Last week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released long-awaited rules pertaining to Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA), which was passed by Congress in 2015. The 2,200-page rule is intended to provide the foundation for the future of the Medicare reimbursement system. ACT’s Connected Health Initiative (CHI) submitted extensive comments with CMS advocating for the rules to leverage the power of telehealth solutions.
In response to the rules released by CMS, Morgan Reed, president of ACT’s Connected Health Initiative, released the following statement:
After review, we are disappointed to conclude that CMS’ recently-released MACRA rule does little to embrace the power of connected health tech to advance patient care. Specifically, CMS has opted to rely on a backwards-facing ‘telehealth’ definition over 15 years old, precluding the vast majority of innovative connected health technologies available today.
We struggle to understand how CMS has adequately satisfied Congress’ specific requirement that ‘telehealth and remote monitoring’ be leveraged in the new program’s Clinical Practice Improvement Activities.
CMS is accountable to Congress to improve the efficiency and quality of care for patients, both inside and outside of the four walls of the hospital. It is clear that CMS failed to take Congressional intent into consideration when it comes to new technologies and telehealth. CHI will continue to press the Medicare system on improving patient lives by using connected health technology.