RPM Access Act

The "Rural Patient Monitoring Access Act" aims to enhance Medicare reimbursement for remote patient monitoring (RPM) services, particularly acknowledging the challenges faced in rural regions. It amends the Social Security Act to establish a floor of 1.00 for geographic practice expense and malpractice indices used in calculating Medicare payments for RPM. This provision, effective January 1, 2026, ensures that payments for these services will not fall below this threshold and will not be applied in a budget-neutral manner , thereby increasing payments without requiring offsetting reductions elsewhere. To ensure the delivery of high-quality RPM services, the bill mandates specific conditions for Medicare payment beginning January 1, 2026. Providers must ensure a physician or other qualified clinician is available in real-time to respond to any detected physiologic anomalies. Furthermore, the monitoring system utilized must be capable of transmitting physiologic data in a format compatible with electronic health records . The legislation also requires providers to collect and report data to the Secretary of Health and Human Services to facilitate the evaluation of cost savings generated by RPM, with a comprehensive report to Congress due within five years analyzing these savings and related practice expenses.