CMS’s proposed remote monitoring policies could dismantle established RPM and RTM programs and disrupt care for approximately one million Medicare beneficiaries. Below is an updated list of advocacy pathways for general engagement on the Medicare payment rule.

Find more information here: Background One Pager, Topline Messaging, Detailed Talking Points.

Alliance Advocacy Center:  connectwithcare.org/rpm

Call to Action:

Organizational Opportunities

  1. Encourage all patient and provider organizations to join a stakeholder letter by August 12. Add your organization’s name to the letter urging CMS not to finalize the proposed policies as written. (Vendors are encouraged to share with their partners.)
  2. Contact CMS Directly
    • Submit comments directly to CMS in August (sooner is better). Explain how the proposals would affect your patients, clinicians, operations, staffing model, costs, and ability to continue offering RPM or RTM. The consensus position is that CMS should not finalize these policies as proposed – At minimum, CMS should delay implementation of both staffing and payment changes and work with stakeholders on targeted program-integrity guardrails.
    • Direct outreach through those organizational leaders and partners who have existing policymaker relationships.  While we should not inundate policymakers with cold requests, you should ask influential partners, clinical leaders, or funders who are capable of making direct high-level outreach to Dr. Oz or other HHS leaders to do so.
  3. Small providers should write the Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy at redtape@sba.gov.  In your comment you should describe the economic impact of the proposed rules on small practices.   Specifically – costs that would be incurred if you were unable to partner with a vendor are useful here.  We are also working to set up an opportunity for additional direct input to the agency.
  4. Identify spokespeople.  It is very problematic that there have been very few patient voices or small providers represented in the advocacy/media coverage of this issue.  Please identify individuals whose voices you can support.  We are also capturing a list of patients, provider, health system leader, or organizational representatives available to speak with policymakers or the press.

 Individual Opportunities (please share with your networks)

  1. Mobilize patients and providers. Ask patients, caregivers, clinicians, and program leaders to share their experiences with CMS and members of Congress through grassroots tool. This tool has canned language that can be sent but it’s more effective if it’s personalized. For example, specific stories about prevented hospitalizations, improved outcomes, and barriers to care are especially important.
    • Contact CMS (an easy way for individuals to submit official comments)
    • Contact Congress (automatically routes to your local representatives).
  2. Share patient and provider stories with us. We are collecting real-world examples to support advocacy with CMS, Congress, and the media.