Patients and healthcare providers would be able to continue using eased restrictions for remote patient monitoring (RPM) services instituted during the COVID-19 pandemic under a bipartisan bill introduced by U.S. Rep. Troy Balderson (R-OH).
“This legislation stems from an outpouring of positive feedback about the benefits realized from these services during the pandemic from a long list of patients and providers in my district,” Rep. Balderson said on July 2 when he sponsored the Analyzing the Duration of Remote Monitoring Services Act of 2021, H.R. 4347, with lead original cosponsor U.S. Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA).
In the 2021 Physician Fee Schedule, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) lowered the duration required by Medicare to bill for RPM services during the COVID-19 public health emergency, according to information provided by Rep. Balderson’s office.
Previously, providers could only bill Medicare for RPM services if they monitored a patient for at least 16 days within a 30-day period, which CMS decreased to allow for a minimum of two days of data collection over a 30-day period, according to the information, which notes that the exception is set to expire once the public health emergency expires.
If enacted, H.R. 4347 would extend the two-day CMS billing threshold for two years and require the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to submit a report to Congress within 18 months after the public health emergency expires and a second report after five years, analyzing a proper long-term CMS billing threshold, according to Rep. Balderson’s bill summary. The report would allow the HHS Secretary to recommend multiple billing thresholds and any new remote monitoring code durations.
“A silver lining of the pandemic was the sense of urgency from the government to set aside rigid, ambiguous restrictions and to adopt common-sense changes that increased patient flexibility and ultimately led to better health outcomes,” said Rep. Balderson. “One of the most notable advancements was the widespread embrace of health technology, such as remote patient monitoring.”
Rep. Balderson added that H.R. 4347 would offer “an opportunity to make a clear-eyed assessment of the lessons learned and to build from it to enhance access” to RPM, which is now an integral part of the nation’s healthcare delivery system — especially for senior citizens and patients living in rural communities.
The legislation is endorsed by the American Telemedicine Association, the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, Mount Carmel Health System, University Hospitals, Teladoc Health, the Health Innovation Alliance, the American Heart Association, and the Medical Device Manufacturers Association.