Home health agencies may soon be able to include the costs associated with remote patient monitoring into Medicare reimbursement.
Under a proposed payment rule (PDF) released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Monday, home health providers would be able to include the costs of remote patient monitoring as an allowable cost in the home health agency’s cost report.
Although home health providers would not be directly reimbursed for the installation and use of equipment, CMS uses cost reports to determine if home health providers are being paid appropriately. Currently, remote monitoring technology could not be included in those cost reports, and officials say the change could incentivize broader use of technology that can improve care through access to real-time data.