(1) Remote patient monitoring can make chron-
ic disease management more effective and efficient 
for patients and the health care system. 
(2) By collecting, analyzing, and transmitting 
clinical health information to a health care practi-
tioner, remote monitoring technologies allow patients 
and physicians to manage the patient’s condition in 
a consistent and real-time fashion. 
(3) Utilization of these technologies not only 
improves the quality of care given to patients, it also 
reduces the need for frequent physician office ap-
pointments, costly emergency room visits, and un-
necessary hospitalizations. 
(4) Monitoring a patient’s disease from the 
home reduces the need for face-to-face physician 
interactions, thereby minimizing unnecessary travel 
and missed work and providing particular value to 
individuals residing in rural or underserved commu-
nities who would otherwise face potentially signifi-
cant access barriers to receiving needed care. 
(5) Four major areas in which remote manage-
ment technologies are emerging in health care are 
the treatment of congestive heart failure, diabetes, 
cardiac arrhythmia, and sleep apnea (sleep dis-
ordered breathing). Prompt transmission of clinical 
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data on each of these conditions, to the physician or 
the patient as appropriate, are essential to providing 
timely and appropriate therapeutic interventions 
which can then reduce expensive hospitalizations. 
(6) Despite these innovations, remote manage-
ment technologies have failed to diffuse rapidly. A 
significant barrier to wider adoption is the relative 
lack of payment mechanisms in fee-for-service Medi-
care to reimburse for remote, non-face-to-face man-
agement. 
(7) This Act will eliminate this barrier to new 
technologies by requiring Medicare to reimburse doc-
tors for time spent analyzing data transmitted to 
them by remote patient management technologies. 
(8) This Act also promotes high quality care by 
requiring the Secretary of Health and Human Serv-
ices to consult with physician groups to create a 
standard of care and a quality standard for remote 
patient management services for the covered chronic 
conditions. 
SEC. 3. COVERAGE OF REMOTE PATIENT MANAGEMENT 
SERVICES FOR CHRONIC CARE CONDITIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1861(s)(2) of the Social 
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(s)(2)) is amended— 
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(1) in subparagraph (Z), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 
the end; 
(2) by adding ‘‘and’’ at the end of subpara-
graph (AA); and 
(3) by adding after subparagraph (AA) the fol-
lowing new subparagraph: 
‘‘(BB) remote patient management services (as 
defined in subsection (ccc)).’’. 
(b) SERVICES DESCRIBED.—Section 1861 of such 
Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x) is amended by adding at the end 
the following new subsection: 
‘‘Remote Patient Management Services for Chronic 
Conditions 
‘‘(ccc)(1) The term ‘‘remote patient management 
services’’ means the remote monitoring and management 
of an individual with a covered chronic health condition 
(as defined in paragraph (2)) or through the utilization 
of a system of technology that allows a remote interface 
to collect and transmit clinical data between the individual 
and the responsible physician or supplier for the purposes 
of clinical review or response by the physician or supplier. 
‘‘(2) For purposes of paragraph (1), the term ‘cov-
ered chronic health condition’ includes— 
‘‘(A) heart failure; 
‘‘(B) diabetes; 
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‘‘(C) cardiac arrhythmia; 
‘‘(D) sleep apnea; and 
‘‘(E) any other chronic condition determined by 
the Secretary to be appropriate for treatment 
through remote patient management services. 
‘‘(3)(A) The Secretary, in consultation with appro-
priate physician groups, may develop guidelines on the fre-
quency of billing for remote patient management services. 
Such guidelines shall be determined based on medical ne-
cessity and shall be sufficient to ensure appropriate and 
timely monitoring of individuals being furnished such serv-
ices. 
‘‘(B) The Secretary, acting through the Agency for 
Health Care Research and Quality, shall do the following: 
‘‘(i) Not later than 1 year after the date of en-
actment of this subsection, develop, in consultation 
with appropriate physician groups, a standard of 
care and quality standards for remote patient man-
agement services for the covered chronic health con-
ditions specified in subparagraphs (A), (B), (C), and 
(D) of paragraph (2). 
‘‘(ii) If the Secretary makes a determination 
under paragraph (2)(E) with respect to a chronic 
condition, develop, in consultation with appropriate 
physician groups, a standard of care and quality 
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standards for remote patient management services 
for such condition within 1 year of the date of such 
determination. 
‘‘(iii) Periodically review and update such 
standards of care and quality standards under this 
subparagraph as necessary.’’. 
(c) PAYMENT UNDER THE PHYSICIAN FEE SCHED-
ULE.—Section 1848 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w–4) is 
amended— 
(1) in subsection (c)— 
(A) in paragraph (2)(B)— 
(i) in clause (ii)(II), by striking ‘‘and 
(v)’’ and inserting ‘‘, (v), and (vi)’’; and 
(ii) by adding at the end the following 
new clause: 
‘‘(vi) BUDGETARY
TREATMENT
OF 
CERTAIN
SERVICES.—The additional ex-
penditures 
attributable 
to 
section 
1861(s)(2)(BB) shall not be taken into ac-
count in applying clause (ii)(II) for review: 
2008.’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(7) TREATMENT OF REMOTE PATIENT MAN-
AGEMENT SERVICES.—In determining relative value 
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