Welcome to your RTM Self-Guided Rollout Playbook. This self-serve guide transitions your organization from initial decision-making to full-scale, sustainable RTM execution. Remote Therapeutic Monitoring isn't just a technical setup — it requires leadership commitment, standardized workflows, and a culture of clinical engagement.
This playbook follows the ACES Framework, a proven four-phase methodology:
- ALIGN: Secure leadership commitment and define your vision for success.
- CLARIFY: Design your operational and billing workflows before the first patient is enrolled.
- ENABLE: Empower your staff with role-based training, scripts, and point-of-care job aids.
- SUSTAIN: Launch your program, troubleshoot early blockers, and establish RTM as a standard of care.
Use this playbook when you're ready to:
- Launch RTM in your clinic or organization
- Standardize workflows across your team
- Train staff and assign ownership
- Track performance and improve results over time
How to use this playbook
The checkboxes below are visual cues to help you mentally track progress as you read — they won't save if you refresh the page. For actual tracking, use the RTM Workbook linked at the bottom of this page.
The Core Behaviors of RTM Success
- Named Ownership: Every workflow step must have one named owner.
- Standardized Billing Cadence: Bill weekly for setup and device codes; bill monthly for treatment.
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Three clinician behaviors that determine success:
- Offer the RTM program during the initial evaluation.
- Enable the patient on the Medbridge GO App before they leave.
- Check the RTM dashboards daily within Medbridge.
Investment: 1–2 hours for leadership planning, plus ongoing staff training.
The ACES Framework Rollout Method
1 Phase 1: ALIGN — Get Leadership on the Same Page ▶
Rank Your Primary Driver for RTM
Most organizations have multiple reasons to adopt RTM, but one usually dominates. Rank these from 1 (most important) to 3 (least important). Your top driver shapes how you message the program internally and which metrics matter most.
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Revenue & Retention — Reduce patient drop-off and generate RTM billing.
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Access & Hybrid Care — Serve patients between visits or those in remote areas.
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Clinical Outcomes — Improve adherence and decision-making via real-time data.
Success Metrics & Targets
These four metrics define a healthy RTM program. Set targets now — you'll track against them in Phase 4.
Project Your Revenue Gain
Use the Medbridge RTM ROI Calculator to model expected revenue based on your patient volume and payor mix. Set your dollar target before launch.
| Metric | Target Range | What It Measures |
|---|---|---|
| % Eligible Patients Enabled in RTM | 70–85% | Patients activated on the Medbridge GO App — the on-ramp. |
| % Patients Enrolled in RTM Program | 70–85% | Patients who completed enrollment criteria after being enabled. |
| % Met RTM Billing Milestones (98975/98985) | 85–90% | Setup and device-supply codes successfully billed. |
| % Met RTM Treatment Milestones (98979/98980) | 50%+ | Patients who reached the treatment time thresholds. |
Building leadership buy-in?
Refer to the RTM Strategy & Foundations Guide for talking points, ROI framing, and adoption case studies.
✓ Complete this phase when:
2 Phase 2: CLARIFY — Design Your Workflows ▶
Decide how you'll manage RTM operations before you enroll your first patient. This phase has three decisions:
Decision 1: Choose Your Operating Model
Who owns RTM monitoring and patient outreach day to day?
| Clinician-Driven Most Common | Care Coordinator |
|---|---|
| Treating clinicians own enablement, monitoring, and billing time for their own patients. | A dedicated coordinator owns monitoring and patient outreach across multiple clinicians' caseloads. |
| Best when: caseloads are manageable, clinicians have time built into their day for monitoring, and you want clinical context closest to the data. | Best when: clinicians are at capacity, you have a tech-comfortable support staff member, or you want centralized monitoring for consistency. |
🔗 Operational Models Deep Dive
Decision 2: Define Patient Eligibility
Which patients are offered RTM?
| Opt-Out (Enroll All Eligible) | Selective (Verified Payors Only) |
|---|---|
| All clinically eligible patients are offered RTM by default; they may decline. | Only patients whose payors have been verified to reimburse RTM are offered the program. |
| Best when: you want maximum reach, your payor mix is mostly favorable, and you're confident in your documentation. | Best when: you serve a mixed payor population, denial rates are a concern, or you're piloting before a full rollout. |
🔗 RTM Patient Enrollment Guidance by Payor
Decision 3: Set Up Your Billing & Documentation
In this section: confirm CPT codes are live, choose how documentation lives in your EMR, and assign a billing owner.
Step 1 — Confirm CPT Codes Are Active
Verify that all six RTM codes (98975, 98977, 98979, 98980, 98981, 98985) are loaded, priced, and active in your Charge Master and EHR before go-live. If not, contact your billing team or EHR vendor now. Expand the reference chart below for billing rules per code.
Show CPT code reference chart ▶
| Code | Description | Frequency | Key Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
98975 |
RTM Setup | Once per episode | Bill after 2 days of activity. (Hospitals: do not bill 98975 & 98977/98985 same day.) |
98985 |
Device supply, 2–15 days | Once per 30 days | Select 98985 OR 98977 — not both. |
98977 |
Device supply, 16–30 days | Once per 30 days | Select 98985 OR 98977 — not both. |
98979 |
RTM Treatment, 10–19 min | Once per month | Select based on total treatment minutes met. |
98980 |
RTM Treatment, 20–39 min | Once per month | Requires 20+ min total and one interactive session. |
98981 |
RTM Treatment Add-on (+20m) | Multiple | Add on top of 98979 or 98980 for additional time. |
⚠️ Avoid Double-Billing on 98980
If you use a follow-up visit to satisfy the interactive communication requirement for 98980, that time cannot be double-billed with another CPT code during the same visit. Document the interactive component clearly.
