Turn on cookies to sign in
Signing in saves your progress to your Curie account. We can only do that with cookies on — turn them on to continue.
A proposed CMS rule could effectively end Medicare reimbursement for remote patient monitoring (RPM) programs that rely on third-party vendors — a model most rural clinics depend on. The change would require all RPM clinical staff to be directly employed by the billing practice, starting January 1, 2027. Bipartisan lawmakers, patient advocates, and over 230 organizations are pushing back hard, warning the rule could leave vulnerable patients without critical care tools.
A proposed CMS rule tucked inside the 2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule could dramatically curtail access to remote patient monitoring (RPM) for millions of Medicare beneficiaries. Under the draft rule, Medicare would only reimburse RPM services performed by clinical staff directly employed by the billing practice — effectively barring the third-party vendors that most rural clinics and small practices rely on to run these programs.
The rule stems from HHS Office of Inspector General reports flagging fraud, inadequate data collection, and weak clinician involvement in vendor-run programs. But critics — including a bipartisan group of 32 House lawmakers, two U.S. senators, and more than 230 healthcare organizations — argue the blanket restriction is far too broad and would gut legitimate, clinically valuable services, especially in rural communities where in-person care is already scarce.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: RPM helps patients manage chronic conditions, avoid costly ER visits, and access care without traveling long distances. If finalized, this rule could directly contradict the administration's own $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program — and leave the most vulnerable Medicare patients without the monitoring tools that keep them healthy at home.
