{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://balderson.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=2558", "Balderson, Porter, Dunn and Murphy Introduce Bill Expanding Remote Monitoring Access for Seniors", "2023-09-25", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "House", "OH", "Troy Balderson", "B001306", "balderson.house.gov", "balderson", "https://balderson.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27&Page=6", "scraper", "WASHINGTON D.C. \u2013 U.S. Reps. Troy Balderson (R-OH), Katie Porter (D-CA), Neal Dunn, M.D., (R-FL), and Greg Murphy, M.D., (R-NC) introduced the Expanding Remote Monitoring Access Act, bipartisan legislation that would ease restrictions on health care providers and allow more seniors to benefit from remote monitoring services. The remote monitoring program has the potential to further reduce long-term health care costs, improve health outcomes, and increase options for seniors.\n\nRemote monitoring devices and technology enable health care providers to observe and treat patients from the comfort of their own homes. With remote monitoring, providers are able to catch adverse health events earlier and keep their patients out of the hospital.\n\n\u201cWe should be doing everything we can to improve access to health care services for seniors,\u201d said Balderson. \u201cRemote monitoring is a valuable tool for patients across Ohio, especially for those who live in rural communities with few health care facilities in their area. I am proud to introduce the Expanding Remote Monitoring Access Act because it will lower costs while improving health outcomes.\u201d\n\n\u201cToo many patients struggle to get consistent or follow-up care, especially those in rural communities or families without stable transportation options,\u201d said Porter. \u201cBy making it easier for Americans on Medicare to get remote monitoring services, we are lowering costs and expanding care options\u2014a win for patients and taxpayers.\u201d\n\n\u201cRemote monitoring is an important tool for disease management and can help to reduce hospital readmissions,\u201d said Dr. Dunn. \u201cInnovation in the medical field is making it easier than ever for patients to share data without physically traveling to their doctor, which is important for those living in rural communities. Our seniors should have access to the option of remote monitoring, when appropriate, to improve outcomes and reduce complications.\u201d\n\n\u201cRemote monitoring is an incredible digital technology that enables patients and physicians to better manage one\u2019s health, particularly for chronic conditions,\u201d said Dr. Murphy. \u201cExpanding access to this technology will improve health outcomes for patients, reduce hospital readmissions, and extend physicians\u2019 bandwidth to take on a greater caseload. I\u2019m grateful for my colleague Rep. Troy Balderson\u2019s leadership in this space and I\u2019m proud to support this legislation.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe ATA and ATA Action commend Congressman Balderson and Congresswoman Porter for their leadership in introducing this important legislation,\u201d said Kyle Zebley, Senior Vice President, Public Policy, American Telemedicine Association, and Executive Director, ATA Action. \u201cIncreasing access to both remote physiologic monitoring and remote therapeutic monitoring devices covered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services allows for greater choices for clinically appropriate care for Medicare beneficiaries. We proudly endorse this legislation and urge other advocates of telehealth to do the same.\u201d\n\n\u201cVirtual care and remote monitoring are key to creating a more convenient, efficient, and modern health care delivery system. The Expanding Remote Monitoring Access Act will allow for the expanded use of current and future technologies, leading to better patient outcomes at reduced costs,\u201d said Brett Meeks, Executive Director of the Health Innovation Alliance.\n\n\u201cMore than ever clinicians are leveraging digital health technology to capture real-time data to empower those living with chronic conditions and better manage patients\u2019 health outside of acute care settings,\u201d said Claudia Tucker, Senior Vice President, Teladoc Health. \u201cWe are pleased to support legislation from Representatives Balderson and Porter that would ensure Medicare beneficiaries can access a broader range of remote monitoring technologies and take steps toward addressing the chronic disease crisis in the U.S.\u201d\n\n\u201cTelehealth has expanded to include remote monitoring of chronic conditions. I commend Rep. Balderson for furthering Medicare coverage of this important methodology of care and studying its benefits,\u201d said Arick Forrest, MD, MBA, Vice Dean of Clinical Affairs, Ohio State University College of Medicine, President of OSUP and Faculty Group Practice, Medical Director, Ambulatory Services. \u201cThis represents the future of how health care will be provided. Patients with diabetes and high blood pressure, as well as other diseases, have monitoring equipment that automatically uploads data that is reviewed by a health care practitioner. Patients with changing symptoms are contacted and referred for further care as needed, ensuring conditions are managed before they become acute, resulting in better outcomes and lower total cost of care. This is especially true for chronic conditions that represent 80% of the cost of healthcare. In addition, this technology has the potential to effectively and efficiently address the needs of underserved and vulnerable populations.