The main difference between Remote Therapeutic Monitoring (RTM) and Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) comes down to one question: what kind of data are you collecting? RPM bills for physiological data, blood pressure, glucose, heart rate, oxygen saturation, weight, pulled from an FDA-approved medical device. RTM bills for non-physiological data reported by the patient: pain level, therapy compliance, medication adherence, exercise completion, function, mood, side effects, treatment response, and patient-reported experience. Decide on the data type and the rest of the decision, the device cost, the eligible providers, and the codes, follows from it. 

Both RTM and RPM programs expanded on January 1, 2026. CMS added shorter-duration codes to each, which widened who qualifies and made short-term monitoring worth billing. 

Remote Therapeutic Monitoring (RTM) vs Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) 

What is Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) 

RPM tracks physiological data from FDA-approved medical devices. The patient takes a reading, from a blood pressure cuff, a glucose meter, a pulse oximeter, or a weight scale, and the device transmits it to the care team. CMS introduced the RPM codes in 2019 to reimburse providers for monitoring physiological data remotely. 

Because the reading comes off a medical device and bills under evaluation and management rules, RPM sits with physicians, PAs, and NPs, and it fits specialties built around vital signs: primary care, cardiology, endocrinology. The trade-off is cost. The connected device runs $150 to $400 per patient, which shapes the economics of any program built on it. 

What is Remote Therapeutic Monitoring (RTM) 

RTM tracks non-physiological, patient-reported data: pain level, therapy compliance, medication adherence, exercise completion, function, mood, side effects, treatment response, and patient-reported experience. CMS created the RTM codes in 2022 for respiratory and musculoskeletal monitoring and added cognitive behavioral therapy in 2024. 

The reason CMS built a second program was reach. RTM opened remote monitoring to specialties RPM never covered: physical therapy, occupational therapy, pain management, rheumatology, orthopedics, behavioral health, respiratory therapy, and more so the clinicians in those fields could bill for care delivered between visits. Patients report through a mobile app rather than a purchased device, which takes the $150 to $400 device cost off the table. The app still has to meet the FDA's definition of a medical device, but a qualifying app satisfies that (like Actuvi), so there is no device to ship. 

Key differences between Remote Therapeutic Monitoring (RTM) vs Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) 

Four things separate the two programs in practice. 

Physiological vs non-physiological data. RPM captures vital signs measured by a device. RTM captures patient-reported therapeutic data: pain, adherence, function, mood. A COPD patient's oxygen saturation is RPM. That same patient's adherence to a pulmonary rehab plan is RTM. 

Data source and device cost. RPM depends on an FDA-approved medical device that runs $150 to $400 per patient. RTM runs on a mobile app the patient already carries, so there is no device to buy or ship. For a high-volume program, that gap decides the economics before a single claim is filed. 

Different CPT code families. RPM bills under the 994xx series, RTM under the 989xx series, and they do not cross. Billing an RPM code for therapeutic data, or an RTM code for a vital sign, gets the claim denied. The two families also run on separate 2026 update tracks, covered below. 

Who can bill, and which specialties. RPM is limited to physicians, PAs, and NPs, which keeps it in primary care, cardiology, and endocrinology. RTM opens billing to physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, and therapy assistants (PTAs and COTAs). That is the whole reason CMS created it: to bring remote monitoring to physical therapy, pain management, rheumatology, behavioral health, respiratory therapy, and more. 

2026 billing codes 

Both programs got the same kind of update this year. CMS added a short-duration device code and a short-duration management code to each, so a patient who monitors for a week, or needs a ten-minute monitoring, is now billable where they were not before. 

2026 Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) codes 

99445 and 99454 are mutually exclusive in a 30-day period, and 99470 and 99457 are mutually exclusive in a month. CMS set 99445 at the same rate as 99454, so a patient who transmits for eight days now carries the same device fee as one who transmits for twenty. 

2026 Remote Therapeutic Monitoring (RTM) codes 

The 2-15 day codes and the 16-30 day codes are mutually exclusive per patient per 30-day period, and 98979 and 98980 are mutually exclusive per calendar month. 98975 becomes billable once a patient reaches two cumulative days of monitoring in the 30-day period. The treatment management codes require at least one interactive communication with the patient during the month. 

Reimbursement figures are national averages and vary by region and payer. RTM amounts are national CMS averages; RPM amounts are 2026 estimates. APM participants receive slightly higher rates. 

Can you bill Remote Therapeutic Monitoring (RTM) and Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) together? 

No, not for the same patient in the same month. RPM and RTM cannot both be billed for one patient in a single month, so each patient goes into one program. RTM does pair with other programs: it can be billed concurrently with Advanced Primary Care Management (APCM). Two more rules worth knowing: RTM codes are not subject to the Multiple Procedure Payment Reduction (MPPR), so they are not discounted when billed alongside other therapy services, and the 98975 setup code bills once per episode of care. 

When to use each 

Use RPM when the condition shows up in a vital sign and the patient will use a connected device: blood pressure for hypertension, weight for heart failure, glucose for diabetes, or pulse oximetry for COPD. It fits primary care, cardiology, and endocrinology. 

Use RTM when the patient is in physical therapy, rehab, pain management, rheumatology, behavioral health, or respiratory therapy, and you need to track compliance, function, and the symptoms the patient reports. 

The deciding factor is usually your staff and specialty mix, not only your patients. Match the program to the credentials of the clinicians who will run it. A patient can move from one program to the other as care changes, stepping from RPM during acute recovery to RTM once they enter rehab, but the two cannot be billed for the same patient in the same month. Larger organizations run both, across separate patient populations. 

Frequently asked questions 

What is the main difference between RTM and RPM?  The data and its source. RPM bills for physiological readings from an FDA-approved device: blood pressure, glucose, heart rate, oxygen, weight. RTM bills for non-physiological, patient-reported data: pain level, therapy compliance, medication adherence, function, mood, side effects, treatment response, and patient-reported experience. 

Can the same patient be on RTM and RPM at once?  No. RPM and RTM cannot both be billed for the same patient in the same month, so each patient goes into one program. A patient can transition from one to the other as their care changes. 

Do I need to buy devices for RTM?  No. RTM data is patient-reported through an app (Actuvi's app qualifies), so there is no connected device to purchase, unlike RPM's $150 to $400 device cost per patient. The app does have to meet the FDA's definition of a medical device. 

Which clinicians can bill RTM?  Physicians, PAs, and NPs, plus physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, and therapy assistants (PTAs and COTAs). RPM is limited to physicians, PAs, and NPs. 

What changed for 2026?  CMS added short-duration codes to both programs. RTM gained 98984/5/6 for 2-15 days of monitoring and 98979 for 10-19 minutes of management time. RPM gained 99445 for 2-15 days and 99470 for the first 10-19 minutes. Both changes make shorter, lighter-touch monitoring billable. 

See it on your own patient population 

Book a 15-minute demo to see how Actuvi would set up RTM or RPM for your patient population and your billing workflow, and which codes your programs would qualify for. Talk to our digital care expert today to launch your remote monitoring program.