Health IT, Policy

Bipartisan bill seeks to expand Medicare telehealth, remote patient monitoring

The proposed CONNECT for Health Act has the support of more than 50 organizations, including the American Medical Association, AARP, Kaiser Permanente and health IT vendors Cerner and American Well.

mercy health telehealth center When it comes to telehealth legislation, Mississippi’s senators hope the third time is a charm.

Wednesday, a bipartisan coalition led by Sens. Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker, both Mississippi Republicans, introduced a bill to widen Medicare coverage for telehealth and remote patient monitoring services in medically underserved areas.

They were joined by Sens. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Ben Cardin (D-Maryland), John Thune (R-South Dakota) and Mark Warner (D-Virginia), plus three members of the House. They estimated the plan will save $1.8 billion over 10 years.

The proposed Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act (S. 2484) calls for telehealth to be basic benefits in Medicare Advantage plans and lets all Medicare patients with certain chronic conditions be eligible for remote monitoring services. These provisions were in legislation Cochran and Wicker sponsored the previous two years; neither earlier bill advanced beyond committee.

A Cochran spokesman said the CONNECT for Health Act builds on the framework of the failed bills, but goes farther to reflect changes to Medicare in 2015. For example, the new plan would remove restrictions on telehealth within the construct of Medicare alternative payment models. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services last year decided to accelerate the shift toward value-based reimbursement.

The new legislation also calls for including telehealth and remote patient monitoring in a “bridge program” during the transition to the 2015 Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) and the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS).

“Telehealth and remote patient monitoring are incredibly promising technologies, but until we give providers the ability to transition and meet the goals set forth in the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act, Medicare patients will continue to struggle to take part in these advancements,” Rep. Gregg Harper (R-Mississippi) said in a statement. “This legislation will promote cost savings and will increase the quality of care in the Medicare program,” added Harper, one of the three House sponsors.

“Moving forward, we should look for more ways to harness innovation and give Medicare providers more tools for delivering care. This bipartisan bill provides a strong starting point, building on the progress we’ve already made in Virginia, and includes strong quality metrics to give us a better sense of what works and what doesn’t as our healthcare system moves further into the 21st century,” Warner said.

“This bill shows Congress at its best – combining deep thinking, hard work, compromise and bipartisanship. In the end, the bill could improve health outcomes and save money,” AMA President Dr. Steven J. Stack said.

Photo: Mercy Health

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