Pioneering Cardiac Remote Monitoring Integration and Innovation at Montefiore Health System

Background

Montefiore Health System, headquartered in the Bronx, New York, is a premier academic health system and the University Hospital for Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Comprising 11 hospitals, over 200 outpatient care sites, and more than 7,500 physicians, Montefiore serves a diverse population of over 3 million people across the New York metropolitan area. The system is renowned for its integrated care model, focusing on complex conditions like cardiovascular disease, with a strong emphasis on research, education, and community health. In 2019, Montefiore expanded by acquiring White Plains Hospital, a 292-bed facility in Westchester County known for advanced cardiology services, including electrophysiology (EP) and device management. Both entities share a unified Epic electronic health record (EHR) system, enabling seamless data sharing and coordinated care.

For over a decade, Montefiore has partnered with Rhythm Management Group to manage cardiac remote monitoring for more than 6,000 patients with implantable cardiac devices. As one of Rhythm's earliest and largest clients, Montefiore pioneered the integration of Rhythm Synergy with Epic in 2019—the first such deployment for Rhythm. Led by experts like Dr. Luigi DiBiase, a globally recognized electrophysiologist and Rhythm advisor, this collaboration has evolved into a model of innovation, with White Plains Hospital serving as an "innovation hub" for co-developing features before system-wide rollout.
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The Challenge

Prior to deepening their partnership with Rhythm, Montefiore relied on fragmented systems like PaceArt for cardiac monitoring, which created inefficiencies in data handling, workflow silos, and integration challenges with their shared Epic EHR. Managing thousands of patients across multiple sites required robust tools for remote transmissions, in-clinic visits, device surveillance, and real-time alerts—without adding costs or complexity. Some locations preferred processing reports directly in Epic, necessitating a flexible platform that could act as a "pass-thru" system rather than a standalone tool.

The system needed to support bidirectional Epic integration for patient matching, encounter creation, and routing, while fostering innovation to address emerging needs like real-time data syncing from device programmers. Montefiore sought a long-term partner capable of rapid iteration based on clinical feedback, ensuring compliance, scalability, and a focus on patient outcomes in a high-volume, academic environment.
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The Solution: Rhythm Synergy Platform

Montefiore selected Rhythm Synergy for its intuitive design, cost-effectiveness (no platform fees for service clients), and adaptability to their workflows. As Rhythm's first Epic-integrated client, Montefiore helped shape the platform's core features, including seamless handling of remote and in-clinic transmissions across their shared Epic instance.

Key capabilities that addressed Montefiore's needs include:

• Epic Pass-Thru Functionality: For teams preferring Epic-based processing, Rhythm Synergy processes reports, matches patients, creates encounters with attached reports, and routes them directly to clinicians—eliminating manual steps and ensuring data flows into Epic without duplication.

• Real-Time Analytics and Alerts: Dynamic dashboards provide operational insights, automated notifications for cardiac events or device issues, and surveillance to support timely follow-ups.

• Innovation-Driven Features: As an innovation hub, White Plains Hospital collaborated on groundbreaking developments, such as direct real-time data sync from Boston Scientific and Biotronik programmers. This joint effort—involving Montefiore, Rhythm, Boston Scientific, and Biotronik—marked the industry's first synchronization of in-clinic data without additional network equipment or software, streamlining workflows and reducing setup time.

• User-Friendly Tools: Intuitive report generation, electronic signing, and unlimited user licenses enable clinicians to focus on care, with features like automated query responses and enhanced clinician-patient communication.

This solution aligns with Montefiore's mission of innovative, equitable care, providing a unified platform that replaced PaceArt entirely since the 2018 Epic launch.

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Implementation

The initial Epic integration in 2019 was a collaborative milestone, completed with minimal disruption through phased testing and clinician training. Rhythm provided customized onboarding, including hands-on sessions for over 6,000 patients' data migration and workflow optimization. Ongoing support includes access to a partner portal for resources and real-time feedback loops.

White Plains Hospital's role as an innovation hub has accelerated feature development: Ideas from Dr. DiBiase and his team are prototyped there, refined, and rolled out system-wide. For instance, the Boston Scientific/Biotronik sync was piloted at White Plains before broader adoption, ensuring seamless execution across Montefiore's network.

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Results and Benefits

The partnership has delivered transformative outcomes:

• Operational Efficiency: Full reliance on Rhythm Synergy eliminated PaceArt, reducing repetitive tasks by over 50% and enabling faster patient processing through pass-thru routing and automated integrations.

• Clinical Excellence: Real-time data sync and alerts have improved device malfunction detection and follow-up, contributing to better outcomes in a high-acuity population.

• Cost and Scalability Savings: No platform fees and unlimited licenses have saved significant expenses, while the shared Epic integration supports Montefiore's growth without added complexity.

• Innovation Impact: Joint developments like programmer syncing have set industry standards, enhancing in-clinic efficiency and reducing hardware dependencies.

• Patient-Centered Gains: Streamlined workflows allow for more personalized care, with features supporting financial assistance checks and compliance—directly benefiting patients.

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Conclusion

Montefiore Health System's enduring partnership with Rhythm Management Group showcases the power of collaborative innovation in cardiac remote monitoring. By executing a groundbreaking Epic integration in 2019 and evolving White Plains Hospital into an innovation hub, Rhythm has empowered Montefiore to deliver holistic, efficient care to over 6,000 patients. This case underscores Rhythm's commitment to responsive execution, cost-free scalability, and mission-aligned solutions—positioning them as an ideal partner for health systems seeking long-term value and excellence. Montefiore has been a partner of Rhythm Management for over 12 years.