Step 2 — Choose Your EMR Documentation Approach
This is the one Decision 3 sub-step where the trade-off depends on your EHR's flexibility, not just preference.
Recommended
Non-Visit Encounter Note
RTM documentation lives in a standalone encounter without a scheduled visit (similar to how Durable Medical Equipment is handled).
Best for: EHRs that support flexible encounter types and decouple charge capture from scheduled visits.
Existing / Future Visit Note
RTM documentation and charges are attached to a scheduled follow-up visit encounter.
Best for: EHRs where charge capture must be tied to a specific scheduled visit.
Step 3 — Assign a Billing Owner & Cadence
One person owns RTM billing. They:
- Pull the Medbridge Billing Milestone report.
- Copy documentation to the EMR.
- Submit charges on a standard cadence — weekly for setup/device codes, monthly for treatment codes.
Compliance Note
This playbook reflects recommended operational workflows. Organizations should align with their specific payer requirements and internal compliance policies.
✓ Complete this phase when:
3 Phase 3: ENABLE — Train Your Team ▶
RTM has more stakeholders than most onboarding programs — clinicians, care coordinators, billing leads, front desk, and patients themselves. Use the role-specific resources, scripts, and FAQs below to make sure every audience is prepared.
System Access & Permissions
- Enable RTM Permissions: Toggle "RTM Management" ON in settings. View Guide
- Medbridge Access: Ensure every staff member has a login. View Guide
- Role-Based Training: Complete all "Quick Start Guides." View Training Guides
Role-Specific Job Aids
| Resource | Audience | Action |
|---|---|---|
| RTM Getting Patients Started | Clinician | Download PDF |
| RTM Getting Started (Care Coordinator) | Coordinator | Download PDF |
| RTM Billing Guide | Billing | Download PDF |
| 2026 RTM Billing Cheat Sheet | Billing Clinician | Download PDF |
| RTM Patient Flyer | Front Desk | Download PDF |
| RTM Operational Guide | Leader | Download PDF |
Sample Clinician Script: Offering RTM at Evaluation
This is the conversation that drives Core Behavior #1. Customize the bracketed placeholders for your practice. Have clinicians rehearse it before go-live.
During the evaluation
"As part of your care plan, I'd like to enroll you in our Remote Therapeutic Monitoring program. It's an app on your phone that lets us track how your exercises and recovery are going between our visits."
Set the value
"You'll get reminders, video demos of your home program, and a way to message me if something changes. I'll see your activity on my end, so if you're stuck or in pain, we can adjust your plan without waiting until your next appointment."
Set the expectation
"It takes [2–3] minutes a day. Before you leave today, [name of front desk / coordinator] will help you get set up on the Medbridge GO app — so you can start tonight."
Close
"Sound good?"
Common Clinician Objections & Patient Questions
What if a patient says they're "not good with technology"? ▶
Reframe: "The app sends you reminders and shows videos — there's nothing to figure out. Let's get you set up right now and walk through it together." The in-clinic enablement step is what overcomes this objection — never let the patient leave to "try it at home."
What if a patient declines RTM? ▶
Document the decline, respect the choice, and don't ask again that visit. You can reintroduce it at a future visit if their situation changes.
How do I satisfy the interactive communication requirement for 98980? ▶
The interactive component can be a phone call, video visit, or secure two-way message that addresses the patient's RTM data or care plan. Document the date, time, duration, and clinical content. If you use a scheduled visit for this, remember it cannot be double-billed with another CPT code.
What if a clinician is skeptical that RTM is worth the extra work? ▶
Lead with the patient story: better adherence, fewer drop-offs, more clinical context between visits. Then show the dashboard — most skepticism evaporates when clinicians see that monitoring takes 2–3 minutes per patient per day, not hours. Pair skeptical clinicians with an early adopter for the first two weeks.
✓ Complete this phase when:
4 Phase 4: SUSTAIN — Launch, Troubleshoot & Monitor ▶
Launch the program, monitor against the targets from Phase 1, and establish a recurring review cadence to keep RTM healthy long-term.
90-Day Success Metrics Tracking
Review monthly against the targets you set in Phase 1. After 90 days, shift to the weekly pulse below.
| Metric | Target | Month 1 | Month 2 | Month 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| % Eligible Patients Enabled in RTM | >70% | |||
| % Patients Enrolled in RTM Program | >70% | |||
| % Met Activity Milestones (98975/98985) | >85% | |||
| % Met Treatment Milestones (98979/98980) | >50% |
Troubleshooting Common Blockers
| Problem | Root Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Low patient enablement | Clinician buy-in or knowledge gap | Coach clinicians on benefits and workflow; pair skeptics with early adopters. |
| Low RTM enrollment | Inconsistent in-clinic enablement | Enable patients before they leave; mandatory follow-up call if missed. |
| Missed billing | Monitoring breakdown | Hardwire daily dashboard checks with proactive messaging. |
| High denials | Payor mix mapping | Update payor matrix and audit documentation notes. |
| Clinicians skipping the offer | Script not internalized | Re-run script rehearsals; observe and coach during live evals. |
The Weekly Pulse (Ongoing)
Once live, review these KPIs every week. The first 4–8 weeks reveal whether your workflows are sticking.
| Week | Date | % Enabled (≥70%) | % Enrolled (≥70%) | % Billed 98975/98985 (≥85%) | Top Blocker |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | |||||
| Week 2 | |||||
| Week 3 | |||||
| Week 4 |
Pro Tip
Record "Key Wins" weekly — a patient who avoided a flare-up, a denial overturned, a clinician who hit their enrollment target. Share them with leadership monthly to maintain buy-in and staff momentum.
✓ Complete this phase when:
Prefer to get hands-on in a spreadsheet to complete these tasks?
Download the RTM Workbook (Excel)