In January 2022, the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule introduced five CPT codes for remote therapeutic monitoring. Beginning January 1, 2026, CMS designated three additional RTM codes as sometimes-therapy services: 98979, 98984, and 98985. For rehab clinicians, the family now covers shorter data-collection periods and a shorter first tier of treatment-management time. The codes themselves are short. The rules around choosing and documenting them are not.
What counts as RTM
RTM covers monitoring of non-physiologic data: musculoskeletal system status, respiratory system status, therapy adherence, and therapy response. Unlike remote physiologic monitoring, the data does not have to come from a sensor. It may be self-reported by the patient, as long as it is collected through a product that meets the FDA's definition of a medical device. Software can meet that definition.
What each code covers
- 98975: initial setup and patient education on use of the monitoring device. It is an episode-of-care setup code, not a monthly device-supply code.
- 98984 and 98985: device supply for 2 to 15 days in a 30-day period. 98984 is for respiratory-system monitoring; 98985 is for musculoskeletal-system monitoring.
- 98976 and 98977: device supply for 16 to 30 days in a 30-day period. 98976 is respiratory; 98977 is musculoskeletal.
- 98979: the first 10 minutes of RTM treatment-management time in a calendar month, with at least one real-time interactive communication with the patient or caregiver.
- 98980: the first 20 minutes of treatment-management time in a calendar month, also requiring real-time interactive communication. It is an alternative first tier, not time to stack automatically with 98979.
- 98981: each additional full 20 minutes of treatment management in the same calendar month.
Why RTM, not RPM, is the rehab framework
Remote physiologic monitoring came first, but its treatment-management codes are evaluation-and-management codes, which therapists generally cannot bill. RTM was structured differently: CMS designated the RTM codes as "sometimes therapy" codes in the 2022 final rule, which means physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech-language pathologists can order and bill them, and the services can be furnished under general supervision. One boundary to know: RTM and RPM cannot be billed for the same patient in the same period.
What a workable RTM program needs
- A way for patients to complete and log their prescribed program at home, with low enough friction that the applicable 2-to-15-day or 16-to-30-day data tier is captured accurately.
- Structured data coming back (sessions, adherence, pain reports) rather than anecdotes at the next visit.
- A clinician workspace where the monthly review and the interactive communication requirement fit into a normal caseload.
- Documentation of time spent, because the treatment-management codes are time-based.
Where KineTrue fits
KineTrue was built around this loop. Therapists assign exercise programs with videos, patients complete camera-guided sessions at home, and the results (repetitions, movement quality, pain before and after) arrive in the therapist workspace alongside appointments, progress views, and messaging. That is the visibility a monitoring program depends on, in one place.
This article is education, not billing advice. Code values, payer policies, and documentation requirements change from year to year and vary by payer. Check the current CMS Physician Fee Schedule and APTA's practice advisory, and confirm specifics with your billing team before building a program around them.