Proposed CMS Rule Threatens Remote Patient Monitoring Gains Amid Fraud Crackdown

In response to a Medicaid fraud scandal linked to Governor Tim Walz, the Trump administration has pushed tougher anti-fraud legislation, and the CMS now proposes a rule that would eliminate private-company involvement in remote patient monitoring (RPM). RPM lets patients with chronic illnesses record health data at home and transmit it to their doctors, cutting hospital stays by up to 70 percent. The rule aims to localize RPM within established medical practices to curb abuse, but many clinics—especially in rural America, where 43 million people face primary-care gaps—lack the staff to manage these services.

Critics note that a small number of RPM firms have engaged in fraud, yet broader bans could reverse cost-saving advances made under the 2019 Medicare expansion. They suggest targeted actions like prohibiting cold-calling of beneficiaries and requiring physician approval for each RPM enrollment. The column argues that doctors and patients should not bear the burden of a scandal they did not cause.