Assn. supports remote monitoring as mandatory supplement benefit

The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) offered up its support for a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposal that would require Medicare Advantage organizations to provide remote monitoring technologies as part of mandatory supplement benefits.

The association was responding to CMS’ call for feedback on its “Advance Notice of Methodological Changes for Calendar Year 2015 for Medicare Advantage Capitation Rates, Part C and Part D Payment Policies and 2015 Call Letter,” which was issued on Feb. 21.

“Growing bodies of clinical evidence suggest that interoperable remote monitoring improves care, reduces hospitalizations, helps avoid complications and improves satisfaction, particularly for the chronically ill,” according to TIA’s letter to CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner. The association urged CMS to extend the mandatory supplement benefit to all Medicare beneficiaries.

Other recommendations in TIA’s letter:

• CMS should maintain network access requirements for the initial implementation of remote monitoring technology
• Several current care delivery programs, and a large body of research, can inform CMS’ approach

Read the entire letter here.