News
Chronological source-linked updates for Medicare remote care. Policy Watch and AI Watch provide more issue-focused analysis.
Recent remote-care policy updates
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FY 2027 Medicare Hospital Inpatient and LTACH Payment Rates and Policy Updates
This final rule will revise the Medicare hospital inpatient prospective payment systems (IPPS) for operating and capital-related costs of acute…
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FY 2027 Medicare Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Updates
This final rule updates the hospice wage index, payment rates, and aggregate cap amount for fiscal year 2027. This final…
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FY 2027 Medicare Inpatient Rehab Payment Rates and Quality Reporting Updates
This final rule updates the prospective payment rates for inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs) for Federal fiscal year (FY) 2027. As…
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Medicare Updates to Face-to-Face Encounter and Prior Authorization Lists
This document announces updates to the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) codes on the Master List. It also announces…
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CY 2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and Part B Payment Updates
This proposed rule addresses: changes to the physician fee schedule (PFS); other changes to Medicare Part B payment policies to…
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CMS Seeks Public Input on CLIA Regulation Updates
Clinical laboratory testing technology has advanced significantly since the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA) regulations were implemented in…
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FY 2027 Medicare Outpatient Hospital and ASC Payment Rates
This proposed rule would revise the Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and the Medicare Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC)…
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CY 2027 Medicare Home Health Payment Rates and V-BP Model Expansion
This proposed rule would set forth routine updates to the Medicare home health payment rates in accordance with existing statutory…
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How AI Is Changing the Alerts That Keep Medicare Patients Out of the Hospital
Remote patient monitoring was once a simple data-collection exercise — a blood pressure reading transmitted, a nurse alerted if the…
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The Bias Problem in AI-Assisted Remote Monitoring: What CMS and the FDA Still Haven’t Fixed
As AI-driven remote patient monitoring scales across Medicare, a critical question remains unanswered: are these algorithms working equally well for…
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UnitedHealthcare Tried to Cancel Remote Monitoring for Most Medicare Patients. Here’s Why It Matters.
In late 2025, UnitedHealthcare announced it would stop covering remote patient monitoring for nearly all conditions starting January 1, 2026…
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CMS WISeR Model Uses AI-Assisted Review for Selected Medicare Prior Authorization Requests
Since January 1, 2026, Medicare patients in six states have had their care requests evaluated by an AI system called…
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Telehealth Is Extended Again. But ‘Extended’ Is Not the Same as ‘Permanent.’
Medicare telehealth survived another near-death experience in early 2026. When a 42-day government shutdown caused COVID-era telehealth waivers to briefly…
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Rural Medicare Patients Get the Worst RPM Reimbursement in the States That Need It Most
A structural inequity built into Medicare’s reimbursement formulas penalizes remote patient monitoring in the places where chronic disease burden is…
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CMS updates Medicare remote patient monitoring guidance
Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CMS updated its Medicare remote patient monitoring page, describing RPM components, eligibility, coverage,…
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Medicare Telehealth Coverage, Coding and Billing Resources
CMS’s Medicare telehealth hub: coverage and payment policy, the list of telehealth services payable under the Physician Fee Schedule, and…
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CMS refreshes Medicare telehealth policy page and FAQ links
Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CMS refreshed its Medicare telehealth page, reiterating that additions and deletions to the…
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CMS posts the 2026 Medicare Telehealth Services List
Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CMS posted the list of services payable under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule…
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Latest Medicare Telehealth Policy Changes
Telehealth services can be provided by all eligible Medicare providers through December 31, 2027.
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CMS finalizes CY 2026 Home Health Prospective Payment System rule
Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CMS issued the CY 2026 Home Health PPS final rule, updating Medicare payment…
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CMS finalizes CY 2026 Physician Fee Schedule telehealth and remote monitoring policies
Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CMS finalized CY 2026 Physician Fee Schedule policies affecting telehealth, virtual direct supervision,…
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HHS OIG reports Medicare remote patient monitoring payments exceeded $500 million in 2024
Source: HHS Office of Inspector General HHS OIG reported that Medicare RPM use continued to grow in 2024, with payments…
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OIG Data Brief: Billing for Remote Patient Monitoring in Medicare
The use of remote patient monitoring continued to grow in 2024, with Medicare payments exceeding $500 million. OIG developed measures…
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CMS publishes provider education on using and billing remote patient monitoring correctly
Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CMS pointed providers to updated education on correctly using and billing remote patient…
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CMS finalizes CY 2025 Physician Fee Schedule telehealth policies
Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CMS finalized CY 2025 PFS policies preserving selected telehealth flexibilities, including audio-only availability…
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CMS issues transmittal allowing home health telehealth services during an inpatient stay
Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CMS issued transmittal R12888CP on allowing home health telehealth services during an inpatient…
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HHS OIG calls for additional oversight of Medicare remote patient monitoring
Source: HHS Office of Inspector General HHS OIG found Medicare RPM use increased dramatically from 2019 to 2022 and recommended…
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OIG Calls for Enhanced Medicare RPM Oversight
What OIG Found: Taken together, our findings demonstrate the need for additional oversight to ensure that remote patient monitoring is…
Important use note
Remote care rules may depend on the payer, benefit category, code set, provider type, state law, contract terms, and date of service. Confirm operational decisions against current CMS, HHS, OIG, MAC, plan, coding, legal, and clinical sources.