STAT+: UnitedHealth, CVS push back on Medicare plan to curb remote patient monitoring

Mario covers technology in health care, including FDA regulation of artificial intelligence; how Medicare pays for health tech; the use of AI in clinical care; mental health chatbots; and consumer wearables. He’s also the co-author of the free, twice weekly STAT Health Tech newsletter. You can reach Mario on Signal at mariojoze.13.Major insurers are pushing back on a Medicare proposal that would significantly disrupt how many doctors bill for tracking the health of patients using devices like connected blood pressure cuffs, scales, and blood glucose meters. These remote monitoring services help patients manage a range of medical conditions, including hypertension, diabetes, and heart failure. UnitedHealth Group, CVS Health, and Kaiser Permanente all wrote letters to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services opposing a proposal that would require that remote patient monitoring care be delivered by direct employees of the practice that is billing for them — effectively banning providers from using contractors for the care. All of these groups operate both insurers and care organizations. The opposition from UnitedHealth Group is notable in particular because the company’s insurance subsidiary, UnitedHealthcare, recently attempted to stop paying for most remote patient monitoring “due to insufficient evidence of efficacy.” STAT+ Exclusive Story Already have an account? Log in This article is exclusive to STAT+ subscribers Unlock this article — and get additional analysis of the technologies disrupting health care — by subscribing to STAT+. Already have an account? Log in View All Plans To read the rest of this story subscribe to STAT+. Subscribe