Medicare Proposal to Ban Remote Monitoring Contractors Sparks Insurer Divide
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed a rule that would ban remote monitoring performed by outside contractors. However, this proposal is met with opposition from UnitedHealth Group, CVS Health, and Kaiser Permanente.
CMS cited a federal watchdog report that found about 43% of Medicare enrollees did not receive all parts of the service in 2024, along with rapid spending growth. The proposed rule would pay for remote physiologic and therapeutic monitoring only when the clinical staff doing the work are employed directly by the billing practice.
UnitedHealth Group has a history of limiting coverage for remote monitoring, but they oppose the proposal citing that it would disproportionately impact integrated delivery systems. CVS Health argued that Medicare should set standards for vendors instead of banning them.