Yesterday, ACT | The App Association and a broad coalition of health and tech companies responded to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) request for comment on new provisions in the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA).

The coalition addressed the implementation of the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), Alternative Payment Models (APMs), and physician-focused payment model that are set to overhaul how providers are paid for services, shifting from a fee-for-service model, to one based on outcomes.

“Leading health and tech companies have joined together to highlight the regulatory restrictions that are limiting patient access to telehealth and remote monitoring technologies,” said ACT | The App Association Senior Policy Counsel Brian Scarpelli. “It is widely recognized that interoperable remote patient monitoring improves care, reduces hospitalizations, and leads to better outcomes. We urge CMS to take meaningful steps to ensure the implementation of MACRA fits with today’s mobile world, and that patients and providers can fully benefit from these technologies.”

Specifically, the group urged CMS to:

  • Take tangible steps to modernize the existing Physician Fee Schedule by:
    • Waiving onerous restrictions on ‘telehealth’ found in Section 1834(m) of the Social Security Act
    • Providing adequate reimbursement for collection and interpretation of physiologic data
  • Include provisions under MIPS to ensure there is adequate reimbursement
  • Include “Remote Monitoring of Patient-Generated Health Data” as an additional subcategory of MIPS Clinical Practice Improvement Activities
  • Provide APMs with relief from the Medicare telehealth restrictions in the Social Security Act’s section 1834(m), and ensure APMs have the flexibility to provide other telemedicine services, such as RPM for beneficiaries with at-risk chronic conditions
  • Closely coordinate with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC), which has announced its intention to develop a PGHD policy framework

Signatories included:

ACT | The App Association
Alliance for Connected Care
American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC)
American Telemedicine Association (ATA)
Baxter Corporation
Biocom
CHRISTUS Health
Hill-Rom
HIMSS
Intel
LifeWIRE
Panasonic Corporation of North America
Personal Connected Health Alliance (PCHA)
Qualcomm
Qualcomm Life
Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA)
Welch Allyn

Read the letter