I am going to give you a breakdown of what RTM is, what it is not and give you all the
information you need to decide whether or not it is a smart choice for your clinic. At the end I will
give you my two cents and what our clinic has done in regards to RTM.

If you are a clinic owner this may be another stream of reimbursable income for your clinic.
If you are a physical therapist wanting to provide some added value and show initiative to
your company, taking the lead in implementing RTM billing may be a way to stand out and gain
some leverage in earning a significant raise.

Either way, take the next few minutes and see if RTM is a right fit for your clinic.

Why More Clinics Are Exploring Remote Therapeutic Monitoring And Whether It Actually Makes Sense for Your Practice

Over the last few years, RTM (Remote Therapeutic Monitoring) has become one of the most
talked-about additions in outpatient physical therapy for not only the positive impact on patient
compliance, but also the added income stream for clinics by creating HEP and monitoring
patient progression.

Some clinics are fully embracing it, while others are hesitant to add one more thing to their
therapist’s plate. Some clinicians or clinics may have never heard of RTM so this information is
brand new to them.

So the question becomes:
Should your clinic be using RTM? Why or why not?

The answer depends on your clinic structure, workflows, patient population, and implementation
strategy.

But before deciding whether RTM makes sense, it is important to understand what it actually is,
and what it is not.

What Is RTM?
RTM stands for Remote Therapeutic Monitoring.
It is a Medicare-approved service that allows healthcare providers, including physical therapists,
to remotely monitor and manage aspects of a patient’s treatment outside the clinic.

Unlike Remote Physiologic Monitoring (RPM), which focuses on physiologic data such as blood
pressure or heart rate, RTM was specifically designed for musculoskeletal and respiratory care.
For physical therapy, RTM generally focuses on:
● home exercise program compliance
● pain reporting
● activity tolerance
● functional response
● symptom progression

All of this is monitored on a digital platform or app.

In simple terms:
RTM allows therapists to stay connected to patient care between visits while also creating a
reimbursable service tied to monitoring and communication.

Why RTM Was Created
Healthcare is continuing to shift toward:
● value-based care
● patient engagement
● outcome tracking
● care outside traditional clinic walls

CMS recognized that physical therapists play a major role in long-term musculoskeletal
management, but historically there was limited reimbursement tied to monitoring patients
between visits.

RTM was introduced to fill that gap.
The goal was to:
● improve patient engagement
● improve adherence
● encourage earlier intervention
● support long-term outcomes

while also recognizing the clinical work providers perform outside face-to-face treatment
sessions.

How RTM Actually Works in a PT Clinic
Most RTM systems follow a relatively simple structure.
Step 1 Patient Enrollment
The patient is set up on a digital RTM platform during an evaluation or follow-up visit. For some
EMR systems, they have an RTM platform tied to their system.

This may include:
● app setup
● HEP instruction
● symptom tracking education
● communication expectations

Step 2 Patient Engagement at Home

The patient interacts with the platform outside the clinic by:
● completing exercises
● logging symptoms
● reporting pain levels
● tracking progress
● answering questionnaires

Step 3 Therapist Monitoring

The therapist reviews patient data and engagement.
This helps identify:
● poor compliance
● worsening symptoms
● stalled progress
● barriers to recovery

Step 4 Communication and Management

The therapist communicates with the patient regarding:
● exercise progression
● modifications
● education
● symptom management
● encouragement and accountability
This communication and monitoring time becomes part of the RTM service.

Clinics That Benefit Most From RTM

RTM tends to work best in clinics that:
● already emphasize patient engagement
● have strong home exercise programs
● want to improve retention and communication
● are looking for operational growth opportunities
*This should be the norm in all physical therapy clinic (In my opinion)

Benefits of RTM for a PT Clinic

1. Improved Patient Accountability
One of the biggest struggles in PT is compliance.

RTM allows therapists to actually monitor:
● participation
● consistency
● symptom trends
instead of simply hoping the patient is following through.

2. Better Communication Between Visits

Patients often feel disconnected between sessions.

RTM helps maintain:
● engagement
● education
● communication
● accountability
outside the clinic.

3. Earlier Intervention
Instead of waiting a week to discover:
● increased pain
● poor adherence
● worsening symptoms
therapists can identify problems earlier and adjust treatment accordingly.

4. Additional Revenue Opportunity
This is obviously one of the major reasons clinics are interested in RTM.
When implemented properly, RTM can create additional reimbursement tied to:
● monitoring
● communication
● care management
outside traditional visits.
For many clinics dealing with declining reimbursement rates, this can help diversify revenue
streams.

The Biggest Mistake Clinics Make With RTM
Many clinics fail because they implement RTM without a real system.

They add the platform… but not the workflow.
Successful RTM programs require:
● clear patient onboarding
● staff buy-in
● accountability systems
● documentation structure
● communication consistency
Without that, RTM quickly becomes:
● inconsistent
● time-consuming
● frustrating
● and ineffective

My Experience and Recommendation…
When I was first educated on RTM and what the requirements were to be able to bill Medicare
and receive additional reimbursement, I was really surprised to learn that we were already
doing that anyway day to day.

We were already taking the time to build our patients their very own HEP. I was already
checking in with them and going over both their compliance and progression of their home
exercises and modifying when necessary. And we were already answering messages via email
about questions that they had BUT we were never getting paid for our time. RTM changed ALL
of that!

In my opinion, we should be giving our patients HEP, we should be checking in with them on
their compliance and educating them on the importance of becoming independent in their own
workout and exercise routine. This is the ONLY way for them to be able to maintain pain free,
functional movement and restore their quality of life months and years after your skilled PT care.
And now…by implementing RTM systems throughout our clinic, we are getting reimbursed on
a monthly basis for the work and effort we were ALREADY doing.

Adding Leverage By Taking Initiative

I took the lead on this project for our clinic and learned everything I could on RTM and how to
best implement it in our company. The first year we earned close to an extra $20k in
reimbursable income by doing things we were already doing day to day with our patients. I was
able to bring this to my boss and show them the added value that I was able to bring to the
clinic and by doing so, earned a significant raise compared to my other colleagues. Showing
initiative and creating value led to increased income.

So final thought…
RTM is not just another billing trend.

When implemented correctly, it can improve:
● patient engagement
● accountability
● communication
● retention
● and operational efficiency

But like any system in healthcare, success depends on execution and your ability to take the
initiative to be the one to implement this strategy!

Brannon Chester,
Elite PT Education