CMS Remote Therapeutic Monitoring Codes

The Remote Therapeutic Monitoring (RTM) codes are a family of five codes created by the CPT Editorial Panel in October 2020 and valued by the RVS Update Committee (RUC) at its January 2021 meeting. 

The RTM family includes three practice expense (PE)-only codes and two codes that include professional work. The new RTM codes are:

CPT# 98975: Remote therapeutic monitoring (e.g. respiratory system status, musculoskeletal system status, therapy adherence, therapy response); initial set-up and patient education on use of equipment.

CPT# 98976: Remote therapeutic monitoring (e.g. respiratory system status, musculoskeletal system status, therapy adherence, therapy response); device(s) supply with scheduled (e.g. daily) recording(s) and/or programmed alert(s) transmission to monitor respiratory system, each 30 days.

CPT# 98977: Remote therapeutic monitoring (e.g. respiratory system status, musculoskeletal system status, therapy adherence, therapy response); device(s) supply with scheduled (e.g. daily) recording(s) and/or programmed alert(s) transmission to monitor musculoskeletal system, each 30 days.

CPT# 98980: Remote therapeutic monitoring treatment, 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.

CPT#98981: Remote therapeutic monitoring treatment, 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; each additional 20 minutes.

RTM codes can be used for the management of patients using medical devices that collect non-physiological data, such as indicators of therapy/medication adherence and therapy/medication response. This is a departure from RPM codes, which can only be used in conjunction with tracking physiologic data (e.g., heart rate, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels).

Currently, RTM codes are limited to respiratory and musculoskeletal conditions, but this is expected to expand in the future as the technology and use cases for RTM continue to evolve. As with RPM codes, RTM codes require the use of FDA-approved medical devices and involve the transmission of data to a qualified healthcare professional for remote assessment.

Overall, the RTM codes provide a valuable tool for healthcare providers to remotely monitor and manage the health of their patients, particularly those with chronic conditions. This allows for more efficient and effective care delivery, and can improve health outcomes for patients.