Two-year delay preserves patient access to RPM and RTM for now, but does not resolve the underlying policy; ATA Action will keep pressing for targeted program-integrity safeguards and for Congress to make Medicare telehealth permanent
WASHINGTON, DC, NOVEMBER 5, 2026 – ATA Action: Advocacy Shaping Virtual Care, the advocacy-focused affiliate of the American Telemedicine Association (ATA), today shared its early read on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Calendar Year (CY) 2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) final rule, including a two-year reprieve for patient access to remote monitoring.
A Reprieve for Remote Monitoring, not a Permanent Fix
CMS delayed its proposed requirement that only clinical staff directly employed by the billing practice may furnish remote physiologic monitoring (RPM) and remote therapeutic monitoring (RTM) services. The requirement will not take effect until January 1, 2029, rather than the January 1, 2027, start date CMS proposed. Absent further action, the restriction will still take effect on that date, and practices that rely on clinical partners will face the same disruption two years from now. CMS also did not finalize its proposal to replace the RPM and RTM CPT codes with four consolidated Medicare G-codes – billing and tracking codes used to report non-face-to-face patient care, remote health monitoring, and specific Medicare-covered services – but said it may revisit the idea in future rulemaking, so the issue remains open.
“CMS listened. By delaying this requirement, the agency has given patients, practices, and health systems time to keep remote monitoring programs running while we work toward a lasting solution,” said Kyle Zebley, CEO of the ATA and Executive Director of ATA Action. “We thank Administrator Oz and the CMS team for their engagement, and we thank our members, whose comment letters, data, and meetings showed CMS what an abrupt ban on clinical partners would mean for patients and practices. This delay reflects their work, but a delay is not a fix.”
“The clock is now running. ATA Action will use the next two rulemaking cycles to press CMS to adopt targeted program-integrity safeguards that address fraud and abuse without cutting off access to proven remote monitoring programs. If we do not get this right before 2029, patients will lose access to care that works,” Zebley added.
RPM and RTM Changes Taking Effect January 1, 2027
CMS finalized the following as proposed, and practices will need to adjust their remote monitoring programs before January 1:
- RTM is limited to established patients.
- Practitioners must furnish a separately reportable initiating visit when RPM or RTM services begin.
- CMS updated valuation for remote monitoring services.
Other Key Items in the PFS Final Rule
- Conversion factor: The CY2027 conversion factor falls 1.83% for qualifying advanced alternative payment model (APM) participants (to $32.95) and 2.31% for all other clinicians (to $32.63), largely because the one-year 2.5% increase for CY2026 expires. This cut adds to the financial pressure on practices that deliver virtual care.
- Rural Health Clinics and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs): CMS finalized diabetes self-management training (DSMT) and medical nutrition therapy (MNT) as qualified preventive services in Rural Health Clinic (RHC), which ATA Action supported.
- Telehealth: Medicare telehealth flexibilities remain in place through December 31, 2027, under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026. Without congressional action, they expire in less than 14 months, and patients will again face a telehealth cliff.
“This final rule includes real progress, but it leaves significant work unfinished. Our mission remains the same: protect access to proven virtual care while supporting strong safeguards against fraud and abuse,” added Zebley. “We will keep working closely with CMS and the Administration on remote monitoring, and we will keep pressing Congress to make Medicare telehealth permanent before the current flexibilities expire at the end of 2027.”
According to the Federal Register website, the PFS final rule will be published here on November 9.
About the ATA
The American Telemedicine Association (ATA), the definitive voice for virtual care, is the industry’s trusted community focused on expanding access to healthcare through innovation by advancing education, resources, and policy. Founded in 1993, the ATA represents the most diverse ecosystem in healthcare – including leading health systems, academic medical centers, payers, technology innovators, life sciences companies, and clinician leaders – the ATA delivers clinical standards, policy leadership, education, and evidence frameworks that accelerate high-quality, technology-enabled care.
About ATA Action
ATA Action: Advocacy Shaping Virtual Care expands and protects how virtual care is legislated and regulated at all levels of government. Founded in 2022, ATA Action works collaboratively with federal and state legislators and policymakers to influence legislative and regulatory developments in virtual care, digital health, remote patient monitoring, AI in healthcare, health data privacy, private sector healthcare investment, and more. ATA Action represents hospital systems, technology companies, professional associations, direct-to-consumer digital health providers, payers, pharmaceutical manufacturers, digital therapeutics developers, and remote monitoring organizations, and facilitates member-led coalitions focused on initiatives to advance AI in Virtual Care Policy and Cross State Care. ATA Action is a registered 501(c)(6) nonprofit trade organization engaged in lobbying efforts to shape industry-related legislation and serves as an affiliated trade association of the ATA, a 501(c)(3) entity recognized for its leadership in advancing innovation and leading transformation in virtual care.