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If you are interested in Remote Therapeutic Monitoring (RTM), please contact your account manager or reach out to mdr@medbridge.com to discuss the best fit for your Medbridge plan.
Remote Therapeutic Monitoring allows providers to bill for the remote management of their patients with musculoskeletal and respiratory conditions using medical devices (including certain software) that collect non-physiological data. Prescribing home exercise programs to patients is standard practice for rehab therapists, but until now, providers haven’t been incentivized to interact with patients between sessions to monitor and encourage adherence to their home exercise programs.
However, with the CPT codes launched by CMS, you can now be reimbursed for collecting “therapeutic data” using the virtual patient engagement and monitoring techniques that many of your clinicians are already performing today—opening up new revenue streams of up to $25,000 per provider.
For a comprehensive breakdown of each code, see RTM Billing Codes and Best Practices for Success
Learn more about each of the 5 new codes below.
- Device Education and Onboarding (CPT Code 98975)
- Device Supply (CPT Code 98976 and 98977)
- Remote Treatment (CPT Code 98980 and 98981)
Information provided below is sourced from the 2025 APTA Practice Advisory and the 2026 AMA CPT Manual, Professional Edition.
Device Education and Onboarding (CPT Code 98975)
CPT code 98975 covers: Remote therapeutic monitoring (e.g. therapy adherence, therapy response, digital therapeutic intervention) initial set-up and patient education on use of equipment.
How to use CPT code 98975: Report this code once per episode and only after 2 days of cumulative monitoring has occurred during the 30-day period.
What to document: Document the type of device or platform being used and any education or training provided to the patient to set up the device.
Device Supply (CPT Code 98977 and CPT Code 98985)
What CPT Code 98977 covers: Remote therapeutic monitoring, device(s) supply for data access or data transmissions to support monitoring of musculoskeletal system, 16-30 days in a 30-day period.
What CPT code 98985 covers: Remote therapeutic monitoring, device(s) supply for data access or data transmissions to support monitoring of musculoskeletal system, 2-15 days in a 30-day period.
How to use these codes: Report 98985 after the patient has been monitored for 2-15 days within a 30-day period. Report 98977 after the patient has been monitored for 16-30 days within a 30-day period. Do not report 98985 and 98977 together; select the appropriate code at the end of a 30-day period based on the number of days of data transmission or access.
What to document:
Document the RTM platform name, description and number of days that data was transmitted. The AMA clarifies that the data may be related to “signs, symptoms, compliance, and functions of a therapeutic response.”
Remote Treatment (CPT Code 98979, CPT Code 98980, and CPT Code 98981)
What CPT code 98979 covers: Remote therapeutic monitoring treatment management services, physician/other qualified health care professional time in a calendar month requiring at least one real-time interactive communication with the patient/caregiver during the calendar month; first 10 minutes.
*Report this code only if you have completed at least 1 synchronous interactive communication with the patient for the calendar month.
*Do not report this code in conjunction with 98980 (select the appropriate code at the end of the calendar month based on the professional time spent).
What CPT code 98980 covers: Remote therapeutic monitoring treatment management, physician/other qualified health care professional time in a calendar month requiring at least one interactive communication with the patient/caregiver during the calendar month; first 20 minutes.
Report this code only if you have completed at least 1 interactive communication with the patient for the calendar month.
What CPT code 98981 covers: Remote therapeutic monitoring treatment management, physician/other qualified health care professional time in a calendar month; each additional 20 minutes.
Report this code only when you have completed an additional interactive communication with the patient for the calendar month (for a total of 2 or more for the month).
For example, if a therapist provides a total of 60 minutes of remote therapeutic monitoring treatment management services in a calendar month, the therapist would report one unit of 98980 and two units of 98981.
How to use CPT code 98979, 98980 & 98981:
Count cumulative time spent in data review and patient/caregiver interaction in a calendar month (not each 30 days). Report the base and add-on codes together on the claim, based on total time, at the end of each calendar month. The base code (98980) may only be reported once per calendar month.
Don’t report CPT code 98980 unless a full 20 minutes of monitoring has occurred; don’t report CPT code 98981 unless a full additional 20 minutes of monitoring has occurred.
Note: CMS clarified that 98979, 98980, and 98981 “require a live, interactive communication with the patient/caregiver. The interactive communication contributes to the total time, but it does not need to represent the entire cumulative reported time of the treatment management service.”
What to document: 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.
The information presented here is for educational purposes only and is not meant to be interpreted as billing or legal advice. Please consult with your payors and their policies for more information on your requirements for this service. Information provided is sourced from the 2025 APTA Practice Advisory and the 2026 AMA CPT Manual, Professional Edition.