Implantable medical devices and associated methods are disclosed. In one implementation, the implantable medical device comprises a conductive housing and a remote electrode that is mechanically coupled to the conductive housing by a lead body. An amplifier is electrically connected to the remote electrode and the conductive housing for providing a signal representative of a voltage difference between the remote electrode and the conductive housing. In some methods in accordance with the present invention, the implantable medical device is implanted in an implant site overlaying one half of a rib cage of a human body. The implantable medical device produces a signal representative of the voltage difference between the remote electrode and the conductive housing and the signal is transmitted to a receiver located outside the human body.