On July 14, 2026, CMS released the CY2027 Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule. Inside it is a change to remote patient monitoring that has the industry paying close attention, and a lot of the early takes are missing what it actually does.
What CMS proposed
Under the proposed rule, RPM and remote therapeutic monitoring would be reimbursed when the clinical staff performing the monitoring are part of the billing practice's own care team, rather than an outside contractor. The rule also asks that RPM be furnished to established patients, with a separately reportable initiating visit, and it introduces lower, more granular time thresholds.
The intent is closer alignment: keeping the monitoring tightly connected to the team that is accountable for the patient.
The distinction that matters
A lot of the conversation is blurring two very different things.
Supplying the device is unaffected. Cellular blood pressure cuffs and connected scales are not going anywhere, and using a device vendor to provide and transmit readings is fine.
What changes is who performs the billable clinical monitoring. That work would need to sit with the practice's own staff.
Who this affects
- Practices whose monitoring is performed by an outside contractor on their behalf will want to look closely at how that arrangement is structured.
- Practices whose own staff do the monitoring, supported by software, are already aligned with where the rule points.
- Chronic Care Management and value-based revenue are separate programs and are not directly affected by this proposal.
What to do now
- Run RPM with your own care team, supported by software, so the people delivering the care are the people closest to it.
- Keep your documentation clean: the initiating visit, the established-patient relationship, and the monitoring time.
- The rule is still open for public comment. If your practice has a stake in how it lands, it is worth weighing in.
- Remember that it is proposed, effective January 2027 at the earliest, and the details may change before it finalizes.
How SmartOps Health helps
SmartOps Health is the software layer, not the monitor. Device data flows in automatically, we surface what needs attention, and your own staff manage far more patients than they could by hand. Whether this rule passes as written or gets revised, we help practices run RPM in a way that is compliant, operational, and closely tied to their own care team.
Want to see where your practice stands under the 2027 changes? Get a free gap scan.