News
This page provides the latest news and developments that affect Medicare beneficiary access to remote patient monitoring (RPM).
HealthEverywhere Supports the Fostering Independence Through Technology (FITT) Act Introduced by Senators Thune and Klobuchar
March 18, 2013
On March 18, 2013, Senator John Thune (R-S.D) and Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) today re-introduced legislation to expand the use of remote patient monitoring (RPM) under Medicare to reduce hospital re-admissions in rural and underserved communities across the nation. The bipartisan Fostering Independence Through Technology (FITT) Act (S. 596) would create a pilot program to provide budget neutral incentives for home health agencies across the country to use remote patient monitoring (RPM), to better monitor Medicare beneficiaries, improve health outcomes, and reduce Medicare expenditures.
HealthEverywhere supports the FITT Act and believe it is an incremental step toward ensuring beneficiaries have access to the RPM. Further, the FITT Act supports continued care innovation within the home health industry by providing an incentive-based structure through which to implement and continue the use of RPM. Read our letter of support.
HealthEverywhere Advocates for IOM Workshop Devoted to RPM
September 21, 2012
On August 8th and 9th, 2012, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) hosted a workshop, “The Role of Telehealth in an Evolving Health Care Environment.” The presentations and discussions effectively promoted the benefits of telehealth. Subsequently, HealthEverywhere sent a letter to the IOM requesting another workshop to discuss RPM interventions in particular. The letter also advocates for all patients who would benefit from RPM, regardless of geographic location, to have access to the a solution that improves health outcomes.
Telehealth to Benefit from SCOTUS Ruling, but Barriers Remain
August 6, 2012
John Ryan, telehealth business director for home monitoring at Phillips Healthcare, a HealthEverywhere member, said the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act (ACA) is spurring innovation in the telehealth sector because of the law’s provisions that nudge the health care system away from the traditional fee-for-service model and towards tying payment with quality.
Research Shows Telemonitoring Helps Control Blood Pressure
May 15, 2012
On May 10, 2012, The American Heart Association distributed a press release about a study conducted by HealthPartners Research Foundation found blood pressure decreased more in the telemonitoring group than the control group. Six months into the study, 45.2% of participants in the traditional care group and 71.8% in the telemonitoring intervention had reduced their blood pressure to healthy levels. Patients in the telemonitoring group reported that they were better at remembering to take their medications consistently than those in the traditional care group.
“These early results suggest that home blood pressure telemonitoring with extra telephone care by a pharmacist was very effective in improving blood pressure control,” said Karen Margolis, MD, MPH, the study’s lead author. “If these early results can be sustained over the long run, it might decrease the number of patients who suffer heart attacks, strokes or other complication of high blood pressure.”
CBO Details Adaptability of Remote Patient Monitoring To Achieve Cost Savings and To Reduce Hospitalizations
January 19, 2012
In January of 2012, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a working paper entitled Lessons from Medicare’s Demonstration Projects on Disease Management and Care Coordination. CBO posted a summary was posted on its blog. Within the report, the author cites a demonstration project that used remote patient monitoring as a supplement to care management in high cost beneficiaries and reduced costs and hospitalizations. The synopsis found in the blog and executive summary overlooks these very important findings: that RPM reduces costs and can do so even when care coordination is not always a face-to-face interaction between the care manager and patient.
The CBO paper suggests that the use of RPM supported care management leads to positive health outcomes (as evidenced by reduced hospitalization); it also indicates that the results in the refresh population are likely to be sustainable over the long-term.
The success of this particular Medicare demonstration project is an important opportunity for Medicare to build upon the best practices learned during the program. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) should use these findings to leverage the lessons learned from this program and provide broader access to remote patient monitoring.
Capitol Hill Panel: How Telehealth and the FITT Act Can Transform Healthcare
December 5, 2011
On December 5, 2011, a panel discussion, “How Telehealth and the FITT Act Can Transform Healthcare,” was hosted by Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and co-sponsored by the National Association of Home Care & Hospice (NAHC), its affiliated Home Care Technology Association of America (HCTAA) and Philips. The Fostering Independence Through Technology (FITT) Act of 2011 (S. 501) was introduced in the Senate March 8, 2011 by Senator John Thune (R-SD) and has received bipartisan support. The intent of the FITT Act is to establish pilot projects under the Medicare program to provide incentives for home health agencies to utilize home monitoring and communications technologies, such as remote patient monitoring (RPM).
Panelists gave examples of positive outcomes measures from their organizations associated with patient satisfaction, emergency room visits, hospital length of stay, and cost reductions for home health episodes. Based on their own experience setting up a RPM program, the panelists from FirstHealth emphasized the importance of demonstration projects and grants in building RPM programs. Panelists said the incentives in the FITT Bill will enable smaller home health care companies and physicians to invest in RPM. Ms. Mintz closed the panel discussion by stating that Medicare was designed as an acute care system that is out of sync with the needs of chronic care patients. She stressed that the value of the FITT Act’s demonstration project is to use RPM as evidence to the benefits of synchronizing chronic care management and Medicare’s payment policies.