Coalition Wants CMS to Delay Remote Monitoring Measures

A group of more than 200 healthcare organizations have written a letter to CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz to urge the delay in the finalization of remote physiologic monitoring and remote therapeutic monitoring policies included in the draft 2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule released in mid-July.

“The undersigned organizations respectfully urge CMS not to finalize its proposed policies for remote physiologic monitoring [RPM] and remote therapeutic monitoring [RTM]. If finalized, these proposals would cause immediate and significant disruption for approximately 1 million Medicare beneficiaries who rely on remote monitoring to manage chronic conditions, avoid preventable complications, and remain connected to their care teams,” the letter said.

Restricting access to these services would move Medicare away from effective prevention and early intervention strategies and back toward more expensive emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and institutional care, the letter noted.

CMS has proposed ending Medicare payment for remote monitoring services performed by clinical staff employed by third-party vendors. In the draft rule, RPM and RTM services would have to be furnished by employees of the billing practitioner or practice. This means that practices could no longer count services performed by clinical staff contracted through an outside remote monitoring company.

The proposal said clinical staff would not have to work at the practice's physical location but must be direct employees working under the billing practitioner's general supervision.

Rural Needs Cited

The group of signatories also said a policy intended to strengthen oversight should not increase costs to taxpayers.

“If finalized, providers will be forced to reduce enrollment, terminate programs, or stop offering remote monitoring altogether. Small practices, rural providers, and safety-net organizations would be hit hardest, where patients often face long travel distances, fewer clinicians and specialists, hospital closures, and limited access to care,” the letter said. “Many will have no practical option other than to reduce enrollment or end their programs.”

The letter said while the Trump Administration has called for greater use of technology to improve chronic disease management and investments to transform rural health, it is in fact the remote monitoring advances that help achieve each of those goals.

“CMS should expand access to proven technology-enabled care, not dismantle the models that make it possible. Major changes that restrict access to these programs will directly undermine both federal and state investments in rural health transformation – which rely on technology-driven services like remote monitoring to close care gaps.”

The new restriction would take effect Jan. 1, 2027, if left intact. The deadline for public comment on the proposal is Sept. 14.

Comments or questions? Contact Patrick Connole at pconnole@parkplacelive.com.