WHEREAS, remote patient monitoring uses digital technologies to collect medical information and other forms of health data from an individual in one location and electronically transmit that information securely to a healthcare provider in a different location for assessment and recommendations; and

WHEREAS, remote patient monitoring allows healthcare providers to improve the quality of care by allowing a clinician or team of health professionals to connect more consistently with patients through relevant patient data, ultimately resulting in improved health outcomes and a reduction in unnecessary utilization; and

WHEREAS, remote patient monitoring improves patient behavior by creating a system by which people are more engaged with, and accountable for, their health through the use of technology that is comfortable and familiar to them; and

WHEREAS, when used by clinicians, remote patient monitoring can provide a more holistic view of a patient's health over time, increase visibility into a patient's adherence to a treatment, and decrease the cost of health care by enabling timely intervention before a costly care episode occurs; and

WHEREAS, remote patient monitoring has been shown to yield particularly favorable outcomes for patients who are managing chronic disease in addition to enabling innovation in population health and care delivery models; and

WHEREAS, remote patient monitoring has become an especially important tool to manage patients' health during the COVID-19 public health emergency; and

WHEREAS, recognizing the value of remote patient monitoring, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently adopted policies in the Medicare program that will significantly increase the ability of healthcare providers to offer remote patient monitoring capabilities to Medicare patients; and

WHEREAS, it is in the best interest of this state for the Louisiana Department of Health to study and develop a framework for the implementation of remote patient monitoring in the Louisiana Medicaid program.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby urge and request the Louisiana Department of Health to study and develop a remote patient monitoring initiative within the Louisiana Medicaid program.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Louisiana Department of Health shall submit a report concerning development of the remote patient monitoring initiative called for in this Resolution to the House Committee on Health and Welfare and the David R. Poynter Legislative Research Library on or before November 1, 2020.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health.