Policy & oversight
Public Comment Window Closes Today on Medicare's 2027 Doctor Pay Rule That Would End Outsourced Remote Monitoring
The 60-day public comment period on the proposed 2027 Medicare physician fee schedule ended September 14. The rule would trim pay for most physicians and bar outsourced remote monitoring vendors from billing Medicare. A final rule is expected around November 1.
By the Goodsurance editorial teamSeptember 14, 2026
The public comment period on Medicare's proposed 2027 physician fee schedule (CMS-1848-P) closed September 14, 2026. The proposed rule was published in the Federal Register on July 16, 2026, opening a 60-day window for stakeholders to respond before today's deadline.
Two provisions drew the most attention from providers and patient advocates. First, the rule proposes to reduce the base payment rate for most physician services by approximately 1.7 percent compared to 2026, continuing a pattern of below-inflation updates that physician organizations have challenged for several years. Second, CMS proposed to end Medicare payment for remote patient monitoring and remote therapeutic monitoring services delivered by outsourced, third-party clinical staff. Under the proposal, those services would be payable only when performed by employees of the billing practice itself.
The public comment window on Medicare's proposed 2027 physician pay rule closed today. A final rule is expected around November 1.
CMS stated in the proposed rule that outsourced monitoring arrangements can fragment patient care and reduce the billing practitioner's direct involvement in managing a patient's condition. Providers who rely on outside vendors, and the companies that supply those services, objected during the comment period that the restriction would cut off monitoring access for patients in smaller practices that do not have in-house technology staff.
The comment period also received responses regarding telehealth payment policies and a new proposed requirement for a qualifying initiating visit before a patient can be enrolled in remote monitoring services.
A final rule is expected around November 1, 2026. Any finalized provisions would take effect January 1, 2027. Current Medicare billing rules for remote monitoring remain in place through the end of 2026.
In plain words
Medicare asked the public to send ideas about a new payment rule. Today, September 14, was the last day to do that. The rule would pay doctors about 1.7 percent less in 2027. It would also change remote health monitoring. Right now, some doctors use outside companies to check patient health data collected at home. The new rule would only let the doctor's own staff do that. Medicare will review all the comments and make a final decision around November 1, 2026.
Understand the basics first
Source: CMS
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