Remote Patient Monitoring
Remote therapeutic monitoring: what it is, how it works, and how to bill for it
By Sameer Sontakey
What remote therapeutic monitoring is, how it differs from RPM, which CPT codes apply, and what Medicare requires before you bill. Updated for 2026.
Quick answer: remote therapeutic monitoring billing requires documented therapy data, engagement with the person, treatment-management time, and care-team decisions.
Operational documentation for monitoring programs
Remote therapeutic monitoring billing should be linked to a specific operational record, not a retrospective monthly guess. The record should identify the service delivered and the documentation required by the applicable code and payer.
Remote therapeutic monitoring billing evidence
Remote therapeutic monitoring billing should create documentation as care happens. The record should show the therapy problem, device or software used, interaction with the person, data reviewed, minutes spent, and treatment decision.
Remote therapeutic monitoring (RTM) is a Medicare-reimbursable service category that lets eligible providers collect and review data from people between in-person visits. Device and service eligibility must be checked against the applicable requirements. CMS introduced RTM billing in January 2022 as a distinct code family, and the program has expanded every year since.
remote therapeutic monitoring is a CMS-defined service category for therapy-related data such as adherence, pain, function, and respiratory or musculoskeletal status, not a generic wellness dashboard.
remote therapeutic monitoring checklist
This short retrofit section clarifies the exact search intent for remote therapeutic monitoring while preserving the original article and adding practical verification points for readers.
Verification checklist
- Confirm the program matches RTM-eligible data and clinician scope before billing.
- Document setup, device supply, data review, and interactive communication separately.
- Check current CMS and payer requirements because billing rules can change by year.
Related Sensor Bio reading
Authoritative references
- CMS care management and remote monitoring resources
- CMS Physician Fee Schedule
- AMA CPT overview
- CMS Remote Patient Monitoring requirements
- CMS Telehealth & Remote Monitoring booklet
If you are a physical therapist, orthopedic surgeon, or health system evaluating whether RTM fits your practice, this page covers the definition, the CPT codes, provider eligibility rules, and what the 2026 CMS updates changed.
Direct answer. Remote therapeutic monitoring is a CMS billing category that allows qualified providers to track non-physiological data from people, including therapy adherence, pain levels, and functional status, between visits. Its RTM code set includes three new codes effective January 2026: 98979, 98984, and 98985.910 Physical therapists and occupational therapists can bill RTM independently under their own provider numbers.
What is remote therapeutic monitoring?
RTM is a service program, not a technology. CMS defined it in the 2022 Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule as a way for providers to collect and act on person-generated health data that falls outside the physiological scope of remote patient monitoring.
The data types RTM covers include:
- Therapy adherence, whether a person is following a prescribed home exercise program or treatment plan
- Therapeutic response, how the person is responding to treatment over time
- Pain levels and functional status
- Medication adherence and adverse reactions
RTM can include self-reported data. That does not make any smartphone app or general-wellness wearable eligible: the device and service must meet the applicable medical-device and billing requirements.
RTM codes are classified under General Medicine in the CPT system, not under Evaluation and Management codes as RPM codes are. That classification affects supervision requirements, provider eligibility, and billing mechanics.
How RTM differs from remote patient monitoring
The two programs share a name structure but operate under different rules. Confusing them creates billing risk.
| Factor | RTM | RPM |
|---|---|---|
| Data type | Non-physiological, including adherence, functional status, and pain | Physiological, including blood pressure, heart rate, and glucose |
| Device requirements | Check medical-device status and applicable RTM requirements | Must meet the FDA definition of a medical device and digitally upload data |
| CPT code family | 98975-98981, plus 98984 and 98985; 98979, 98984, and 98985 are new for 2026 | 99453, 99454, 99457, 99458 |
| Code classification | General Medicine | Evaluation and Management |
| Physical therapists can bill? | Yes | Typically no |
CMS describes RPM eligibility in terms of a device that meets the FDA definition of a medical device and digitally uploads data. That is not the same as a blanket FDA-clearance requirement. Neither RTM nor RPM eligibility follows from a product being marketed as a wellness wearable.