\u201d\n\n\u201cOhioHealth aims to keep care local for all of our patients, across our growing footprint,\u201d said Jeff Kasler, a spokesperson for OhioHealth. \u201cRemote patient monitoring is one tool that proves especially valuable for our seniors and rural patients. We support Congressman Balderson\u2019s foresight and leadership in fostering access to care via remote patient monitoring for some of our most vulnerable patients.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe know that for many people, the best place to receive the care they need is in their own homes,\u201d said Peter J. Pronovost, M.D., Ph.D., F.C.C.M., Chief Quality & Clinical Transformation Officer at University Hospital. \u201cThis is particularly true for seniors and those who might struggle with getting to a hospital. Remote patient monitoring is now an integral part of our care-delivery model. Now is not the time to go back.\u201d\n\n\u201cOur analysis during Covid demonstrated the use of remote monitoring reduced hospitalization by 87%, mortality by 77% and cost the average patient $11,500 less than admission,\u201d Pronovost continued. \u201cMost importantly, patients loved it because they slept in their own bed, ate their own food, wore their own clothes and were surrounded by the love of their loved ones.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe use of care management services has been instrumental in providing care to rural patients outside of the traditional office visit,\" said Sarah Hohman, Director of Government Affairs for the National Association of Rural Health Clinics. \u201cRural Health Clinics look forward to expanding such services to include Remote Patient Monitoring and Remote Therapeutic Monitoring in 2024, and thank Representative Balderson and Representative Porter for their leadership on these issues - ensuring that the full potential of RPM/RTM services can be experienced by RHCs and the patients they serve.\u201d\n\nThe American Heart Association and Medical Device Manufacturers Association also endorsed the legislation.\n\nBACKGROUND:\n\nProviders currently bill Medicare if they monitor a patient for at least 16 days within a 30-day period. During the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) lowered the duration required to bill for remote monitoring services to only two days of data collection.\n\nIn addition to extending the two-day CMS billing threshold for two years, the legislation would require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to submit a report to Congress within one year, analyzing a proper long-term CMS billing threshold and providing a savings estimate from earlier interventions and fewer days of hospitalizations. The report provides flexibility to the HHS Secretary to recommend multiple billing thresholds and any new remote monitoring code durations. It also requires the Secretary to consult with providers, patient groups, technology and device manufacturers, and others to understand the remote monitoring experience from all perspectives.\n\nThese services have shown to be an effective alternative to in-person clinical observation for acute and chronic medical conditions. In 2018, the Department of Veterans Affairs found that patients with chronic conditions, such as hypertension or diabetes, who were enrolled in remote monitoring programs saw a 53% decrease in bed days and a 33% reduction in hospital admissions. Furthermore, a 2022 JAMA analysis of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who received pulmonary rehabilitation resulted in a net cost savings per patient of $5,721.\n\nTo read the Expanding Remote Monitoring Access Act, click HERE.\n\n###\n\nRelated News\n\nOp-Ed \u2013 Keeping pace with innovation: Empowering Americans in the age of wearables\n\nFebruary 25, 2026 | Posted in Articles\n\nBalderson Leads Effort to Close Alzheimer\u2019s Diagnosis Gap with Enhanced Training for Primary Care Providers\n\nJune 5, 2025 | Posted in Press Releases\n\nBalderson, Dunn, Murphy Reintroduce Bill to Expand Telehealth Access for Seniors\n\nApril 22, 2025 | Posted in Press Releases\n\nBalderson, Kelly Reintroduce Bill to Prevent Prescription Opioid Abuse\n\nMarch 27, 2025 | Posted in Press Releases\n\nBalderson Tapped to Serve on Key Congressional Health Panel\n\nApril 12, 2024 | Posted in Press Releases", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:37:48Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://balderson.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=2558"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.4753017351031303, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}