RTM: Remote therapeutic monitoring explained
What is RTM (Remote Therapeutic Monitoring) and how can I use it in my practice?
Remote Therapeutic Monitoring (RTM) refers to the use of medical devices to remotely manage and monitor non-physiological data relating to the musculoskeletal and respiratory systems. Throughout the patient plan of care, the use of 5 new CPT codes (3 of which apply to PT, OT and general MSK care) allows for RTM to be reimbursed by Medicare and other commercial insurances to track therapy adherence and response through self-reported and digitally uploaded data. Learn more about the specifics of these codes directly from the APTA here.
Physitrack tools available for RTM use:
- Exercise Program Prescription - find all the support you need regarding how to prescribe programs for your patients.
- Patient Reported Adherence and Tracking - Find out more about patient reported outcome measures (PROMs). These can be tracked through Physitrack to monitor your patients progress with therapy.
- Telehealth - All Physitrack accounts come with basic Telehealth. This will log and record call times/duration as well as allow for secure messaging as part of patient interactions necessary for RTM. There is an available upgrade to Telehealth Pro if you would like additional features.
RTM requirements and using Physitrack features for success:
Proper coding is required for reimbursement of RTM services including:
a) Initial set up and patient education of medical equipment (i.e. Show patient how to use Physitrack)
b) Monitoring the patient for AT LEAST 16 days per month. This could be in the form of PROMs, telehealth, messaging, or reviewing tracking of their HEP. (i.e checking patient progress in Physitrack)
c) Correspondence with the patient for AT LEAST 20 min during each calendar month.
4 codes below are able to be used for reimbursement purposes for the musculoskeletal system. Patient data collected in Physitrack can be utilized to support the documentation of these codes:
- 98975
- This code is used for the initial set-up and patient education in the use of eligible devices that will collect and transmit therapeutic data.
- This code is only used ONCE per episode of care.
- 98977
- Monitoring must occur over a period of at least 16 days.
- Document assignment of HEPs, PROMs, and patient education during this set up.
- 98980
- This code is used for the first 20 minutes of monitoring in a calendar month.
- There must be at least one interactive communication between the provider and the caregiver or patient.
- Physitrack telehealth and secure messaging during the month is ideal for this code.
- Do not report this code unless a full 20 minutes of monitoring has occurred. Document the data gathered from the device, the date and time of the patient and/or caregiver interaction, and any decisions made that impact the treatment and plan of care as a result of the monitoring.
- 98981
- This code is used for the second 20 minutes of monitoring in a calendar month.
- Report the same kind of measures reported in code 98980 for additional time.
(For more extensive breakdowns check out the article here):
Documentation of RTM Activity
If Physitrack integrates with your EMR (see integrations HERE):
- All the data described above including telehealth stamps and monitoring of HEPs will seamlessly integrate into your patients chart. This will require no additional work on your part for support of RTM billing.
If Physitrack does not integrate with your EMR
- You may copy a PDF of an assigned exercise program from your Physitrack account into your EMR. See additional info here.
- You may download Telehealth call logs and manually add them to your EMR. See additional info here.
- You have the ability to download client data such as adherence to programs over time. Check out the resource to do so here. This can also demonstrate your remote monitoring and can be manually added to your EMR.
Physitrack RTM Compliance Statement (Legal position)
Use of Physitrack or its affiliated products and services may be eligible for reimbursement under the Remote Therapeutic Monitoring (RTM) treatment management service codes, subject to payer specific coverage policies. This statement does not constitute reimbursement advice, and Physitrack does not warrant, guarantee, or make any representation as to whether a particular use of Physitrack or its affiliated products and services is available for reimbursement by any governmental healthcare program or commercial payer. The legal and regulatory status of Physitrack and its affiliated products and services, and the legal and regulatory environment for reimbursement, are subject to change. Users of Physitrack and its affiliated products and services are responsible for reviewing and confirming the availability of reimbursement for certain uses of Physitrack or its affiliated products and services.