There has been quick adoption of Remote Therapeutic Monitoring (RTM) across physical therapy and orthopedics, and that's great.

But RTM was built for much more, and Actuvi was built to help.

RTM is a way for care teams to collect and monitor therapeutic non-physiological data between clinic visits, and it can run across dozens of medical specialties. It's designed to focus on three core areas: respiratory, musculoskeletal, and cognitive behavioral therapy.

How RTM got this reputation

Remote therapeutic monitoring codes came out in 2022, and most early products focused on physical therapy. They took what clinics were already doing (home exercise programs) and made them available on the phone. These products were successful, and the market began associating RTM with physical therapy.

The RTM code set was never built for one specialty

RTM covers three families of patient-reported data, and only one of them is musculoskeletal. Respiratory monitoring bills under 98984 and 98976. Musculoskeletal bills under 98985 and 98977. Cognitive behavioral therapy bills under 98986 and 98978. All three reimburse $51.44 per 30-day period. 

The eligible provider list is just as wide. Physicians, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, pulmonologists, nurse practitioners, psychologists, physician assistants, and more can all bill RTM. Most of that list has nothing to do with a home exercise program. 

Medicare, Medicaid, private insurers, and workers comp reimburse for delivering this preventative, outcome-based care through remote therapeutic monitoring programs.

What a Remote Therapeutic Monitoring (RTM) program should do

RTM should adapt to how clinics deliver care and provide actionable data. It can take subjective patient-reported data and enrich it through longitudinal data sets, giving providers each patient's baselines, trends, habits, and recovery. That means the goals, assessments, treatment plans, thresholds, and escalation criteria are built around the clinic's own care pathways.

For example, pain clinics and pulmonology clinics need different assessments and alert thresholds, and have different goals for patient outcomes. Actuvi will customize their RTM program according to their needs.

RTM is a preventative health program. Actuvi gives the care team the ability to intervene before the situation escalates, allowing them to adjust the treatment plan, change medication frequency, or call the patient in before the next scheduled appointment.

How Remote Therapeutic Monitoring (RTM) works when it's done right

Done right, an RTM program is built around the clinics running it:

• When a patient's medication is being adjusted, pain clinics monitor both pain scores and the patient's level of function. The prescribing doctor can see between patient visits whether the new dose is effective.

• Behavioral health clinics monitor mood, mental health levels, and symptoms between sessions. If a patient has a difficult week, the clinician can see it in time to respond.

• A respiratory program tracks symptoms and inhaler use in COPD patients, helping to catch early signs before an exacerbation occurs.

These are just a few common examples. They show what an RTM program can look like when it's built for the clinics running it.

Why clinics stick with RTM

Patients continue to respond because the questions are relevant to their condition. Providers keep monitoring because the data helps them make better decisions. Monitoring becomes a way for clinics to care for patients between appointments.

When RTM is done right, it provides preventative care that helps both patients and providers. If you still think of RTM as only a general assessment and a home exercise program, it's time to take another look.

Launching your RTM program

Actuvi has a best-in-class RTM platform, and we launch remote therapeutic monitoring programs tailored to each clinic's care pathways. Our team partners with clinical leads to build and launch RTM programs, train staff, and offer ongoing support. Book a call with our RTM expert to learn how you can have a bespoke RTM program on the Actuvi platform today.