OIG: More oversight needed of remote patient monitoring

WASHINGTON – CMS needs to provide more oversight of remote patient monitoring to ensure it is being used and billed properly, says a new report from the Office of Inspector General. 

From 2019 to 2022, use of remote patient monitoring increased dramatically, from about 55,000 enrollees to 570,000. In 2022, payments for these services by traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage were more than $300 million, compared to just $15 million in 2019. 

However, the OIG found 43% of Medicare beneficiaries who received remote patient monitoring did not receive all three components of the service: education and setup, device supply and treatment management. Medicare pays for all three components separately and pays the same rate, regardless of the type of device used or data collected. 

The OIG recommends that CMS take the following steps to strengthen oversight of remote patient monitoring:  

• Implement additional safeguards to ensure that remote patient monitoring is used and billed appropriately in Medicare 

• Require that remote patient monitoring be ordered and that information about the ordering provider be included on claims and encounter data for remote patient monitoring 

• Develop methods to identify what health data are being monitored  

• Conduct provider education about billing of remote patient monitoring 

• And identify and monitor companies that bill for remote patient monitoring. 

CMS concurred with or stated that it would take into consideration all the OIG’s recommendations. 

• Read the full report here.