ATA: Congress should promote patient-generated data in MU

The American Telemedicine Association and three other associations are urging Congress to incorporate patient-generated health data from remote monitoring systems in future Meaningful Use requirements.

“The health and financial benefits of remote monitoring are significant,” according to the letter addressed to Sens. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), and Reps. Dave Camp (R-Mich.) and Sander Levin (D-Mich.).

They argued that interoperable remote monitoring improves care, reduces hospitalizations, helps avoid complications and improves satisfaction, particularly for the most chronically ill. The letter cited a July report from Juniper that estimated that remote monitoring will result in savings of $36 billion globally by 2018, with North America accounting for 75 percent of those savings. Remote patient monitoring capabilities are particularly critical in rural areas, the letter stated.

The associations thus recommended that:

• Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) incentives require EHR systems to incorporate open, voluntary and consensus-based industry standards for interoperability with remote patient monitoring systems; and that

• HHS establishes target goals for the use of remote patient monitoring of patient-generated health data for treated patients with one or more high priority conditions.

“HHS must encourage the wider adoption of remote monitoring systems by targeting those high-priority conditions which are likely to result in the largest and most immediate savings for the American healthcare system,” according to the letter.

In addition to ATA, the Association for Competitive Technology, Continua Health Alliance and Telecommunications Industry Association signed the letter.