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News
A group of 32 bipartisan House lawmakers is urging CMS to reverse a proposed rule that would ban third-party vendors from providing remote patient monitoring (RPM) services under Medicare. The change, set to take effect January 2027, could cut off access for nearly 1 million Medicare enrollees — especially those in rural areas. Lawmakers want targeted safeguards instead of a blanket ban.
A bipartisan coalition of 32 House lawmakers is pushing back on a CMS proposal that would require remote patient monitoring (RPM) and remote therapeutic monitoring (RTM) services to be staffed exclusively by clinicians directly employed by the billing practice — effectively shutting out third-party vendors. The rule, embedded in the 2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule draft, is set to take effect January 1, 2027, and has drawn over 43,000 public comments.
Lawmakers argue the restriction is overly broad and would disproportionately harm rural patients and small independent practices that rely on specialized partners to deliver these services. The concern is echoed by Senate colleagues Mark Warner and Marsha Blackburn, who separately urged CMS to reconsider. CMS defended the proposal as a program integrity measure, citing a 31% spike in RPM payments — from $408M in 2023 to $536M in 2024.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: If finalized, the rule could dismantle care models that rural and underserved communities depend on, potentially pushing patients toward costlier emergency and institutional care — directly contradicting federal and state investments in expanding remote access to healthcare.