Remote therapeutic monitoring CPT codes and what each one covers
The RTM code set expanded in 2026. The CMS CY 2026 Therapy Services update lists three additions, and CMS transmittal R13943CP distinguishes respiratory and musculoskeletal supply for 2-15 versus 16-30 days. The table is a summary, not a substitute for the full code and payer requirements.
| CPT code | Description | Threshold | Billing type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 98975 | Initial setup and education for the person | Once per episode of care | Practice expense only |
| 98976 | Device supply, respiratory monitoring, 16-30 days | 16-30 days in a 30-day period | Practice expense only |
| 98984 | Device supply, respiratory monitoring, 2-15 days | 2-15 days in a 30-day period | Practice expense only |
| 98977 | Device supply, musculoskeletal monitoring, 16-30 days | 16-30 days in a 30-day period | Practice expense only |
| 98985 | Device supply, musculoskeletal monitoring, 2-15 days | 2-15 days in a 30-day period | Practice expense only |
| 98978 | Device supply, cognitive behavioral therapy monitoring | Each 30-day period | Practice expense only |
| 98980 | Treatment management, first 20 minutes | 20 minutes plus one live interaction per month | Professional work and practice expense |
| 98981 | Treatment management, each additional 20 minutes | Add-on to 98980 | Professional work and practice expense |
| 98979 | Treatment management, first 10 minutes | 10 minutes plus one live interaction per month | Professional work and practice expense |
The 2026 additions matter because they create a path for shorter monitoring windows and lower treatment-management time thresholds.
Who can bill RTM?
RTM eligibility extends beyond physicians. Under Medicare Part B, CMS permits billing by physicians, non-physician practitioners, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech-language pathologists.
Physical therapists and occupational therapists bill RTM codes under their own provider numbers. They are not billing incident-to a supervising physician.
RTM device requirements
RTM device selection requires review of the applicable medical-device and payer requirements; a lack of FDA clearance is not evidence of eligibility.
- The device must collect person-generated health data in an RTM-eligible category
- The data must be transmitted to the provider
- The device must support the therapeutic monitoring purpose described by the CPT code
An app collecting self-reports must still meet the applicable device and service requirements.
How RTM fits into a physical therapy or musculoskeletal practice
In a 2025 retrospective case-control study of 1,224 people across 95 physical therapy clinics, people receiving PT plus RTM hit the discharge functional status benchmark 72% of the time, compared to 63% for people receiving PT alone.
- Person is enrolled at setup
- Person records daily exercise completion, pain levels, and functional status data
- Clinical staff review the incoming data
- At least once per month, a live interactive check-in occurs
- Billing reflects the monitoring days and treatment-management time recorded
Operational takeaway. RTM works when the clinical workflow is real. The software does not create billable conditions by itself. The practice needs a documented monitoring cadence, staff ownership, and a live interaction with the person when treatment-management codes are billed.
Getting started with RTM
Before billing any RTM code, confirm these items are in place:
- Eligible provider identified
- Qualifying RTM device selected and person educated on use
- Consent from the person documented before enrollment
- Data transmission path confirmed
- Clinical staff trained on review and documentation requirements
- Documentation template includes device data reviewed, date and time of interaction with the person, and care decisions made
Programs should also define billing ownership, monthly review cadence, exception handling, documentation storage, and quality-control review before launch. These operating details should be documented alongside the applicable payer requirements.
Teams should test the workflow using representative cases before broad deployment, then revise alerts, documentation, and staffing based on observed operational burden.
Operational ownership should be explicit before launch.
Healthcare disclaimer: this article is for educational purposes only. It does not constitute billing advice, coding guidance, or clinical advice. Reimbursement decisions are made by Medicare contractors and individual payers. Consult a qualified healthcare attorney or billing specialist before implementing RTM in your practice.
References
1. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. 2022 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule.
2. Frost Brown Todd LLP / FBT Gibbons. CMS Final Rules on Payment Impacts for Remote Therapeutic Monitoring. December 2024.
3. Superior Care Services. 2022 Medicare Remote Therapeutic Monitoring FAQs: CMS Final Rule.
4. Bykerk VP et al. Remote Therapeutic Monitoring in Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Diseases: Opportunities and Implementation. Medical Research Archives, July 2023.
5. Retrospective Case-Control Study on the Effect of In-Person Physical Therapy With Remote Therapeutic Monitoring on Functional Outcomes and Plan of Care Adherence Amongst Individuals With Musculoskeletal Conditions. May 2025.
6. Force Therapeutics. CMS Updates Remote Therapeutic Monitoring Codes in the 2026 Physician Fee Schedule. December 17, 2025.
7. McDermott Will and Emery. CMS Clarifies Coverage and Payment for Remote Therapeutic Monitoring Services. June 3, 2024.
8. American Physical Therapy Association. APTA Practice Advisory: Remote Therapeutic Monitoring Codes Under Medicare. March 2023.
9. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Therapy Services: CY 2026 Therapy Services Updates. Source
10. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Transmittal 13943: October 2026 Quarterly Update to Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) Codes Used for Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Consolidated Billing (CB) Enforcement. Source