The following statement is attributed to Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, Consumer Technology Association (CTA), regarding the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed rule to update Medicare payment and policies for doctors and other clinicians who treat Medicare to include remote patient monitoring:

"We appreciate CMS's decision to include reimbursement for remote patient monitoring in the 2018 Physician Fee Schedule. Connected health is changing our lives for the better - helping us care for our loved ones from far away, track our own wellness and work with our doctors more closely than ever.

"The field of medicine is evolving rapidly, led by remarkable innovations in health information technologies and remote health care services. These changes are already disrupting the current models of health care delivery and the established payment framework.

"Our member companies include medical device manufacturers and software developers that are commercializing technologies to improve patient care through remote monitoring services, while empowering individuals to better manage their own health. These services are changing the way health care is delivered, improving patient outcomes and reducing costs.

"We thank CMS for recognizing the importance of supporting remote patient monitoring services to provide Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries with better care. And we look forward to working with CMS and the federal government to best ensure more of us receive the better care - and better results - technology innovations can deliver."

CES^® 2018, Jan. 9-12 in Las Vegas, NV, will feature a dedicated exhibit area focusing on Health & Wellness and a comprehensive conference program covering everything from digital therapeutics to technology's role in healthcare, as part of the Digital Health Summit.

CTA research expects the total wearable technology market - including fitness activity trackers, other health and fitness devices, hearables and over-the-counter hearing devices - to reach U.S. sales of 48 million units in 2017 (a nine percent increase year-over-year) and earn $5.6 billion.