The use of remote patient monitoring — i.e., remote physiologic monitoring or RPM — has surged over the past few years. It's been widely embraced by providers, patients, the federal government, and an increasing number of commercial payers. Numerous statistics show the value of RPM, and when we look at some of the more common examples of remote patient monitoring applications, it is easy how RPM is transforming the delivery of care in the United States.
Over the last few years, remote patient monitoring (RPM), also referred to as remote physiologic monitoring, became one of the more lucrative Medicare care management programs. Using average 2024 RPM reimbursement rates, if 100 patients are enrolled in an RPM program and each receives the minimum care management services each month, that will generate annual reimbursement of nearly $113,000.
Considering adding a remote patient monitoring (RPM) program? It's a great time to do so. Statistics show that consumers are embracing RPM. A Harvard Health Letter article notes that nearly 50 million people in the United States currently use remote patient monitoring devices, while a survey shows about 4 in 5 Americans are in favor of using remote patient monitoring.
Telehealth has emerged as a viable and valuable delivery care model, with remote patient monitoring (RPM) as one of the most effective forms of virtual care. While not technically a new concept, RPM has been around since the 1960s. Since then, it has expanded and morphed into the useful solution and service it is today while gaining acceptance from practitioners, patients, payers, and the federal government.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service (CMS) has included numerous proposed changes and additions to remote monitoring and care management in its 2024 physician fee schedule (PFS) proposed rule. We explored the key changes and other important takeaways providers must know about from the proposed rule in a special webinar on July 25 (watch the on-demand recording).
One of the more substantial, recent developments in the way healthcare is delivered in the United States concerns remote patient monitoring (RPM), also referred to as remote physiologic monitoring. RPM has technically been around since the early 1970s (with its roots dating back to the 19th century!), but it's been thrown into the spotlight over the past few years thanks to the pandemic and is now experiencing rapid adoption. That comes as no surprise considering the significant and wide-spread benefits of remote patient monitoring.
The Medicare annual wellness visit (AWV), sometimes referred to as a Medicare annual wellness exam, is an important part of keeping patients healthy. Unfortunately, the requirements concerning completing and documenting AWV appointments can be complex, so it is common for providers to inadvertently miss steps or fail to complete a requirement. In fact, as this Physicians Practice column by Prevounce CEO Daniel Tashnek, JD, notes, a survey from just a few years ago found that upwards of about 85% of Medicare AWVs may fail to meet compliance requirements set forth by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Some areas of healthcare have evolved at lightning speed over these past several years, with the COVID-19 pandemic and its far-reaching impact accelerating progress with relative ease. Adopted just a few years prior to the public health emergency's onset, chronic care management (CCM) is now solidified as a service and emerging care model — one that is bridging distance gaps and helping chronic disease patients reach and sustain better health for longer. Yet adoption has been slower than one might expect for a service with so many patient care benefits. Is the near-sighted perceived cost of this multifaceted solution deterring patients from taking advantage of it? Before we answer this question, and provide some reasons why patients and practitioners should fully embrace chronic care management, let's gain a better understanding of CCM.
Documentation Requirements for the Medicare Annual Wellness Visit The documentation requirements for the Medicare annual wellness visit (AWV) serve multiple purposes. Most importantly, documentation is critical to maximizing the value of the Medicare AWV to patients. As AARP notes, the Medicare AWV is "… designed to promote the use of preventive care, identify health risks, and plan for future healthcare needs." In addition, the Medicare AWV is an opportunity for patients to meet with providers who can also deliver or schedule preventive services, which we discuss in this blog post that shares HCPCS and CPT codes for billing the AWV and supplementary preventive services.
One of the silver linings of the COVID-19 pandemic was the increased adoption of virtual healthcare services and delivery systems. This includes remote patient monitoring, or RPM. Remote patient monitoring was a concept foreign to most individuals before the health crisis, but that is rapidly changing as providers increasingly adopt the service and enroll their patients. Yet many people still lack a firm understanding of remote patient monitoring, so we thought it would be helpful to dedicate a blog that focuses on the definition of RPM and contrasts the concept of remote patient monitoring with other terms frequently associated with it.
