Orgs want telehealth reimbursement for ACOs

In an effort to improve care coordination, advocacy organizations are calling for reimbursement for telehealth and remote patient monitoring for accountable care organizations (ACOs).

Incoming Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell received letters from the Alliance for Connected Care, the American Telemedicine Association, the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society and the National Association of ACOs requesting a forthcoming notice of proposed rulemaking that includes coverage for ACOs.

The letters outline the "burdensome restrictions" on participants of the Medicare Shared Savings Program. "For ACOs, the existing statutory and regulatory frameworks hinder their ability to better manage care and treat their beneficiary population in less costly care settings," the Alliance for Connected Care wrote. "These barriers are also counter to the Medicare Shared Savings Program's goal of ACOs having the ability to coordinate care using telehealth, remote patient monitoring and other such enabling technologies."

In the letter signed by the ATA, HIMSS and 10 other organizations, the groups assert that rather than "stifling innovation," policies should "reflect the dynamic and transformative nature" of technologies used in the healthcare setting.

The National Association of ACOs' letter included signatures from provider organizations, including Geisinger and Banner Health, and criticizes current legislation. "Those of us working with providers who do not receive reimbursement for connected care services are faced with the difficult decision of assuming financial risk by providing the care for free," they wrote. "For many physician-led and smaller ACOs without access to a lot of capital, it is not even an option."