually know their patients. For Chattanooga Care, RPM isn’t just about devices and data; it’s about deepening relationships.
“It’s like having a second set of eyes and ears in the home,” Temlock said. “Families love it, patients love it, and it really extends our practice into the home.”
The challenge
Even before the pandemic, the Chattanooga Care team was looking for better ways to keep patients on track between appointments. Virtual visits helped a little, but they still didn’t have reliable data coming in day to day. And patients often waited too long to reach out, especially when symptoms crept up slowly.
“Before RPM, we were flying blind between visits,” Temlock said. “Patients would wait to say something, or they didn’t realize it was important until things got worse.”
The team needed a way to spot issues earlier, intervene faster, and offer more personalized support without burning out the clinical team or adding hours to the workday.
The shift to RPM with Quokka Care
When the practice adopted remote monitoring, it started with just a few patients. Then came COVID, and suddenly RPM became essential. Patients liked the added oversight, families felt reassured, and the team discovered that the technology could actually make them feel more present in their patients’ lives, not less.
“It became clear to us that this was a way to give people private-level care, with tools that used to only exist in hospitals,” Temlock said.
Quokka Care made it easier. The devices worked reliably, thanks to cellular connectivity that didn’t depend on a patient’s phone or Wi-Fi. And the overall experience didn’t feel like a checkbox exercise; it felt personal and proactive.
Temlock has also seen how impactful health coaching can be when it’s done right, when it builds comfort and rapport instead of feeling like a script.
He offered a broader take on the value of RPM. “I look at it like a Medicare-funded loyalty program. When patients have our device in their home, they’re more likely to stick with us. And it helps them feel like someone is looking out for them.”
The results
The impact was immediate. Patients began to feel more accountable for their health, with some even taking their readings before symptoms started, just because they had the habit. The Chattanooga Care team was able to spot patterns early, like sudden glucose spikes or medication lapses, and decide in real time whether a patient needed a call, a tweak in medication, or a trip to the ER.
“There have been times we’ve seen someone’s blood sugar spike, and they’re also saying they feel dizzy or have blurry vision,” Temlock said. “We can jump in right away and say, OK, go to the ER or no, you’re good at home.”
Even when the data doesn’t suggest an emergency, it gives the team a reason to reach out.
“We’ll get an alert, check in with the patient, and find out they forgot their medication or were sick over the weekend,” Temlock said. “It gives us the opportunity to change something before it gets worse.”
The technology also helped reinforce good habits. “Even if they’re not using it every day, just having the device in the house is a reminder that someone’s paying attention,” Temlock added. “That matters.”
From the practice side, RPM has helped smooth out the ups and downs of traditional in-person care.
“The revenue is meaningful,” he said. “If someone misses a visit, we’re still monitoring. It gives us flexibility, and it gives our staff more ways to stay productive.”
Why Quokka Care’s RPM model works
What sets Quokka Care apart, in Temlock’s view, is the human side of the service. Too many RPM companies flood the market with devices and scripts. Patients can tell when something is generic; what they respond to is a familiar voice, a consistent presence, someone who knows their story and is rooting for them.
“Patients know when it’s just a script,” Temlock said. “They don’t want that. They want to feel like the person talking to them knows them and cares.”
Chattanooga Care also adds a personal touch to the hardware itself.
“We put a sticker on the blood pressure cuff with our name and phone number,” he said. “It’s not just a device. It’s a reminder that we’re still here, still part of their care.”
RPM will be the new baseline
Temlock's team is now exploring how to expand into remote therapeutic monitoring, especially for physical therapy and pulmonary care. They see this as a natural next step. As Medicare reimbursement tightens and the demand for virtual care grows, RPM will become the baseline for practices that want to deliver more and waste less.
“This is the future,” Temlock said. “If you’re not doing RPM, you will be. You won’t have a choice.”
What excites him most is the shift in access. “It used to be that only hospitals had this kind of technology,” he said. “Now it’s in people’s homes. And it doesn’t feel like tech; it just feels like better care.”
What makes that possible, he believes, is having a partner like Quokka Care that delivers more than just devices. The technology may be what gets it through the door, but it’s the reliability, responsiveness, and overall approach to patient connection that turns RPM into something patients actually value.
“Quokka Care makes it easier for us to deliver the kind of care we’ve always wanted to give,” Temlock said. “It keeps us connected in ways that matter.”
Chattanooga Care didn’t add more visits; they added more value, by turning RPM into a concierge model that lets physicians stay connected without burning out. At Quokka Care, we help practices build scalable systems that give doctors back their time and their relationships.
* For privacy reasons, all identifying names have been changed.
