The HealthBeacon ICMS is an adherence support platform for patients on injectable medications in the home-setting. The Smart Sharps Bin electronically records each time a used injection device is deposited into it by means of an infra-red sensor and camera. This data is compared to an individuals' treatment schedule pre-programmed to the unit, to determine the patient's adherence to therapy. The bin also issues reminders to patients when doses are due by means of a blue light on its upper surface. Smart Short Message Service (SMS) dose reminders are also provided to help patients stay on track. The bin displays patients personal adherence score, date of their next injection and at which rotating injection site on a small screen on its upper surface. When a used injection is deposited into the Smart Sharps Bin, patients' adherence automatically updates as does the date of their next injection. This information is also visible for patients to review in the HealthBeacon Companion App (the "App"). Within the App, patients can also tailor their dose reminder preferences, see a log of all doses taken, access educational materials and view their injection schedule details. They may also remotely self-report a dose as taken in the App, if they were away from their Smart Sharps Bin at the time of injection. Patients' adherence data, as collected by the HealthBeacon ICMS, is then available for referring physicians and clinical teams to remotely review, providing teams with greater insight and more accurate information regarding patient compliance. HealthBeacon also remotely monitor the capacity of the Smart Sharps Bins, and provide patients with replacement bins when they reach full capacity whilst arranging collection of full bins through HealthBeacon's mail-back program.
The Centres for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the Remote Therapeutic Monitoring (RTM) codes in January 2021 to enable enhanced reimbursement of remote monitoring services. Unlike existing Remote Physiological Monitoring (RPM) codes which required collection of physiological data points, the RTM codes enable reimbursement of devices which monitor therapy adherence, in particular for respiratory and/or musculoskeletal system conditions.
As a remote device to track and support adherence to medications, the HealthBeacon ICMS is well positioned to fulfil the definition of an RTM device. Key steps in the patient referral and usage pathway, including providing access to the HealthBeacon system, initial set up and education on how to use it, and its remote adherence monitoring capabilities, correspond to separate billing events under the RTM codes. Therefore, HealthBeacon believe the system can be successfully implemented as an RTM device with reimbursement for physicians. This study aims to demonstrate this by providing real-world data on patient usage of the system, implementation into clinical practice and primarily by assessing the outcome of the billing process under the RTM codes.
